Roundup · updated for the 2026 heating season

72-inch electric fireplaces

At this width the fireplace stops being an appliance and becomes a wall. Two things decide whether the project works: how deep your studs are, and whether two people can lift a hundred pounds onto a bracket.

By Scooter M.Published September 19, 2026Last reviewed September 19, 2026

A stylish living room with a wall-mounted television and feature wall

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The short answer

At 72 inches, depth and weight decide the project — not the flame. Every unit here runs the same 1,500 W heater, so none is warmer than another. What differs is whether it fits your wall: the Touchstone units are 5 1/2 inches deep and need 2x6 framing or a built-out chase, while the budget ultra-thins are under 4 inches. And at 95 to 100 pounds, the Touchstones are a two-person lift. Get those two numbers right and the rest is preference.

Why width changes the decision

A 50-inch fireplace is a product you hang on a wall. A 72-inch fireplace is closer to joinery: it spans most of a normal wall, it usually wants framing built specifically for it, and it is heavy enough that getting it into position is a real part of the job. Three things move up the priority list at this size, and flame quality is not one of them.

Depth against your studs. A 2x4 wall gives about 3 1/2 inches of cavity; a 2x6 gives about 5 1/2. Every Touchstone here is 5 1/2 inches deep, which means 2x6, furring, or building the wall out. This disqualifies more 72-inch projects than anything else.
The rough opening, published. Not the fireplace dimensions — the hole. Touchstone publishes both for its units; most brands at this width publish neither.
Weight. 95.3 and 100 pounds for the two Touchstones. That is two people and a plan, not an afternoon impulse.
A 750 W low setting. At six feet you are probably heating a large room in which 1,500 W is already marginal, but a low stage lets the unit hold a temperature without cycling hard all evening.
What the maker will put in writing. The gap between the Touchstones and the budget units here is not flame quality. It is how much of the specification exists at all.

Quick picks: 72-inch electric fireplaces

Ranked. The running cost column is computed from each unit's rated wattage, not quoted from a manufacturer. Tap a row for the full write-up.

#	Product	Best for	Cost per hour	Price
1	Touchstone The Sideline 72 (80015)Touchstone publishes the rough opening, the weight and the heater type for this one, which at six feet of wall matters more than any flame feature.	The default, and the best-documented	27.5¢1,500 W · 5,118 BTU	$999.00 · View on Amazon
2	Vitesse 72" Ultra-Thin Linear Electric FireplaceA fraction of the Touchstone's price and 1.65 inches shallower — with a framing instruction that contradicts its own dimensions.	Six feet of flame for the least money	27.5¢1,500 W · 5,118 BTU	$279.99 · View on Amazon
3	Touchstone Sideline Elite 72 (80038)A 68-inch viewing area in a 71 3/4-inch unit — frameless, two-stage, and the same heater as the cheaper Sideline.	The most glass of anything here	27.5¢1,500 W · 5,118 BTU	$1,599.00 · View on Amazon
—	Touchstone Sideline Infinity Pro 72 (80051)The most expensive 72 here and a genuinely good fireplace — in the wrong shape for the wall most people are filling.Skip this one	Nothing, against a flat wall	27.5¢1,500 W · 5,118 BTU	$2,279.00 · View on Amazon

#ad Buy links are affiliate links — we earn a commission on Amazon purchases at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the ranking. How this site is funded. Running cost is computed at 18.34¢/kWh; see what these actually cost to run.

The four, side by side

Manufacturer figures. Where a brand does not publish a number we have left it blank rather than estimating it.
Unit	Dimensions (W x H x D)	Weight	Heat settings	Rough opening
Touchstone Sideline 72 (80015)	72 x 21 1/2 x 5 1/2 in	95.3 lb	1,500 W	68 3/4 x 20 1/2 x 5 3/4 in
Vitesse 72	72 x 18.11 x 3.85 in	Not published	750 / 1,500 W	Not published
Touchstone Sideline Elite 72 (80038)	71 3/4 x 19 1/4 x 5 1/2 in	100 lb	750 / 1,500 W	70 3/4 x 18 1/4 x 5 1/2 in
Touchstone Infinity Pro 72 (80051) — our skip	72 in wide, three-sided	Not published	1,500 W	Not published

Every unit here is capped at 1,500 W on a 120 V circuit. The heat is identical; the fit is not.

The depth problem, specifically at this width

Depth matters at every size, but a 72-inch unit makes the consequences worse. Building out a wall to gain two inches is a modest job behind a 50-inch fireplace and a much larger one behind a six-foot opening, because the built-out section has to be finished across the whole span to look deliberate rather than patched.

