A Camp Chef flat top and an Arteflame both put a big steel cooking surface in your backyard, but they heat it in completely different ways. Camp Chef's current full-size flat top, the Gridiron 36, is a 48,000 BTU propane griddle with 634 square inches of cooking surface. Its predecessor, the Flat Top Grill 600 (FTG600), also came with a swap-in grill grate, but Camp Chef has discontinued it. An Arteflame is a wood- or charcoal-fired grill: a live fire in a steel bowl, with a thick steel cooktop ring around it and an open grate over the flames, so the griddle and the grate work at the same time. This page compares the two on what decides which one belongs on your patio: how they cook, how hot they get, how much they hold, what they cost and how long they are built to last.
The short answer
- Choose the Camp Chef if you want an affordable propane flat top with knob-controlled burners and push-button lighting.
- Choose Arteflame if you want to cook over real wood or charcoal, use the griddle and a 1,000°F+ grate at the same time, and have a fire pit when dinner is over.
Camp Chef vs Arteflame at a glance
| Arteflame | Camp Chef Gridiron 36 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A wood- or charcoal-fired grill with a flat steel cooktop ring around the fire; lift the cooktop off and it is a fire bowl | A 36″ propane flat top griddle with folding side shelves |
| Fuel | Hardwood or lump charcoal | Propane |
| Cooking surface | Hot-rolled steel ring, 40″ across and 1/2″ thick, plus an open grill grate over the fire | Cold-rolled steel griddle plate; no grill grate (the discontinued FTG600 had one) |
| Cooking area | 1,250+ sq in (40″), griddle and grate together | 634 sq in of griddle |
| Heat | Center grate 1,000°F+; cooktop about 450–550°F toward the inner edge and 250–350°F toward the outer edge | 48,000 BTU total |
| How you control heat | By moving food between zones and managing the fire | With a knob for each burner |
| After dinner | Add logs and use it as a fire pit | Cover it up |
| Where it is made | Phoenix, Arizona, from American steel | Not stated on the product pages we checked |
| Warranty | 3-year limited warranty against manufacturing defects | 1 year against defects in materials and workmanship |
| Price | $1,995 (40″ Fire Pit with Cooktop) to $3,995 (40″ Stainless Series), cooktop included | $599.99 on campchef.com (sold through dealers) |
Camp Chef details are from campchef.com as of October 2026. This page compares the Gridiron 36, Camp Chef's current full-size flat top; the older Flat Top Grill 600 (FTG600) is discontinued. Camp Chef also sells the smaller Gridiron Gameday (425 sq in, $249.99) and the Gridiron Pro with a side burner ($999.99). Prices change often.
The core difference: gas burners vs. a live fire
The Camp Chef works like a big stovetop. Propane burners sit in a burner box under the steel plate, each with its own knob on the front, so you can run one side hot and the other low. Heat comes up quickly, it is easy to repeat and it is hard to get wrong. That makes it a great choice for pancakes, bacon and eggs, hash browns and big group breakfasts.
An Arteflame has no burners. You build a hardwood or charcoal fire in the center bowl. The heat rises through an open grate right above the flames and spreads outward through the steel cooktop ring, giving you a range of temperatures on one surface: over 1,000°F on the center grate, about 450–550°F next to the fire and 250–350°F toward the outer edge. Instead of turning a knob, you slide food to the temperature it needs.
Griddle or grill, vs. both at once
The Camp Chef is a griddle first. The older FTG600 came with a grill grate you could swap in for the griddle plate, one at a time, but the current Gridiron models are griddle-only.
An Arteflame does both at once. The cooktop ring around the fire is the griddle, and the open grate in the center sits directly over the flames. You can sear a steak on the grate while eggs, onions and buns cook on the cooktop beside it, without changing anything.
Searing and heat
A gas flat top is great for the cooking most people do on one: eggs, pancakes, smash burgers, fajitas and fried rice. For a thick steak, an Arteflame gives you something a flat top does not: an open grate directly over a wood or charcoal fire at 1,000°F or more. You get a fast, deep crust and grill marks, then move the steak onto the cooler cooktop to finish. Read how the 1,000°F sear zone works.
Cooking area and cooking for a crowd
The Gridiron 36 gives you 634 square inches of griddle, a good size for a family breakfast or a small group. Arteflame's 40″ models have more than 1,250 square inches, and because the cooktop is round, people gather around it while you cook. For a big backyard cookout, the 40″ Arteflame has the bigger surface.
