About the Author: Hi! I'm Chris Hunt, and I wrote this article. With years of experience as a former firefighter and knowledge of combustible materials, I have personally researched and compiled the information presented here. Please note that the content provided is solely my opinion and should not be construed as professional advice. Additionally, I do not guarantee the quality or performance of any of the products featured. Please be sure to review the website's Disclaimer, Terms and Conditions before using the site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases (without additional cost or expense to you).
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Our top pick:
Our pick for the best welding blanket for fire safety is the JJ Care 8×8 ft Heavy Duty Welding Blanket. We like that it’s large, well-constructed, and comes from a respected brand in the space. In addition, it comes with grommets for hanging and is reusable repeatedly.
A welding blanket can protect a workspace from accidental fires while welding. We’ve researched a range of welding blankets on the market today to find our favorites.
Best Welding Blankets
In our opinion, the best welding blankets are:
| Image | Title | Buy |
|---|---|---|
 Top | JJ CARE Heavy Duty Welding Blanket 8x8 ft Fiberglass Welding Curtain [850GSM Thick] Weld Blanket 64 Sq Ft Welding Shield, Weld Curtain for Industrial and Home Use | Check Price on Amazon |
 Top | Waylander Svalinn Fiberglass Welding Blanket – Flame Retardant Fabric Up to 1400°F; Heavy Duty Double-Sided Vermiculite Treated Fiberglass for Less Shed and Fierce Spark Protection (6' x 6', YELLOW) | Check Price on Amazon |
 Top | ABN Heavy-Duty Fiberglass Fire Retardant Blanket, 6 x 8ft – Large Welding Fireproof Thermal Resistant Insulation | Check Price on Amazon |
 Top | Waylander Carbon Felt Welding Blanket - Made in USA; Flame Retardant Fabric Up to 1800°F; 36” x 36” Easy to Cut Fire Proof Mat for Versatility – Glass Blowing, Auto Body Repair, Camp and Wood Stoves | Check Price on Amazon |
 Top | MCR Safety 38063 Heavy Side-Split Leather Welding Blanket, Gray, 6-Feet by 3-Feet | Check Price on Amazon |
 Top | Weldflame 18.5X18.5 Carbonized Felt Plumber's Welding Blanket with Kevlar Stitched Edge | Check Price on Amazon |
 | Neiko 10909A Fiberglass Fire Retardant Welding Blanket | 6' x 8' | Brass Grommets | Thermal Resistant, clear | Check Price on Amazon |
1. JJ Care 8×8 ft Heavy Duty Welding Blanket
Quick Review: This is a large blanket from a well-known brand in the fireproofing space. We like the robust and durable stitching.
This welding blanket is a nice large blanket for hanging over a workspace while welding. It’s got multiple brasses hanging grommets for quickly hooking it to a ceiling or lying it flat over a workbench.
At 8 ft by 8 ft, it’s one of the most oversized welding blankets on the market. This size is ideal for protecting a workspace from far-flying sparks and spatter, especially during MIG welding tasks.
It’s fiberglass, which may cause some itching. Welders usually wear plenty of welding gloves and PPE to minimize this nuisance.
It folds nicely and is reusable over and over again.
We like that it’s from a well-respected brand in the fire blanket space – they’re a brand commonly used for kitchen fire blankets as well.
The advertised working temperature is “up to 1000F”, about or slightly above the average for a fire blanket for welding tasks.
Our one concern is that the price is slightly higher than we’d like, and we suspect that’s because you’re paying for the known brand name.
Why This One | Keep in Mind |
| It’s Large: We like the 8 ft x 8 ft size as it covers a large enough area to catch sparks and spatter. Can be Hung: The grommets enable you to hang them, which is excellent for welding. Respected Brand:JJ Care has several well-known and well-used products in this space. Reusable:It can fold up then, and then you can take it out the next time you need to, as long as there’s no damage. | Grommets not in Hem: We prefer the grommets to be placed over a reinforced hem to reduce the chance of tearing. |
2. Waylander 6′ x 6′ Kevlar Welding Blanket
Quick Review: This blanket is a low irritant alternative with an excellent strong hem to withstand repeated wear and tear.
The size of this blanket is 6 ft by 6 ft. That’s about the height of a grown man, both in length and width ways. Some may find this too small, while others find it perfect for a smaller workspace.
It’s advertised as a skin-friendly and low irritant – which we know appeals to many of our readers from the feedback we’ve gotten from previous fire blanket reviews.
They achieve this through vermiculite-impregnated treated fiberglass (don’t worry – it’s asbestos-free, too!). This fiberglass makes it fire retardant up to 1400°F, which is damn hot!
