A chimney installation is three parts in a fixed order. Stove pipe inside the room, insulated Class A chimney through the building, a termination above the roof. Decide the route first, and the parts list and the height both follow from it.
In short
A wood stove chimney runs single wall stove pipe up to the ceiling or wall, then Class A insulated pipe out of the building and above the roof. Three routes: through the roof, through the attic, or through a wall.
What a chimney installation actually involves
The system changes character at the moment it meets the structure of the house, and that is the part most people plan wrong.
Inside the room, black single wall stove pipe connects the stove collar to the transition point. It is a connector, not a chimney, and it stays inside the room it starts in. At the ceiling or the wall, the system changes to Class A insulated chimney pipe, which is the only part rated to pass through a building. From there the chimney runs vertically to a cap above the roof.
Three jobs, three sets of parts:
- The connection. Stove pipe from the appliance collar to the transition, with an adapter at each end.
- The pass-through. A ceiling support box or a base wall support carries the weight of the chimney and holds the required air gap through the framing.
- The chimney and termination. Class A lengths up to and through the roof or the outside wall, with a flashing and storm collar at a roof penetration, and a cap with a spark screen at the top.
Our class a insulated chimney pipe is double wall stainless steel with an insulation core, listed to UL 103 HT and rated for 1000 degrees F continuous use.
Which route does your chimney take?
Where the chimney leaves the building is the first decision, and it is settled by where the stove sits, not by preference.
| Route | When it is the right one | What decides the parts list |
|---|---|---|
| Straight up through the roof | Open, vaulted or cathedral ceiling with no attic above the stove | Ceiling height and roof pitch |
| Through a ceiling and an attic | Flat ceiling with attic space above, stove away from an outside wall | Ceiling type, attic depth and roof pitch |
| Out through an outside wall | Stove near an exterior wall, or a roof penetration you cannot make | Wall thickness and outside chimney height |
Through the roof, cathedral ceilings included
This is the shortest and the best drafting route: one straight vertical run from the stove to the cap.
Because there is no attic, the transition happens at the ceiling itself and the insulated pipe is visible in the room above the support box. The pitch of the roof decides the flashing, and it is worth measuring from inside before you order anything. Our wood stove pipe kits through the roof are built around that measurement.
Through a ceiling and an attic
Same vertical idea, one more penetration and one extra part.
The chimney passes through a support box at the ceiling, continues through the attic, then exits the roof. In the attic it needs an insulation shield, which keeps loose fill and stored material off the pipe and holds the air gap open. If your ceiling is sloped or vaulted but still has a void above it, the angle changes the support box, so say so when you order. That route is what the insulated chimney pipe kit for an attic is configured for.
Out through a wall
The stove pipe turns to the wall, and the system becomes Class A before it reaches it.
Outside, a tee with a clean-out cap sits at the bottom of the run and the chimney climbs the wall on brackets, with a base support taking the weight. Stove pipe must never pass through the wall itself: only insulated Class A pipe enters the thimble. The exterior run is where a wood stove through wall kit needs the most height, because the chimney has to clear the eaves and the roof above it.
What is in a chimney kit?
A kit is the matched set for one route, sized to your measurements by the configurator on the kit page. The lists below are the standard configurations read from those pages on 7 September 2026.
The configurator changes lengths and quantities as soon as you enter your own diameter and heights, so treat the columns as what the route needs rather than as a fixed count.
| Part | Roof kit | Attic kit | Wall kit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adapter, stove to stove pipe | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Telescoping single wall stove pipe | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stove pipe adapter to Class A pipe | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ceiling or roof support box | Yes | Yes | No, a base wall support instead |
| Wall thimble | No | No | Yes |
| Attic insulation shield | No | Yes | No |
| Class A insulated chimney lengths | Yes | Yes | Yes, more of them |
| Tee with clean-out cap | No | No | Yes |
| Adjustable wall bracket | No | No | Yes |
| Roof flashing with storm collar | Yes, matched to pitch | Yes, matched to pitch | No |
| Chimney cap with spark screen | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Every route starts from the same three pieces at the stove and ends at the same cap. What changes in the middle is how the chimney gets through the building and what carries its weight. All of them sit together on the wood stove chimney kit page.