Flavor: propane vs. wood and charcoal
Propane burns clean, so food on a flat top tastes like the seasoning, the fat and the browning on the steel. An Arteflame cooks over a real wood or charcoal fire, so food on and near the center grate picks up smoke and char. Whether that matters to you is personal, but if you want wood-fired flavor, a gas flat top cannot give it to you.
Convenience and cleanup
This is where the Camp Chef is strongest. You turn the knobs, light the burners and the flat top heats up in minutes, with no ash to empty.
An Arteflame asks more of you. You light a fire 30–45 minutes before you cook on a 40-inch model, you add fuel for longer cooks and you clear the ash afterwards. In return you get a fire to sit around when the cooking is done. Both cooktops are steel and need the same care: scrape them clean while warm and wipe on a light coat of oil, like a cast-iron pan.
Build, materials and lifespan
The Camp Chef is a cold-rolled steel flat top over a steel burner box, built to be affordable and practical for backyard cooks.
Arteflame fire bowls and bases are heavy Corten (weathering) steel, which forms a protective rust-colored patina instead of needing paint. The Stainless Series has a stainless steel bowl instead. The cooktop is a separate slab of hot-rolled steel, up to 1/2″ thick on the 40″ models, with no burners, valves or moving parts. Arteflames are built to stay outside in one place for many years. Every one is made in Phoenix, Arizona, and comes with a 3-year limited warranty against manufacturing defects. Read whether Corten steel is safe for cooking.
Price
The Camp Chef is far cheaper to buy. Camp Chef lists the Gridiron 36 at $599.99, and dealers often sell it for less. The discontinued FTG600 sold for about $340 to $430 at the end of its run.
Arteflame starts at $1,995 for the 40″ Fire Pit with Cooktop and $2,495 for the Classic 40″ grill, up to $3,995 for the Stainless Series. You are paying for a wood-fired grill, a flat top and a fire pit in one piece of heavy American steel.
Which should you buy?
So is Arteflame better than Camp Chef? It depends on how you like to cook. Camp Chef wins on price and push-button convenience. Arteflame wins on live-fire flavor, a griddle and a 1,000°F+ grate working together, and a fire pit that doubles as the centerpiece of your patio.
The Camp Chef is the better fit if:
- Budget is the main concern.
- You want to start cooking within minutes, with no fire to manage.
- You mostly griddle: breakfasts, smash burgers, fajitas, fried rice.
- You want knob-controlled burners, push-button lighting and a big griddle at a lower price.
Arteflame is the better fit if:
- You want wood-fired or charcoal flavor.
- You want a griddle and a 1,000°F+ grate working at the same time.
- You like cooking in zones that the fire creates, with everything ready at the same time.
- You want a fire pit grill combo: a grill to cook on, then a centerpiece to gather around after dinner.
- You want a heavy, American-made grill built to stay outside for years.
Still comparing? See Blackstone vs Arteflame, Traeger Flatrock vs Arteflame, all our comparisons and the gas vs. wood-fired grill guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Arteflame better than Camp Chef?
It depends on what you want. Camp Chef is better for budget and quick, knob-controlled heat. Arteflame is better for live-fire cooking, using a griddle and a 1,000°F+ grate at the same time, and doubling as a fire pit.
Can the Camp Chef flat top also grill?
Not the current models. The older Flat Top Grill 600 (FTG600) came with a grill grate that swapped in for the griddle plate, one at a time, but Camp Chef has discontinued it, and its current Gridiron flat tops are griddle-only.
Can an Arteflame grill and griddle at the same time?
Yes. The steel cooktop ring is a flat griddle, and the open grate in the center sits over the fire, so both work together.
How hot does an Arteflame get?
With a well-established hardwood fire, the center grate passes 1,000°F. The cooktop runs about 450–550°F toward the inner edge and 250–350°F toward the outer edge.
Does an Arteflame use propane?
No. Arteflame grills burn hardwood or lump charcoal. There is no propane tank or gas line.
Which is easier to use?
The Camp Chef. You light the burners and set each one with a knob. An Arteflame takes 30–45 minutes for a 40-inch cooktop to heat through, and you control heat by moving food between zones.
Want to cook over real fire?
See all Arteflame grills