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Stainless steel vs carbon steel griddle

Updated: October 2026

You searched for a plancha and landed on two metals that share one word. Stainless steel vs carbon steel griddle is a choice about rust care and stored heat. The twelve amazon.co.uk listings behind this guide are all stainless grill-top inserts. The Products Compared editorial team read those files on 15 October 2026. Shelf prices run from £43.99 to £104.99. Nothing was cooked in a lab, and this page does not price a carbon plate. Cast iron is a third material, and it is not this URL. If you are staying with stainless, the rows are on the [stainless steel griddle comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/stainless-steel-griddle). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You searched for a plancha and landed on two metals that share one word. Stainless steel vs carbon steel griddle is a choice about rust care and stored heat.

Our top picks

GriHero GriHero 40 × 30 cm griddle set

Best overall

GriHero GriHero 40 × 30 cm griddle set
7.8/10about £57.77
View offer
Onlyfire Onlyfire 304 griddle 40 × 30 cm

Best value

Onlyfire Onlyfire 304 griddle 40 × 30 cm
6.1/10about £54.99
View offer
QWORK QWORK 304 griddle 51 × 32 cm

Alternative

QWORK QWORK 304 griddle 51 × 32 cm
4.4/10about £43.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.They are not the same thickness class
  2. 2.Heat and sear
  3. 3.Rust and seasoning
  4. 4.When to pick which

They are not the same thickness class

A grill-top insert is a formed sheet on a barbecue you already own. Stated gauges in this set are 1.2 mm, 2 mm, and 4 mm. The other listings state no gauge. A size line ending in about 7 cm is the tray height, not the steel. ManoMano's UK guidance uses at least 6 mm as a retailer rule of thumb for plancha plates. Simogas talks about carbon rolled steel at least 6 mm in their range. Neither figure is law, and neither was measured on these ASINs. GriHero's stated 4 mm is the thickest number written down here, and it still sits short of that 6 mm line. The 7 cm trap is on the stainless steel griddle plate buying guide.

Heat and sear

Simogas says stainless has the least thermal inertia and expands strongly as it heats. That is a manufacturer opinion. Do not attach their temperature ceilings to these listings. ManoMano's UK guide says stainless conducts less well than cast iron or steel, and that carbon steel must be seasoned once a coating wears off, or it corrodes. UK notes match the thin-sheet end of that story. One shared Onlyfire review puts the barbecue near 380°C and the plate near 180°C. GriHero buyers report slow or uneven heat on the stated 4 mm plate. The QWORK note says the 1.2 mm sheet warps while hot. A heavy plate stays hot when a cold patty lands. A thin stainless insert recovers more slowly. How to oil a stainless plate is on the how to use a stainless steel griddle page.
GriHero GriHero 40 × 30 cm griddle set

Testsieger

GriHero GriHero 40 × 30 cm griddle set
7.8/10about £57.77
View offer

Rust and seasoning

Choose stainless when you will not keep a rust coat. The word does not mean zero marks. A UK review on Onlyfire B0999CDF1H says the steel stained and is not stainless. That is not a lab test. Rain on a plate left wet can still mark steel. These reviews talk more about warp and sticking than about a rust schedule. Napoleon treats seasoning as optional on corrosion-resistant stainless. Blackstone's UK guide seasons for rust on Blackstone griddles. Leave those rust rounds on the plates they were written for. Carbon steel needs oil once a factory coating has worn, or it corrodes. You will still oil eggs. 304 on the QWORK and on B0999CDF1H is a listing claim, with no declaration of compliance.

When to pick which

Pick the stainless grill-top plate for eggs, pancakes, or smash burgers on a barbecue you already own, if you will not oil against rust. Pick a thicker carbon plate if sear and stored heat matter, and you will dry it and oil it. Both warp when the sheet is thin, so an unstated carbon gauge is not an automatic upgrade on GriHero's stated 4 mm. That carbon plate is not priced here. The conditional top pick and the conditional best value are on the best stainless steel griddle plate page. Cast iron stays a separate search.

Common questions

Which is better for smash burgers?
A thicker plate holds heat when a cold patty lands, which is why carbon steel near a 6 mm rule of thumb keeps coming up. These stainless inserts top out at a stated 4 mm. Carbon steel stores more heat if you will dry and oil it. Neither line is a lab sear.
Will stainless rust outside?
These listings do not promise a rust-proof life outdoors. A stain review on the Onlyfire 304 plate shows buyers already argue about marks. Dry the stainless plate after you wash it.
Do I have to season both?
On corrosion-resistant stainless, seasoning is optional, as Napoleon says for its insert. You still oil so food releases. Carbon steel needs oil as rust protection once a coating wears. Treating both metals as the same job mixes a sticking film with a rust coat.
Why do makers say stainless is a poor plancha plate?
Simogas says stainless has the least thermal inertia and expands strongly. ManoMano says it conducts less well than cast iron or steel. Those views are about plancha plates, often thicker than these inserts. A 1.2 mm stainless sheet will not store heat like a 6 mm carbon plate.
Is 1.2 mm stainless the same decision as a 6 mm carbon plate?
Stated 1.2 mm, on the QWORK and Onlyfire B072LCVNHT, is a thin grill-top sheet. Six millimetres is a plancha rule of thumb, and Simogas talks about carbon steel at least that thick in their range. The photo can look alike. The mass, the sear, and the care do not.
What if I hate oiling a plate after every cook?
Stainless does not ask for a rust coat after every cook. You still oil eggs so they move. Carbon steel asks for the extra oil so it does not corrode. A dry stainless face can still stick.
Can I mix a stainless plate with carbon-steel cleaning advice?
Scrape, wash, and dry the stainless plate. Do not throw ice water over a thin insert because a carbon-steel maker deglazes a heavier plate that way. Oil for sticking is fair. A Blackstone rust seasoning is the wrong default for these listings.

Related pages

Stainless steel griddle

Best stainless steel griddle plate for UK barbecues

Stainless steel griddle plate: checks before you buy

Griddle plate for a gas BBQ: fit, fat and outdoors

How to use a stainless steel griddle the first time

Sources

Listing prices and ratings are the amazon.co.uk figures recorded for this comparison on 15 October 2026. The public sources below cover food-contact rules, outdoor gas appliances, and maker guidance.

  1. Assimilated Regulation 1935/2004 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2012 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK: Food contact materials authorisation guidance (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. BS EN 498:2012, outdoor LPG barbecues (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: Regulation 2016/426 and gas appliances enforcement (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. UK LPG: guidelines for safe use of barbecues (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. ManoMano UK: electric plancha grill buying guide (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Napoleon: stainless steel griddle insert guide (retrieved 15 October 2026)