Contents
- Barbecue Equipment Sales Statistics: U.S. Grill Use and Household Reach
- Barbecue Equipment Sales Statistics: Fuel Preferences and Grill Purchases
- Barbecue Equipment Sales Statistics: Retailer, Brand, and Sales Shares
- Barbecue Equipment Sales Statistics: Prices, Channels, and Purchase Decisions
- barbecue equipment sales: Premium Grill Use, Outdoor Kitchens, and Buyer Behavior
- Sources
Barbecue Equipment Sales Statistics: U.S. Grill Use and Household Reach
Barbecue equipment sales statistics are easier to interpret when household use is kept distinct from purchases. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates the number of primary occupied housing units using an outdoor grill. Its 2024 estimates cover the 50 states and the District of Columbia; they count housing units, not grills sold, equipment owned, or individual people. EIA, Table HC3.2 (PDF)
In 2024, 69.78 million U.S. primary occupied housing units used an outdoor grill, while 62.75 million did not. This is a broad measure of reported reach. It does not say how frequently residents grilled, when a grill was purchased, or how many units of equipment were present in a home. A household may use a grill bought in an earlier year, so the use count should not be treated as annual sales.
Housing type and tenure add detail. Among single-family and mobile homes, 57.64 million units used an outdoor grill and 27.12 million did not. Owner-occupied units included 58.83 million that used one and 30.71 million that did not. For renter-occupied units, the corresponding counts were 10.96 million and 32.04 million. EIA’s renter category also includes households occupying a home without paying rent. These are counts of units, not percentages within each tenure group, so they do not by themselves provide a renter or owner usage rate.
Two smaller housing groups show why the breakdown should be read with its categories intact. In 2024, 6.69 million renter-occupied single-family and mobile homes used an outdoor grill. Renter-occupied apartments accounted for 1.18 million grill-using units. Neither figure indicates the number of grills bought or the type of grill used. EIA, Table HC3.2 (PDF)
| 2024 U.S. housing-unit measure | Used an outdoor grill | Did not use an outdoor grill |
|---|---|---|
| All primary occupied units | 69.78 million | 62.75 million |
| Owner-occupied units | 58.83 million | 30.71 million |
| Renter-occupied units | 10.96 million | 32.04 million |
| Single-family and mobile homes | 57.64 million | 27.12 million |
Counts refer to housing units, not equipment sales or ownership. EIA, Table HC3.2 (PDF)
Barbecue Equipment Sales Statistics: Fuel Preferences and Grill Purchases
The EIA fuel observations describe use in housing units. In 2024, propane was used for outdoor grilling in 43.60 million U.S. units, charcoal in 19.99 million, and natural gas in 6.19 million. Owner-occupied units accounted for 38.47 million propane-using units and 14.98 million charcoal-using units. These are separate fuel observations: categories are not presented as exclusive, and a household may use more than one fuel. The figures are not purchase shares. EIA, Table HC3.2 (PDF)
OpenBrand’s U.S. purchase mix offers a different view. For the rolling four quarters ending March 2024, gas made up 43% and charcoal 33% of purchases in its Total U.S. Total Barbecue Grill category. That category aggregates grills, griddle grills, and smokers; the source describes its composition as Grills (65%), Griddle Grills (27%), and Smokers (7%). The published values are rounded, so they should be read as reported rather than recalculated into a new total. OpenBrand, “US Barbecue Grills: 2024 Market Share Trends & Rankings”
Electric grill purchase share rose 1.5 points year over year through March 2024. This is a change in mix, not a count of electric grills sold or a measure of household use. Model size also varied by fuel: full-size products represented 86% of gas grill purchases and 62% of electric grill purchases in the rolling four-quarter period. Each percentage applies within its specified purchase group, rather than to all grill purchases. OpenBrand, market-share report
| Fuel measure | Reported observation | Population and period |
|---|---|---|
| Propane use | 43.60 million housing units | U.S. units, 2024 |
| Charcoal use | 19.99 million housing units | U.S. units, 2024 |
| Natural gas use | 6.19 million housing units | U.S. units, 2024 |
| Gas purchase share | 43% | OpenBrand category, rolling four quarters ending March 2024 |
| Charcoal purchase share | 33% | OpenBrand category, rolling four quarters ending March 2024 |
EIA use counts and OpenBrand purchase shares have different units and populations; they are not a single series. EIA, Table HC3.2 (PDF); OpenBrand, market-share report
Barbecue Equipment Sales Statistics: Retailer, Brand, and Sales Shares
OpenBrand’s retailer figures distinguish unit share from dollar share for its Total U.S. Total Barbecue Grill category. In the rolling four quarters ending March 2024, Walmart had 26% of unit share, Home Depot 19%, and Lowe’s 17%. In dollar share, Home Depot led the three at 22%, followed by Lowe’s at 20% and Walmart at 15%. Unit share describes the share of category purchases by number of units; dollar share describes the share by purchase value. They answer different questions and produce different orderings. OpenBrand, retailer share analysis
| Retailer | Unit share | Dollar share |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart | 26% | 15% |
| Home Depot | 19% | 22% |
