Austroflamm Pallas vs Pallas Back: Which one’s for you?

The Austroflamm Pallas and Pallas Back blend traditional style with modern performance. Cook, bake, and heat your home with authentic radiant warmth and optional heat storage, all handcrafted by Austrian stove specialists.

October 17, 2024
By Reece Toscani
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Stove Spotlights

Traditional design, modern function

The Austroflamm Pallas and Pallas Back are proof that you can still cook, bake, and heat your home the old-fashioned way — but without the inefficiency or smoke of old farmhouse ranges.
These Austrian-built woodburners combine rugged construction with high thermal performance, designed for people who actually live with their stove — not just look at it.

The Pallas gives you a robust 8.5 kW wood stove with a three-plate cooktop for everyday use. The Pallas Back builds on that design by adding a built-in baking oven above the firebox, transforming it into a genuine off-grid cooker for bread, roasts, and hearty meals.

Both are radiant heat stoves with serious presence — ideal for larger kitchens, open-plan rooms, or stone-built homes that love a dry, steady warmth.

Cooking Capabilities

Pallas

The standard Pallas comes with a three-zone steel cooktop. The centre plate sits directly above the firebox for rapid boiling, while the outer plates are ideal for simmering or keeping food warm. Once you learn its temperature zones, it’s easy to use — no electricity, just fire and instinct.

Pallas Back

The Pallas Back adds a baking oven (approx. 470 mm W × 160 mm H × 307 mm D) above the firebox, letting you roast, bake or reheat with steady radiant heat. The top still includes the same three hotplates, so you can boil a kettle while dinner cooks inside.

The oven heats evenly thanks to the steel body’s conduction, and with practice you’ll get a feel for the ideal air control and burn rate to maintain consistent cooking temperatures. A stove thermometer on the oven door is a worthwhile add-on.

Design & Construction

Austroflamm’s build quality is about precision and practicality. The Pallas body is heavy-gauge steel, with a cast-iron door and traditional enamelled handles. You can choose steel, ceramic, or soapstone side panels depending on your taste and heat retention preference.

Steel sides: lightweight, quick to heat up, and allow the optional Heat Memory System (HMS).
Ceramic sides: decorative, available in a range of tile colours, giving the stove a country aesthetic.
Soapstone sides: high thermal mass, storing heat naturally (but note — not compatible with HMS modules).

There’s also a practical storage drawer available under both the Pallas and Pallas Back, perfect for stashing gloves, firelighters, or small logs. It keeps the base neat while subtly elevating the stove’s stance.

Austroflamm Pallas Wood Stove

View & Buy on Redefining Woodburners

Heating Character & Real-World Use

Both models produce radiant heat, meaning they warm objects and surfaces directly rather than just circulating hot air. This makes them particularly suited to:

Stone or brick-built homes that retain heat well.
Farmhouses or cottages with large open-plan kitchens.
Studios and off-grid cabins where resilience matters.

If your property is heavily insulated or airtight, note that the Pallas line does not offer a direct external air connection. In new builds or homes with mechanical ventilation (MVHR), consult your installer about creating a passive air vent or consider a sealed stove instead.

Performance & Heat Output

Model	Nominal Output	Efficiency	EEI	Flue Ø	Heat Range	Flue Gas Temp	HMS Compatible
Pallas	8.5 kW	~79%	104 (A-class)	150 mm	up to ~300 m³	~311 °C	✅ (Steel sides only)
Pallas Back	9.0 kW	~79%	104 (A-class)	150 mm	up to ~305 m³	~326 °C	✅ (Steel sides only)

Austroflamm’s combustion system keeps emissions impressively low for a traditional-style range stove, with PM ≤ 40 mg/m³ (at 13% O₂). However, neither model has been tested for use in UK Smoke Control Areas, so they are not DEFRA Exempt.
If you live in a smoke control zone, you’ll need to choose an approved appliance or restrict use to authorised smokeless fuels.

