A plate, a gap behind it, and the clearance it buys back

Wall heat shields, and the clearance each one declares

A wall heat shield is a panel mounted in front of a combustible wall with an air gap behind it, and the gap is the product. A plate screwed flat to plasterboard conducts heat into the plasterboard; the same plate held 20 or 30 mm off the surface, with the gap open at top and bottom so air can move through it, carries the heat away instead. Everything on this shelf is read against that principle. The panel dimensions must cover the area the appliance maker identifies, which is usually taller than people expect because the hot zone rises. The material is steel, calcium silicate board or glass, and the difference is as much about appearance and weight as about conduction. The ventilated gap is stated by the shield maker and must be reproduced by the spacers supplied or bought — a shield fitted without its spacers is not the product that was tested. The fixing matters more than on a floor plate because the panel is vertical and hot: the fixings themselves conduct, and the better designs isolate them. Then the figure that justifies the whole purchase: the reduced clearance declared for the appliance behind it. We compare dimensions, height, width, material, finish, temperature, weight and origin.

These parts, set out figure by figure

1. 

   Haushalt-Krausse.de Hammered Stove Screen, 91 × 46 cm

   A free-standing hammered steel screen in four finishes, made by hand in the Erzgebirge — 91 centimetres tall including its feet.

   Dimensions

   The maker does not state it.

   Height

   91 cm including the feet

   Width

   46 cm

   Material

   A free-standing stove screen on feet — not a fixed panel · Powder-coated steel sheet

   Finish

   Hammered · Four selectable: antique iron, copper, antique brass, black-gold

   Temperature

   Not published

   Weight

   The maker does not state it.

   Origin

   Handwork from the Erzgebirge, stated

   Amazon reference

   B0CCMM7ZWP (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260507959638

   • Publishes the height with the feet, which is the dimension that actually stands in the room
   • Four finishes, so it can be matched to a stove rather than contrasting with it
   • Publishes no temperature and no clearance figure — as does every screen in this family

   Best for: A stove in a room where the wall behind it needs shielding from view as much as from heat

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2. 

   Turk Hammered Stove Screen, Antique Brass

   The same 91 by 46 screen in antique brass, from an established maker — described in two lines and nothing more.

   Dimensions

   The maker does not state it.

   Height

   91 cm

   Width

   46 cm

   Material

   Not published

   Finish

   Antique brass, hammered

   Temperature

   Not published

   Weight

   Not stated

   Origin

   Two · Not published

   Amazon reference

   B00EAA96ME (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4002920780037

   • The same dimensions as the standard screen on this shelf, in a named finish
   • Carries a manufacturer reference, so it can be reordered exactly
   • Two published features, neither of them a material

   Best for: An antique brass finish specifically, from a maker with a part number behind it

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3. 

   Schürer Metallwaren Hammered Stove Screen, 91 × 46 cm, Black-Gold

   The same hand-made screen in black-gold, published with the material and the four finishes — and the same text as another listing here.

   Dimensions

   The maker does not state it.

   Height

   91 cm including the feet

   Width

   46 cm

   Material

   Powder-coated steel sheet

   Finish

   Black-gold · Four: antique iron, copper, antique brass, black-gold · Identical, word for word, to another brand’s listing on this shelf

   Temperature

   Not published

   Weight

   The maker does not state it.

   Origin

   Handwork from the Erzgebirge, stated

   Amazon reference

   B0CB413C4W (one reference across 4 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260507959065

   • Publishes the material and states the height with feet
   • Four finishes on one listing, chosen at the point of order
   • Its feature text is word for word another brand’s on this same shelf

   Best for: Black-gold specifically, at the standard size and price this style is sold at

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4. 

   Feuerfest 123 GmbH Calcium Silicate Board, 500 × 300 × 70 mm

   Seventy millimetres of calcium silicate at ninety per cent porosity, rated to 1,000 °C and cut with an ordinary saw.

   Dimensions

   500 × 300 × 70 mm · One board, with many other sizes stated available

   Height

   The maker does not state it.

   Width

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   Calcium silicate, stated pressure-resistant, dimensionally stable and moisture-regulating · Approximately 90 %, with a stated very low thermal conductivity · Cut with a saw and adapted to different shapes, stated

   Finish

   The maker does not state it.

   Temperature

   Developed for use up to 1,000 °C

   Weight

   Approximately 3 kg

   Origin

   Interior fit-out, stove building and plant construction

   Amazon reference

   B0CHJXB5WV (one reference across 4 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4262443451320

   • Publishes a porosity figure, which is the property behind the insulation
   • Seventy millimetres thick — genuine insulation rather than a reflective layer
   • Publishes no thermal conductivity figure, only that it is very low

   Best for: Building an insulated wall behind a stove, where thickness is available and a real barrier is wanted

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5. 

   Krokodilzange Stove Screen with Feet, Black, 91 × 46 cm

   The smooth version of the standard 91 × 46 cm stove screen, in plain black — one published line of description, with a typo in it.

   Dimensions

   91 × 46 cm

   Height

   The maker does not state it.

   Width

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   A stove screen with feet · Not published

   Finish

   Black, smooth — described as modern rather than hammered

   Temperature

   Not published

   Weight

   Not published

   Origin

   One, and it contains a spelling error · Not published

   Amazon reference

   B0BZDH865N (one reference across 2 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4062467500444

   • Smooth and plain, where the rest of this style is hammered and antiqued
   • The same 91 × 46 cm footprint as three other screens on this shelf
   • One published feature, and it is misspelled

   Best for: A modern stove where a hammered antique screen would look wrong

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6. 

   Kamino-Flam Heat Protection Panel, 800 × 500 × 3 mm

   A three-millimetre asbestos-free panel in a stainless frame, faced with 50-micron aluminium foil — and stated for the wall only, never the floor.

   Dimensions

   Approximately 50 × 0.3 × 80 cm

   Height

   The maker does not state it.

   Width

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   An asbestos-free board in a stainless steel frame, faced on one side with 50 µ coarse-grain aluminium foil and a thermally active adhesive

   Finish

   Silver

   Temperature

   Continuously resistant to approximately 1,100 °C, stated · Stated suitable only for the wall, not for the floor

   Weight

   Approximately 1.4 kg · One panel

   Origin

   Insulation between a refrigerator and a cooker

   Amazon reference

   B004TVO138 (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4009977644190

   • States what it must not be used for — the floor — which nothing else on this shelf does
   • Publishes the foil thickness and names the board type, rather than saying insulating panel
   • Three millimetres is a barrier, not a thickness of insulation

   Best for: A wall behind a stove where there is no room to lose and a thin barrier is the only option

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