Which stove are you installing, and which diameter?
The chimney diameter is set by the stove, not chosen.
Look at the round collar where the flue leaves your appliance, or read the number off the manual. Most residential wood stoves use a 6 inch outlet; larger stoves and higher output appliances use 8 inch. Going up a size to get more draft does the opposite, because a wider flue runs cooler and drafts worse, and going down restricts the appliance and breaks its listing. Match the collar and the rest of the system follows.
Have the stove itself on site, or at least its manual, before you order the chimney. Its outlet position, front or top, changes how much stove pipe you need in the room.
What does a chimney installation cost?
Two comparisons decide most of it, and both work in your favor.
- A kit you fit yourself against a professional install. The parts are the same parts either way. What you are deciding is whether you pay for the labor as well, and a standard straight run is within reach of a capable owner.
- A metal Class A system against building masonry. A prefabricated stainless chimney is delivered as a kit and goes up in a day or two. A masonry chimney is a foundation, a mason, scaffolding and a lined flue, and it stays the more expensive of the two by a wide margin.
The figures themselves, including what the parts and the labor come to, are on our page on how much does it cost to build a chimney.
Factory-built metal chimney or masonry?
For a wood stove, a factory-built Class A chimney is the normal answer in the United States, and a masonry chimney is the exception.
A Class A system is tested and listed as an assembly, so the clearances, the joints and the termination are all defined by the listing rather than by a bricklayer's judgment. It also weighs a fraction of masonry, which means no foundation. Masonry earns its place where a chimney already exists, or where the building demands it, and in that case the flue is usually relined with stainless steel to the size the modern stove wants.
The code your installation has to meet
Three requirements decide whether an installation passes, and all three are measurements you can take before ordering. The paragraphs below are our standing wording for what NFPA 211, the UL 103 listing standard and IRC R1003.9 require, each linked to its source.
Per NFPA 211 (Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances), chimney installations must follow defined clearances to combustibles, minimum height above the roof penetration, and material requirements for the fuel type. Local codes typically adopt NFPA 211 by reference.
Clearance for the insulated chimney
Class A insulated chimney pipe, when UL 103 HT-listed for wood-burning, maintains a minimum of 2 inches clearance to combustibles per the standard listing. Always verify the exact clearance specified by the manufacturer's UL listing for the specific product.
That 2 inch gap is the reason the opening you cut is wider than the pipe, and it is held open by the support box at a ceiling and by the shield in an attic. It is an air gap, so nothing goes in it: no insulation, no packing, no sealant.
Clearance for the stove pipe in the room
Per NFPA 211, single-wall stove pipe (the connector pipe inside the room between the appliance and the Class A chimney) must maintain at least 18 inches of clearance from any combustible wall, ceiling, or framing.
This is the one that catches people out in a small room, because 18 inches from the wall behind the stove is a lot of floor. Double wall connector pipe is listed to a shorter clearance than single wall, so where the room is tight, that is the part to change.
How high the chimney has to finish
The 3-2-10 rule (NFPA 211 / IRC R1003.9) requires that a chimney extend at least 3 feet above the highest point where it passes through the roof, AND at least 2 feet higher than any portion of the building, structure, or obstruction within a 10-foot horizontal radius.
Measure that 10 foot radius before you count pipe lengths. A ridge, a dormer or a taller neighboring wall inside the circle raises the termination, and that is usually another length plus a brace. The full working of it, with the pitch calculation, is in our guide to chimney height above roof.
Do you need a permit, and who inspects it?
Whether a permit is required for installing a chimney is decided by your local building department, and it is worth one phone call before you start.
Many jurisdictions treat a solid fuel appliance and its chimney as permitted work, and some ask for an inspection before the first fire. Your home insurer may also want the install documented. Neither is a national rule, so the answer comes from your own building department rather than from a guide, and it is a short conversation rather than an obstacle.
