The Complete Guide
Custom Made Built-In BBQ Covers — The Complete Owner's Guide
A built-in BBQ is one of the more considered purchases in an outdoor kitchen, and one of the hardest things to find a good cover for. This guide walks through everything you need to know before ordering a custom cover for your built-in BBQ head unit.
Why generic covers do not work for built-in BBQs
The core problem is that standard BBQ covers are designed for freestanding units on trolleys. They are made wide enough to clear a trolley base, long in the skirt so they drop to ground level, and sized in widths that match common freestanding models.
A built-in BBQ head has a completely different geometry. It sits in a bench cutout, flush with the surrounding surface. The cover only needs to go over the head unit itself, not a trolley or a wide freestanding base. When you put a standard cover on a built-in BBQ it either sits too wide and drapes awkwardly over the bench, or it is too large in all directions and ends up being held in place by nothing in particular.
The only practical solution is a cover made to the exact footprint of your BBQ head.
The three measurements you need
Getting the measurements right for a built-in BBQ cover takes a few minutes and a tape measure. The key is to measure the BBQ unit, not the bench it sits in.
Width
Width is the full outer dimension of the BBQ head unit from its left edge to its right edge. Measure at the widest point of the unit itself. If your BBQ has an integrated side burner that shares the same frame and housing, include that in your width measurement. If the side burner is a separate unit built into the bench beside the main BBQ, leave it out of this measurement.
Do not measure the bench cutout or the surrounding cabinetry. The cover goes over the outside of the unit, so the outer edge of the unit is your width.
Depth
Depth is front to back across the BBQ head unit. On most built-in BBQs this is consistent across the whole unit. Check for rear handles or mounting brackets that extend behind the main body, and include those if they protrude more than a couple of centimetres.
Again, this is the depth of the BBQ unit, not the depth of the bench. Those two numbers are often quite different.
Height
Height is measured from the top surface of the surrounding bench up to the highest point of the BBQ lid in its fully closed position. This is different from how you measure a freestanding BBQ, where you measure from the floor up. For a built-in, the bench surface is your starting point because that is where the cover sits.
Why material quality matters here
Built-in BBQs in outdoor kitchens tend to be higher-end units. They are worth protecting well.
The fabric on every cover we make is 350gsm silver laminated woven polypropylene. Each part of that build does a job, so here is what it means in practice.
Woven polypropylene base
The base layer is woven polypropylene. The threads are woven together rather than bonded, which makes the fabric strong and tear-resistant. That matters on a built-in BBQ, where the cover is pulled on and off regularly and has to hold up to wind, knocks, and general handling without splitting or fraying.
Silver reflective laminate
The outside of the fabric carries a silver laminate coating. The silver surface is reflective, so it bounces sunlight away instead of soaking it up. That keeps the cover and the BBQ underneath cooler through a hot summer, and it shields the unit from the sun and UV that fade and degrade exposed surfaces over time.
The same coating is water resistant. It sheds rain and keeps water off the cooktop and burners, so moisture does not sit on the metal and start it rusting. Water resistant is the honest description of how a fabric cover behaves: it keeps rain off in normal weather, but it is a cover, not a sealed box.
350gsm weight and durability
At 350gsm the fabric is heavier and more substantial than a thin budget cover. The extra weight means it holds its shape over the unit and sits in place rather than flapping around in the wind. It is still easy enough for one person to fit and remove. Cheap covers tend to be made from thin, light material that goes brittle and tears within a season or two. This one is built to last through years of outdoor use.
The stitching is double-stitched at all seams. The seam is the most common failure point on outdoor covers, particularly at the corners where stress concentrates. Double-stitched seams hold together through years of use without splitting.
Caring for your cover
Rinse the outside with a garden hose every couple of months to clear dust, pollen, and any cooking residue that has settled on the surface. Shake off any loose debris before placing the cover on the BBQ.
Always make sure the BBQ is fully cold before covering it. A warm or hot unit traps heat and moisture under the cover, which accelerates rust on the grates and cooking surfaces and can damage the cover over time. Wait at least an hour after the last use.
If the inside of the cover picks up grease or fat from the BBQ surfaces, spot-clean with warm soapy water and let it air dry completely before putting it back on. Do not put the cover in a washing machine. A single wash cycle is enough to break down the silver laminate coating.