You’ll notice that the hem of this blanket reinforces to give it a long lifespan. So we expect this blanket to last us through quite a few uses.
We like that the brass hanging grommets are over the reinforced hem section, which reduces the chances of tearing while hemming.
Overall, we’re pretty impressed with this welding blanket from Waylander.
Why This One | Keep in Mind |
| Long Life:The strong hem will improve this blanket’s lifespan. Stable Hanging: We like the grommets embedded in the hem for added strength. There are plenty of grommets for hanging this blanket. Designed to be Low Irritant: It’s still fiberglass, but the manufacturers claim to have gotten it to a low irritant point. Reusable: You can fold it and bring it out the next time you need it, as long as there’s no damage. | 6 Foot by 6 Foot: We usually look for an 8-square-foot blanket for welding to have that extra size to minimize the chances of fires. |
3. ABN 6 ft x 8 ft Fiberglass Fire Retardant Blanket
Quick Review: This welding blanket is value for money. It’s more affordable than others but doesn’t have the high-quality hem of others.
This fire-resistant fiberglass blanket is super affordable.
It has a lot of the specs you’d expect from a fire blanket:
- It can withstand flames up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (537°C).
- You can use it over and over again.
- It has a 3/8-inch (1cm) reinforced hem for added strength
- It has brass grommets all around for hanging.
The only thing that gives us pause is that the grommets don’t embed in the reinforced hem section.
But on the flip side, it folds up to a tiny compact size for storage: 14 x 13 x 2 inches.
Why This One | Keep in Mind |
| Super Affordable: This is our pick for value for money. Hangable:Has multiple grommets for hanging. Reusable: You can fold it and bring it out the next time you need it, as long as there’s no damage. | Grommets: We don’t like that the grommets don’t embed in the hem. Thin Hem: It has a narrower hem than some competitors. |
4. Waylander 3ft x 3ft Felt Carbon Fiber Welding Blanket – Best for Smoker or Grill
Quick Review: This is a USA-made blanket that we feel would be the best fireproof blanket for a smoker or bbq grill.
The biggest attraction of this blanket to us is that it’s not fiberglass. Instead, it’s a polyacrylonitrile fiber (carbon fiber). That means it will be less coarse, likely to cause splinters, and less irritating to the skin.
So, what’s the downside? First, it’s small, and you pay more per square foot for a non-fiberglass blanket.
The size of this one is 3’x3′. So, we think it’s not great for a large welding job, but it might be a good option for the best blanket for a smoker or grillto protect the floor the grill is sitting on.
The quality is comparable to a fiberglass blanket. It’s heat resistant up to 1800°F and Made in the USA. Not many fiberglass blankets can boast that!
Why This One | Keep in Mind |
| Non Irritant: It’s made of carbon fiber to give it a smooth and non-irritating finish. Excellent Heat Resistance: The 1800 F heat resistance is very high. Great for Grill or BBQ:We think this one’s best for placing under a smoker, grill, or BBQ, but probably not best for a welding job. Reusable: You can fold it and bring it out the next time you need it, as long as there’s no damage. | It’s Small: We are looking for more oversized blankets for welding jobs. |
5. MCR Safety 6ft x 3ft Leather Welding Blanket – Best Non-Irritant Alternative
Quick Review: We like this leather welding blanket as a non-irritant alternative to fiberglass. This one is of side-split cow leather.
This product is yet another excellent non-irritant alternative to fiberglass. This blanket is made entirely of side-split cow leather (side-split means the leather is thinner than the whole cowhide – the texture is a bit like suede shoes).
The thickness is 1.5 mm, and all thread stitching is Kevlar, a fire-resistant fabric.
The blanket measures 6ft x 3ft – which, to be honest, is a lot smaller than we’d like. But we think it’d be great for all sorts of other purposes. For example, it’s possible to put it under a smoker or bbq.
But there are some things we don’t like, too.
There are no grommets on this one, so hanging it would be tough.
And it might not be the best size either. For example, a 6 ft x 3 ft blanket is too small.
Why This One | Keep in Mind |
| Non-Irritant: It’s leather, not fiberglass – so you can expect it to be less irritating to your skin. Durable: You can use and abuse cowhide leather, and it’ll cop the abuse. Reusable: You can fold it and bring it out the next time you need it, as long as there’s no damage. | Too heavy to Hang: We like hanging blankets for welding tasks, and you can’t do that with this one. Strange Dimensions: At only 3 feet wide, we don’t think the dimensions work for us. |
6. Weldflame 18.5″ x 18.5″ Carbonized Felt Welding Blanket with Kevlar Stitching
Quick Review: The unique thing about this blanket is its carbonized felt rather than fiberglass. Our concern is that it’s a bit too small for welders.