Considering a cooking stove for your home?
Explore more Austroflamm and similar models on RedefiningWoodburners.com, or check our Knowledge Post: “How to Cook on a Woodburner: Real Heat, Real Food.“

The Heat Memory System (HMS)

For those who prefer slow, continuous warmth, the HMS add-in system is a clever piece of thermal engineering. It uses dense ceramic storage blocks fitted behind the steel side panels to absorb excess heat during burning and release it gradually after the fire dies down.

Think of it as a thermal battery — you burn for a few hours in the evening, and it continues radiating into the night.
⚠️ Important: HMS is only available with steel-sided models; it cannot be fitted to stoves with stone or ceramic cladding.

Fuel & Operation

Fuel type: Dry split hardwood logs, ≤ 20% moisture (ideally 12–15%).
Max refuel load: 2.7 kg per cycle.
Overloading won’t improve heat — it’ll just shorten lifespan and stain the glass.
Lighting: Top-down method recommended for quick ignition and cleaner combustion.

Austroflamm’s air system gives fine control of primary and secondary air for efficient burn-through, and with well-seasoned logs, glass remains remarkably clear.

Both require a minimum chimney draft of approximately 12 Pa at nominal output. If you’re retrofitting into an older property, an insulated flexible liner is strongly recommended to stabilise flue temperatures, especially when the oven compartment is fitted.

Everyday Practicality

Optional storage drawer under the base keeps tools and accessories out of sight.
Large ashpan makes maintenance simple — just cool, lift, and empty.
Available with rear or top flue outlet (model dependent).
Three cook plates standard on both versions.
Bake-oven thermometer and HMS optional upgrades.

Who It’s For?

✅ Perfect for:

Rural homes or cottages with larger open spaces.
People who enjoy real, hands-on cooking.
Off-grid setups or backup heating for power cuts.
Anyone wanting long-lasting, radiant warmth instead of short bursts of convection heat.

❌ Less suited to:

Small urban flats or airtight modern houses.
Homes in smoke control zones (due to non-DEFRA status).
Minimalist interiors where traditional stoves clash with the décor.

Feature	Pallas	Pallas Back
Nominal Output	8.5 kW	9.0 kW
Cooktop	3 plates	3 plates
Baking Oven	–	Yes
Storage Drawer	Optional	Optional
HMS Compatibility	Steel sides only	Steel sides only
DEFRA Exempt	❌ No	❌ No
External Air	❌ No	❌ No
Suitable For	Medium–Large Rooms	Medium–Large Rooms + Cooking
Finish Options	Steel, Ceramic, or Soapstone	Steel, Ceramic, or Soapstone

What's the Pallas Verdict?

The Austroflamm Pallas and Pallas Back strike a rare balance: they’re practical, tactile, and built to last.
They’re for people who want their stove to work, not just warm.

The Pallas is a dependable daily heater with cooking versatility. The Pallas Back takes it a step further — a legitimate oven that bakes real food with real fire. Add the optional storage drawer for convenience, or the HMS module if you prefer long-lasting residual heat.

They’re not DEFRA-exempt, so urban homeowners will need to steer clear — but for rural homes, smallholdings, or anyone chasing energy independence, these stoves tick a lot of boxes.

Have you lived with a Pallas or Pallas Back stove?
Tell us how it performs day-to-day — cooking, heating, and beyond. Your feedback helps others choose the right model for their home.

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Reece Toscani

Reece has over two decades in the fireplace and stove world — testing, reviewing, and occasionally getting covered in soot, all in the name of wood-fired home heating. He cuts through the nonsense, busts the myths, and shares straight-talking advice to help you enjoy your stove without the confusion. From Fireplace Products to Redefining Woodburners, if it burns wood, he’s probably tested it, fixed it, or argued about it. Now, through Woodburner Insights, he shares that experience with the world — both here and on YouTube.