Chimney definition
Approved document J, Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems suggests that:
A chimney is a structure consisting of a wall or walls enclosing one or more flues. In the gas industry, the chimney for a gas appliance is commonly called the flue.
EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook 2016 suggests that a chimney is a:
Brick, metal or concrete stack used to carry the exhaust gases into the free atmosphere and to generate draught.
A flue is a passage that conveys the products of combustion from a combustion appliance to the outside air.
A flueblock chimney systems consist of a set of factory-made components, made from precast concrete, clay or other masonry units, that are designed for assembly on site to provide a complete chimney having the performance appropriate for the intended appliance. There are two types of common systems, one being solely for use with gas-burning appliances and the other, often called chimney block systems, being primarily designed for solid fuel-burning appliances.
NB The Scottish Building Standards, Part I. Technical Handbook – Domestic, Appendix A Defined Terms, defines a chimney as: ‘…a structure enclosing 1 or more flues, but not a flue pipe, and including any openings for the accommodation of a combustion appliance, but does not include a chimney terminal.’ It defines a chimney-stack as: ‘…that part of a chimney which rises above the roof of the building of which it forms part and includes any cope but not a chimney-can.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
Plumbing and heating for sustainability in new properties
Technical Engineer runs through changes in regulations, innovations in materials, and product systems.
Awareness of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
What CBAM is and what to do about it.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.






