| Lowe’s | 17% | 20% |
OpenBrand category, rolling four quarters ending March 2024. OpenBrand, retailer share analysis
Brand shares provide a separate market view. Weber held 19% of unit share and 21% of dollar share. Blackstone registered 12% of unit share and 13% of dollar share. Char-Broil had 8% unit share, while Traeger had 10% dollar share. The checked observations do not provide the matching share measure for Char-Broil or Traeger, so those figures are presented individually rather than as complete pairs. All refer to the same category and rolling four quarters ending March 2024. OpenBrand, brand share analysis
Retailer and brand shares describe distinct dimensions: where a purchase occurred and which brand it involved. The observations do not specify the retailer-brand combinations or break shares down by fuel, price, or product format. They therefore describe category-level distribution rather than every detail of competition or availability. OpenBrand, market-share report
Barbecue Equipment Sales Statistics: Prices, Channels, and Purchase Decisions
OpenBrand reported an average U.S. barbecue grill price paid of $316 for the rolling four quarters ending March 2024. Retailer averages were $358 at Home Depot, $356 at Lowe’s, and $189 at Walmart. These are averages for purchases at those outlets, not prices for a particular model or guarantees about what a shopper would pay. The figures establish a difference among reported averages but do not identify its cause. OpenBrand, average price analysis
Online activity featured in purchases completed through both online and physical retail. Across online and in-store purchases, 55% of U.S. barbecue grill consumers shopped online before buying. Among consumers who ultimately purchased in a store, 39% had shopped online before that purchase. For online purchasers, 21% had the product shipped to a store for pickup. The denominators differ: these are not percentages that can be added or stages followed by every buyer. OpenBrand, “Online vs. In-Store”
Purchaser demographics add context but do not establish why someone bought a grill. In the period ending March 2024, 70% of U.S. barbecue grill purchasers were homeowners and 28% were renters; 61% were married. The homeowner and renter figures do not account for all purchasers as stated, so the unreported remainder should not be assigned to another status. OpenBrand, consumer demographics
The same source reported who participated in the shopping process: male-only shoppers were involved in 44% of purchases, female-only shoppers in 30%, and male and female shoppers together in 26%. These figures concern shopping participation. They do not necessarily identify who paid, owned, or used the equipment. OpenBrand, consumer demographics
| Purchase measure | Reported value | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Average price paid | $316 | U.S. category overall |
| Home Depot average price | $358 | Purchases at Home Depot |
| Lowe’s average price | $356 | Purchases at Lowe’s |
| Walmart average price | $189 | Purchases at Walmart |
| Shopped online before buying | 55% | Online and in-store consumers |
| Online research before in-store purchase | 39% | Consumers who bought in a store |
| Shipped to store for pickup | 21% | Online purchasers |
Price and channel observations cover the rolling four quarters ending March 2024. OpenBrand, market-share report
barbecue equipment sales: Premium Grill Use, Outdoor Kitchens, and Buyer Behavior
Premium-grill owner findings add behavioral context, although they are not sales totals. The HPBA article, published June 24, 2025, reports results from a Mid-to-High-End Grill Ownership and Market Potential Study conducted in October 2022 in the United States and Canada. Among U.S. mid-to-high-end grill owners surveyed, 70% reported grilling on Independence Day and 58% on Memorial Day. Among Canadian owners in the study, 66% reported grilling on Canada Day. These holiday figures refer to different national populations and occasions. HPBA, “Insights for July’s National Grilling Month”
Fuel use among U.S. and Canadian mid-to-high-end grill owners was not limited to one type: 61% used propane grills and 59% used charcoal or wood grills. The categories need not be mutually exclusive. When considering their next premium grill, 67% said they were interested in both fuel types. That response is stated interest, not a completed purchase or a forecast of what buyers will choose. HPBA, “Fuel Preferences Shape Purchase Decisions”
Within the wood-pellet grill user group, 20% named hickory and 20% named pellet blends among their top fuel choices; 17% named mesquite. These results apply to users of wood-pellet grills in the study, not to all grill owners or fuel sales. The report also says 18% of surveyed consumers bought fuel from barbecue specialty retailers. That is a fuel-shopping observation, not a measure of grill equipment sales through those retailers. HPBA, “Fuel Preferences Shape Purchase Decisions”
Frequency data speak to use routines rather than transactions. In spring, 65% of grill owners in the study reported using their grills multiple times per week. The finding describes surveyed owners’ reported spring behavior. It does not establish the same frequency for every season or connect use frequency to a purchase decision. Taken together, the household counts, retail shares, price observations, and premium-owner survey describe different parts of barbecue equipment activity, with separate populations, units, and time periods. HPBA, “Grilling is a Year-Round Activity”