Nominal stud cavity depths. Measure your own framing rather than assuming.
Framing	Cavity depth	Touchstone 72s (5 1/2 in)	Vitesse 72 (3.85 in)
2x4 studs	about 3 1/2 in	No — build out or use 2x6	Shallower than the cavity, but confirm with Vitesse
2x6 studs	about 5 1/2 in	Yes, just	Yes, with room to spare
Built-out chase	Whatever you frame	Yes	Yes

Surface-mounting avoids the question entirely on units rated for it, at the cost of the fireplace standing proud of the wall.

That is also why the Vitesse's framing wording deserves the scrutiny we gave it above. A 3.85-inch body in a 3 1/2-inch cavity ought to be close to flush, and yet the manufacturer specifies 2x6. Ask before you cut. Our page on depth and clearance covers why this specification catches so many people out.

What 72 inches does not buy you

Heat. This is the part worth being blunt about, because the price spread on this page runs from a couple of hundred dollars to well over two thousand and the warmth is identical at both ends. A 120 V household circuit caps every unit at 1,500 W, which is about 5,118 BTU per hour, and Touchstone rates its 72-inch units for the same 400 square feet as its 50-inch ones.

What a 1,500 watt electric fireplace costs to run at 18.34 cents per kilowatt-hour
Usage	Hours	Heat on (1,500 W)	Flame only (~100 W)
One evening	4	$1.10	$0.07
A week of evenings	28	$7.70	$0.51
A month, 4 hrs a night	120	$33.01	$2.20
A 90-day winter, 4 hrs a night	360	$99.04	$6.60
Per hour	1	27.5¢	1.8¢

Any 72-inch unit here, running on high Computed as (watts ÷ 1000) × rate, at 18.34¢/kWh — the US residential average from EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.3 (June 2026), released 2026-08-26. Your rate is on your own bill — put it into the calculator. The flame-only column assumes a conservative 100 W for the LED assembly with the heater switched off.

What a 750 watt electric fireplace costs to run at 18.34 cents per kilowatt-hour
Usage	Hours	Heat on (750 W)	Flame only (~100 W)
One evening	4	$0.55	$0.07
A week of evenings	28	$3.85	$0.51
A month, 4 hrs a night	120	$16.51	$2.20
A 90-day winter, 4 hrs a night	360	$49.52	$6.60
Per hour	1	13.8¢	1.8¢

The Elite 72 or the Vitesse on their 750 W low setting Computed as (watts ÷ 1000) × rate, at 18.34¢/kWh — the US residential average from EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.3 (June 2026), released 2026-08-26. Your rate is on your own bill — put it into the calculator. The flame-only column assumes a conservative 100 W for the LED assembly with the heater switched off.

So a six-foot fireplace warms no more of the room than a four-foot one. What it does is fill the wall, which is a legitimate reason to buy it — just not a thermal one. BTU and room size has the arithmetic, and the running cost calculator will price it against your own tariff.

Before you order

Find the studs and work out the cavity depth. This decides which half of this page you are shopping from.
Get the rough opening, not the unit size. Touchstone publishes it; if your shortlisted brand does not, ask before cutting.
Plan the lift. A hundred pounds at chest height across six feet needs two people and somewhere to rest it.
Check the power. 1,500 W is 12.5 amps. Do not share the circuit, and never use an extension lead — see watts, amps and your circuit.
Decide plug-in or hardwired before the wall closes. Both Touchstones do either at 120 V; plug-in vs hardwired covers which you want.

Questions people actually ask

How much heat does a 72-inch electric fireplace put out?

The same as a 50-inch one: up to 1,500 W, about 5,118 BTU per hour, rated for roughly 400 square feet. A 120 V circuit caps the whole category, so width buys you flame, not warmth.

Will a 72-inch electric fireplace fit a 2x4 wall?

The Touchstone units will not — they are 5 1/2 inches deep against a 2x4 cavity of about 3 1/2 inches, so they need 2x6 framing or a built-out chase. Some budget ultra-thin units are under 4 inches deep, though at least one specifies a 2x6 wall anyway; confirm the rough opening with the maker.

What size opening do I cut for a 72-inch electric fireplace?

Use the manufacturer's rough opening, not the fireplace dimensions. Touchstone specifies 68 3/4 by 20 1/2 by 5 3/4 inches for the Sideline 72 and 70 3/4 by 18 1/4 by 5 1/2 for the Elite 72 — different units, different holes, so decide the model before you cut.

How heavy is a 72-inch electric fireplace?

The Touchstone Sideline 72 is 95.3 pounds and the Elite 72 is 100 pounds. Both are two-person lifts. Several budget brands at this width publish no weight at all.

Is a 72-inch fireplace too big for my room?

It is a question of wall rather than room. A six-foot fireplace needs a wall wide enough that it does not run into corners or door casings, with some wall left either side. If yours is tight, a 60-inch unit is the more comfortable fit — see 60-inch electric fireplace inserts.

Sources

Every figure on this page is either taken from one of these documents or computed from a formula shown on the page. Nothing here is recalled from memory.