How is a chimney attached to a house?
The chimney carries its own weight down to a single structural part, and everything else just steadies it.
- Inside routes. The ceiling support box is fixed into the framing and the chimney above it sits on that box. Above the roof, a brace holds the exposed section against wind.
- Wall routes. A base wall support bolted to the wall takes the vertical load, and adjustable brackets up the run stop the chimney moving sideways.
- The gap between chimney and house is deliberate. Where the pipe passes framing, the required air space stays open. It is a clearance, not a gap to be filled, and closing it with sealant or insulation is a fire risk rather than a tidier finish.
Structural and routing points to check before you cut
Four things decide whether the route you want is the route you can build.
- What sits directly above the stove. A ceiling joist, a rafter or a truss web in the way moves either the stove or the penetration, and a truss is never cut.
- How straight the run can be. Every offset costs draft and adds a place for creosote, so a straight vertical run beats a neat one.
- Where the penetration lands on the roof. Close to a ridge, a dormer or a valley, the height rule and the flashing both get harder.
- What carries the load. One support box or one base wall support takes the weight of the whole stack, and it has to be fixed into framing rather than into sheathing or siding.
Can you add a chimney to a house that never had one?
Yes. Adding a chimney to a house that never had one is among the most common jobs a prefabricated system is bought for.
Because the system is light and modular, the work is a matter of choosing the route and cutting two openings, or one opening and a wall penetration. There is no foundation and no structural rebuild. The practical constraints are where the stove can stand, what is directly above it in the ceiling and roof, and how much height the chimney needs to clear the roof line.
Can you install a chimney yourself?
A standard straight run is a DIY job for a capable owner, and most of our customers fit their own.
The parts lock together, the sequence is short, and the measurements are ones you can take with a tape and a level. What makes it a DIY job is that the system is listed as an assembly: follow the instructions supplied with it and you are following the listing.
Bring in help when any of these is true:
- The roof is steep, high, or not safe to work on.
- The route needs offsets rather than a straight run.
- You are connecting to an existing masonry chimney and do not know its condition.
- Your building department wants the work inspected and you would rather it were signed off as it goes.
To find a sweep or an inspector, CSIA and NFI both list certified people by area. A certified installer is a way of getting the work checked, not a condition of anything you buy from us.
If you do bring someone in, the questions worth asking are concrete ones: which route are you proposing and why; what clearance does the pipe you are fitting hold; how are you reaching the termination height; and can you give the quote as line items, parts and work separately, so it can be compared with the parts on their own. A solid answer names the listing and the measurement rather than only a figure.
What the warranty asks of you
One condition, and it is the same whoever does the work.
Class A insulated chimney pipe bought from us is covered at 100% replacement for the first 15 years and 50% of the original price after that, for as long as the original buyer owns the system, when it is installed in accordance with the instructions supplied with it. Fitting it yourself does not affect that cover, and there is no requirement anywhere in it for a professional installer.
Planning an installation, step by step
A chimney pipe installation is worked out on paper before anything is ordered. Seven steps, and the first three decide the parts list.
- Confirm the stove collar diameter, 6 inch or 8 inch, from the appliance itself or its manual.
- Choose the route: through the roof, through an attic, or through a wall.
- Measure from the stove collar to the ceiling or to the wall, allowing for the depth the support box drops below the ceiling.
- Measure the vertical distance from that transition to the underside of the roof, and the roof pitch, from inside where you can.
- Work out the height above the roof with the 3-2-10 rule, checking the 10 foot radius for a ridge, a dormer or a wall.
- Add the parts list for your route, then check the room clearances against the pipe you have chosen.
- Have the finished plan checked before you order, especially the height, because that is the number people buy twice.
If you would rather not do the arithmetic, send us the stove details and your measurements and we will specify the whole system for you at no charge through our free flue design service. Step by step routing detail for an interior run is in our guide on how to install chimney pipe through a house.
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