Small Wood Stoves for One Room or a Cabin

EPA's buying advice points small stoves at a family room, a seasonal cottage or zone heating one living area of a bigger house. These are the stoves in our catalog whose makers rate them for 1,200 square feet or less, ordered from the smallest rating up, so the first picks suit the smallest spaces.

Measure the open area around the hearth before you choose: the room plus anything that opens onto it through a wide doorway. A stove rated well above that space ends up run on a low, smouldering fire, which EPA says is neither safe nor efficient. Read each heating area as the maker's best case for an open, insulated space.

Every stove here burns cordwood without electricity, so it keeps heating in a power cut; only a blower, where fitted, needs power. All of them need a chimney or insulated chimney pipe and the clearances their manuals set, and new stoves have to meet EPA's 2.0 grams-per-hour smoke limit. Burn wood under 20 percent moisture and have the chimney inspected and cleaned every year before the season, as NFPA advises.

#1 · Up to 350 sq ft

Real Flame RMQ6XTRX1574 350 Sq Ft Small Wood Stove

The maker says the Real Flame RMQ6XTRX1574 350 Sq Ft Small Wood Stove heats up to 350 square feet. It suits zone heating one living area and homes with a wood supply. Where it gives ground: needs a chimney and clearances per the manual; needs seasoned, dry wood. Warranty: 3 months. A small stove like this suits zone heating the room you live in while the furnace covers the rest of the house.

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#2 · Up to 750 sq ft

Comfort Glow CGWS750 Small Wood Stove

The maker says the Comfort Glow CGWS750 Small Wood Stove heats up to 750 square feet. Its firebox takes logs up to 11 in. It suits zone heating one living area and homes with a wood supply. Where it gives ground: needs a chimney and clearances per the manual; needs seasoned, dry wood. Listed size: 16.5 inD x 13 inW x 30.15 inH. Warranty: 1 Year Manufacture Defect Only. Check the manual's clearances and floor protection before you pick a spot; small rooms leave less space around the stove.

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#3 · Up to 900 sq ft

US Stove US1261E 900 Sq Ft Small Wood Stove

The maker rates the US Stove US1261E 900 Sq Ft Small Wood Stove at 54,000 BTU per hour and says it heats up to 900 square feet. It suits zone heating one living area and homes with a wood supply. Where it gives ground: needs a chimney and clearances per the manual; wood must be under 20% moisture. The size calculator compares its rating with your room. A small stove like this suits zone heating the room you live in while the furnace covers the rest of the house.

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#4 · Up to 1,000 sq ft

US Stove SR57E Wood Stove

The maker rates the US Stove SR57E Wood Stove at 60,000 BTU per hour and says it heats up to 1,000 square feet. It connects to a 6-inch flue. It suits zone heating one living area and homes with a wood supply. Where it gives ground: needs a chimney and clearances per the manual; burns best on dry wood only. Listed size: 20 inD x 24 inW x 28 inH, 160 lb. Warranty: 1 year limited.

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#5 · Up to 1,200 sq ft

Ashley Hearth AW1120E-P 1,200 Sq Ft Wood Stove

The maker rates the Ashley Hearth AW1120E-P 1,200 Sq Ft Wood Stove at 68,000 BTU per hour and says it heats up to 1,200 square feet. Its firebox takes logs up to 18 in. It connects to a 6-inch flue. It has a blower, which needs household power. It suits heating a small house and homes with a wood supply. Where it gives ground: needs a chimney and clearances per the manual; wood must be under 20% moisture. Listed size: 21 inD x 22 inW x 29.5 inH. Warranty: Limited lifetime firebox warranty, 1 year all other parts.

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#6 · Up to 1,200 sq ft

Comfort Glow CGWS1500 Wood Stove

The maker says the Comfort Glow CGWS1500 Wood Stove heats up to 1,200 square feet. Its firebox takes logs up to 18 in. It has a blower, which needs household power. It suits heating a small house and homes with a wood supply. Where it gives ground: needs a chimney and clearances per the manual; burns best on dry wood only. Listed size: 21.5 inD x 22.5 inW x 29.5 inH. Warranty: 2 Year Manufacturer Defect Only.

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#7 · Up to 1,200 sq ft

US Stove US1100E-L 1,200 Sq Ft Wood Stove

The maker rates the US Stove US1100E-L 1,200 Sq Ft Wood Stove at 68,000 BTU per hour and says it heats up to 1,200 square feet. Its firebox takes logs up to 18 in. It connects to a 6-inch flue. It suits heating a small house and homes with a wood supply. Where it gives ground: needs a chimney and clearances per the manual; needs seasoned, dry wood. Listed size: 21.3 inD x 24.5 inW x 30.9 inH, 258 lb.

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#8 · Up to 1,200 sq ft

Vogelzang EPA 2020 Wood Stove

The maker rates the Vogelzang EPA 2020 Wood Stove at 68,000 BTU per hour and says it heats up to 1,200 square feet. It connects to a 6-inch flue. It has a blower, which needs household power. It suits heating a small house and homes with a wood supply. Where it gives ground: needs a chimney and clearances per the manual; wood must be under 20% moisture. Check the manual's clearances and floor protection before you pick a spot; small rooms leave less space around the stove.

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The picks on one chart

Choosing between them

Start with the heating area against the open space you measured, then the firebox: the longest log it takes should match how you cut or buy wood, or you'll be re-cutting every load. Next, the flue: the stove's collar size has to match your chimney or the pipe you plan, and a wood insert needs a liner sized to it.

Where a listing gives its grams-per-hour figure, lower is cleaner; every new stove has to meet EPA's 2.0 g/h. A blower spreads heat faster but needs power, while the stove itself keeps working in an outage. Finally, read the clearances and floor protection in the manual against the spot you have in mind, because they decide whether a stove fits there at all.

When another list fits better

For a whole small house, look at the stoves for larger spaces list.

For a fireplace you already have, an insert in the wood stove chart seals it behind a door.

Common questions

Our editors choose and order the picks from the makers' own figures; every pick meets the requirement printed above. How we compare heaters · Affiliate disclosure