The nice thing about this blanket is it’s small enough to store away in a toolbox and rip out for your next job. But that’s the weakness of this item. It’s small. Too small for our purposes to do welding in a workshop area. We want a more oversized blanket to catch spatter and sparks.
Nonetheless, we think some people might like it if they’re okay with a small blanket.
The edges aren’t double-reinforced like others on this list. Still, Kevlar stitching around the edges provides at least some reinforcement.
We would expect this blanket to do well enough to withstand intermittent flame or heat, but we wouldn’t apply open flame to it for too long a period. Its operating temperature is, however, really relatively high, at 1800F. That’s great.
And, of course, there’s the matter of price: we think it comes in at an affordable price.
Why This One | Keep in Mind |
| Non-Irritant: It’s not fiberglass, so it shouldn’t be too irritating to your skin. Value for Money: We think Weldframe products generally come at decent price points. Reusable: You can fold it and bring it out the next time you need it, as long as there’s no damage. | It’s very Small: We’re not sure it’s big enough for catching spatter during welding tasks. |
7. Neiko 6ft x 8ft Fiberglass Welding Blanket
Quick Review: This one’s a friendly, affordable alternative – and nice and large for big welding jobs.
This 6ft x 8ft welding blanket from Neiko does the trick at a reasonable price. Its working temperature is 1000° Fahrenheit – but don’t let that mean you can use and abuse the blanket. Like all fire blankets, it’s ready to catch and suppress sparks, not withstand a constant, unyielding burn.
We particularly like the size – coming in at 6 by 8 square feet. It means you can cover a large enough area that most spatter and sparks will be caught by the blanket, depending on your job.
As is standard, the blanket has reinforced metal grommets regularly spaced around the outside, making it suitable for hanging.
The reinforced edge is about standard but not as strong or thick as we have seen.
So overall, we think this blanket is “okay, but not sensational.” It ticks all the boxes without exceeding in any one area.
Why This One | Keep in Mind |
| It’s Large: We like the 6 x 8 ft size as it covers a large enough area to catch sparks and spatter. Can be Hung: The grommets enable you to hang them, which is excellent for welding. Value for Money: We think Neiko products generally come in at decent price points. Reusable: You can fold it and bring it out the next time you need it, as long as there’s no damage. | Not the best in any category: While we like it overall, it doesn’t jump out with exceptional features of any type. |
What we Look for in a Welding Blanket
Materials: Fiberglass vs. Non-Irritant Alternative
Most fire-resistant blankets are fiberglass. Fiberglass is woven glass. You’ll find that tiny fibers start falling out of the blanket. The threads sometimes stay in the blanket, but when you rub your hand over it, it’ll stab and spike your fingers.
So, fiberglass irritates the skin. Wear gloves if you’re handling a fiberglass welding blanket (see our recommendations for the best welding gloves).
But fiberglass remains the cheapest and lightest fire-resistant product on the market today.
There are alternatives, though. The main options for fiberglass are leather and carbon fiber. However, the problem is that they’re much more expensive per square foot.
Size
We prefer more oversized welding blankets. Or preferred size is 8 ft x 8 ft. The larger the size, the more spatter and sparks the blanket will catch. You can fold a large blanket down to size, but you can’t do it the other way around!
You might want a smaller blanket over a specific object or under a smoker. You’ll probably only need a 3 ft x 3 ft blanket for that task. And in that situation, you might want to go for a carbon fiber alternative.
Reinforced Hem
A reinforced hem is vital to us. The hem will be the part of the blanket where you first start to see wear and tear. So a nice one-inch reinforced hem can significantly improve the lifespan of your blanket.
Weight and Hanging Grommets
Most welders like to hang their welding blankets. For this, you’ll need hanging grommets. Unfortunately, you’ll usually only find hanging grommets on fiberglass blankets. That’s because other types are often too heavy.
We like to look for blankets where the hanging grommets embed in the reinforced hem, which gives them additional resistance and resilience.
Final Thoughts
Oupickck for the best welding blanket is the JJ Care 8×8 ft Heavy Duty Welding Blanket. It’s large, well-constructed, and a known brand in the fire safety space. An affordable alternative is the ABN 6 x 8 ft blanket.
Carbon fiber and leather alternatives are available if you don’t like fiberglass blankets. However, leather blankets are heavier and harder to hang – so keep that in mind.
Overall, when deciding on the best welding blanket, the key factors we consider are size, weight (if you want to hang it), hanging grommets, the presence of a reinforced hem, and the material (fiberglass, leather, or carbon fiber).
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