What material are Kelly Kettles made from?

Kelly Kettles are available in Food Grade (304) Stainless Steel or Anodised Aluminium (1020).


Our steel Kettles and Cookware are made entirely from Food Grade 304 Stainless Steel. It is the most common form of steel found in kitchen cookware, sinks and many kitchen appliances.
It is an austenite steel which means it is non-magnetic. The Nickel makes it non-magnetic.


304 has higher Chromium & Nickel levels than other stainless steels and thus is more resistant to corrosion. Austenitic, or nickel-containing, non-magnetic stainless steel, is highly resistant to corrosion, which is super important if you’re cooking directly on it. If the piece was fully magnetic stainless steel, it would corrode and not last very long without the nickel to stabilize the metal.
For this reason, it would be very unusual to find stainless steel pots and pans which are magnetic on both the outside AND the inside. You will find magnetic stainless steel in the layer on the outside of some quality pieces of stainless steel. This is to make it compatible with induction stovetops, which involve the use of a rapidly charging electromagnetic field to heat cookware. Typically the inside of the pot will be austenite steel and non-magnetic.


Our Steel Kettles are laser and spot welded with No Rivets. All kettles come with a durable stainless steel fire-base, drawstring carry bag, instruction leaflet and a 2 year Limited Warranty as standard.

  • Base Camp - Boils 1.6 litres. Packed Height 33cm Width 18.5cm     Suits: Groups, Family Outings, Car Camping, Fishing, Garden Allotments, etc
  • Scout           - Boils 1.2 litres. Packed Height 26.5cm Width 18.5cm  Suits: Scouts, Small Groups or Families, Beach, etc.
  • Trekker        - Boils 0.6 litres. Packed Height 26.5cm Width 14cm     Suits: 1-2 people, Backpacking, Trekking, Kayaking, Hill Walking, etc.
  • A popular Green Whistle has replaced the Orange stopper on all our Camping Kettles and Kits.


    So what's the difference between Steel and Aluminium?

    Traditionally, Kelly Kettles were made from Aluminum and these kettles have been known to last for literally decades!   However, over recent years in North America, Europe, Japan, Australia, etc,  there has been significant move by customers away from Aluminium products - and over to steel.  Hence, our steel products are now significantly more popular than the traditional Aluminium kettles. 

    • Stainless Steel is slightly heavier than Aluminum however; it is a stronger metal and therefore more resilient to dents.
    • The Aluminum kettle boils slightly faster than its steel twin as Aluminum conducts heat faster than steel.
    • The Aluminum kettle is slightly cheaper than its Stainless Steel twin.
    • There should be no 'taste' off either metal.
    • All of our kettles come with upgraded steel fire-bases as standard (traditional aluminium bases used to burn out quite quickly).  These new Steel bases can be turned into an efficient wood fired camp stove by simply dropping our hugely popular 'Hobo Stove' accessory on top.   Steel has a melting point almost twice that of Aluminium.  
    • All of our Accessories are made from Food Grade 304 Stainless Steel (Cups, Plates, Cook Sets, Pot Support, Hobo Camp stove) 

    Please note: Per our instruction leaflets, the Kettle is not designed to be a water carrier. It has been designed to boil water extremely fast in all weather conditions using very little fuel. When filled with water, Kettles should always be carried upright in order to avoid any leakage from the chimney top or water spout.

    That’s it really…..the choice is yours!


    Other products are planned for the 2023 season. Our website and social media pages will be updated as new products become available.   

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