How much does it cost to line a chimney for a log burner?

A flexible steel liner supplied and fitted is usually £450 to £1,000. Fitting a stove with a liner, register plate and certificate is typically £1,000 to £1,700, with the stove on top.

How long does a chimney liner last?

Manufacturers commonly guarantee 316 grade liners for around 10 to 15 years and 904 grade for longer, provided the stove is used as intended and swept. Burning wet wood or the wrong fuel shortens that a lot.

Can I fit a stove without lining the chimney?

Only if the flue is the right size and passes a smoke test. That is rare in houses built before about 1965. Lining is the usual answer.

Do I need scaffolding to fit a liner?

Often not. Many liners are fitted from a roof ladder. Scaffold, typically £300 to £600, is needed on tall or awkward stacks or when the stack needs repairs.

Which liner size do I need?

Whatever the stove maker specifies, and never smaller than the stove’s flue collar. Smoke-exempt stoves up to 20 kW can usually use 125 mm; most other wood burners need 150 mm.

Does a liner need insulating?

Not always. Insulation helps on outside walls, tall stacks and cold, exposed chimneys. Ask the fitter to explain their choice.

Chimney liner installation for a log burner

Most stoves going into an older house go into an existing chimney, and most of those chimneys need lining first. A flexible stainless steel liner is dropped down the old flue from the top, connected to the stove at the bottom and sealed off with a register plate, so smoke and heat go up a pipe of the right size instead of a wide, cold, possibly cracked brick flue. Fitting a stove with a new liner, without the stove itself, usually costs £1,000 to £1,700.

Liner fitted from about £450 to £1,000

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Typical UK prices including VAT, checked November 2026.

When a chimney needs lining

The flue fails a smoke test. Smoke seeping into a bedroom, the loft or next door means the old flue leaks. Lining is the usual cure.
The flue is too big for a stove. A Victorian flue built for an open coal fire can be twice the size a stove needs. Gases cool and slow in it, so the stove draws poorly and tar builds up.
You share a stack with neighbours. Terraces and semis often have flues side by side. A liner keeps your smoke in your flue.
You want a stove that is easy to sweep. A smooth round liner is swept in minutes and collects less soot than rough brickwork.
You are replacing an old stove with a newer one. A liner over 10 to 15 years old, or one fitted for a different fuel, is often renewed at the same time.

What lining costs

Item	What it covers	Typical cost
Flexible steel liner, fitted	Liner, pot hanger or cowl, connected at the base; most houses	£450 to £1,000
Stove fitting with liner	Labour, liner, register plate, cowl and HETAS certificate; stove extra	£1,000 to £1,700
Stove, liner and fitting together	With a mid-range stove	£1,700 to £3,200
Sweep and smoke test first	If the chimney has been in use	£70 to £100
Scaffold	Only if the stack is hard to reach or needs work	£300 to £600

Typical UK ranges including VAT, from national price guides read November 2026. Estimate your own job.

Got a chimney but not sure it is fit for a stove? A fitter can smoke test it on the first visit.

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Lining a chimney for a stove, step by step

A chimney liner is a corrugated, flexible stainless steel tube, usually 125 mm or 150 mm across, that runs from the top of the chimney pot to just above the stove. Approved Document J sets the flue size: a stove of up to 20 kW that is approved for use in a smoke control area, or burns smokeless fuel, can use a 125 mm flue, while other wood burners up to 30 kW need 150 mm. The fitter matches the liner to the stove’s instructions, never smaller than the collar on top of the stove.

316 or 904 grade?

Liners come in two common grades of stainless steel. 316 grade is fine for a wood-only stove that is used sensibly and swept regularly. 904 grade has more resistance to the acids in coal smoke and is the usual choice for multi-fuel stoves or heavy use. Many fitters simply use 904 for everything because the price difference on a typical house is modest. Ask what grade is quoted and how long the manufacturer’s warranty is.

The register plate

At the bottom of the chimney a flat steel or board plate closes off the old flue above the fireplace opening. The liner connects through it to the stove’s flue pipe. The plate stops heat disappearing up the old chimney, stops soot falling into the room, and should have an access hatch, or the liner should be removable from the stove, so the flue can be swept.

Insulating the liner

Some fitters pour vermiculite or wrap insulation around the liner inside the old flue. It keeps the gases hot, helps the draw and cuts tarring, especially on an outside wall or a tall, exposed stack. It adds cost and is not always needed; a good fitter will say why they recommend it or not.

Before the liner goes in

The chimney is swept and smoke tested. The pot may need changing for one that takes a liner clamp, and the flaunching (the mortar round the pot) and stack pointing are checked. If the stack is loose or leaning, that work comes first: lining a failing stack does not make it safe. See the cost guide for typical repair figures.

Is lining the law?

Part J does not say every stove must have a liner. It says the flue must be the right size, sound and gas-tight. In practice almost every older chimney needs lining to meet that, and a HETAS-registered installer will not certify a stove on a flue that fails a smoke test. Relining a flue is itself notifiable building work, which a registered installer self-certifies.

Paperwork to keep

You should receive a HETAS certificate (or a building control completion certificate), and a notice plate should be fixed near the stove, the chimney or the electricity meter stating the flue type, size and installation date. Keep both with the house documents; buyers’ solicitors and insurers ask for them.

Sources we used

Prices are typical ranges from national UK price guides for homeowners, read November 2026, including VAT. Rules are summarised in our own words as general information.

How it gets done

A straightforward liner and stove takes one to two days, usually with the fitter working from a roof ladder.

Sweep and test
The flue is swept and smoke tested; the stack and pot are checked from the roof.
Drop the liner
The liner is fed down from the pot, clamped at the top and fitted with a cowl.
Seal and connect
The register plate is fixed, the stove placed on its hearth and connected.
Test and certify
A first fire, draw and spillage tests, the CO alarm, notice plate and certificate.

Common questions about stoves

How much does it cost to line a chimney for a log burner?: A flexible steel liner supplied and fitted is usually £450 to £1,000. Fitting a stove with a liner, register plate and certificate is typically £1,000 to £1,700, with the stove on top.
How long does a chimney liner last?: Manufacturers commonly guarantee 316 grade liners for around 10 to 15 years and 904 grade for longer, provided the stove is used as intended and swept. Burning wet wood or the wrong fuel shortens that a lot.
Can I fit a stove without lining the chimney?: Only if the flue is the right size and passes a smoke test. That is rare in houses built before about 1965. Lining is the usual answer.
Do I need scaffolding to fit a liner?: Often not. Many liners are fitted from a roof ladder. Scaffold, typically £300 to £600, is needed on tall or awkward stacks or when the stack needs repairs.
Which liner size do I need?: Whatever the stove maker specifies, and never smaller than the stove’s flue collar. Smoke-exempt stoves up to 20 kW can usually use 125 mm; most other wood burners need 150 mm.
Does a liner need insulating?: Not always. Insulation helps on outside walls, tall stacks and cold, exposed chimneys. Ask the fitter to explain their choice.

Get a quote for your stove

Start with a postcode. A few details about the room and the chimney (or the lack of one) let a fitter give you a sensible first figure before they visit.

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