the metalwork edit —
Metal Incense Burners
20 of the best incense burners and holders, in cast iron, brass, bronze, aluminium and concrete-set metal
There is a particular satisfaction in watching a thin curl of smoke rise from something that was properly made — hand-cast, hand-finished, weighted the way only metal can be weighted. Here is an edit of the incense burners and holders worth having on a mantel, a bedside table or a hallway console, drawn from Japanese ironworks, Australian design studios and a handful of the world's more considered homeware houses.
Incense has always needed a vessel — something to catch the ash, angle the stick, and hold its own as an object once the smoke has cleared. Metal has quietly become the material of choice for the best of these: cast iron for its weight and Japanese pedigree, brass and bronze for the patina they earn with use, aluminium for something lighter and more architectural, and concrete-set bronze for sculptural restraint.
What follows is twenty pieces, chosen across price points and finishes, so that whichever material speaks to your home, there is a considered answer. Every price below is listed in AUD and every shop is named, so this can double as a shopping list as much as a browse.
The Twenty
in no particular order of preference — only of discovery
Iwachu has been casting ironware in Morioka since 1902, and this piece takes its shape from orizuru, the folded-paper crane that is Japan's emblem of longevity and good fortune. The incense stick sits in a small hole on the crane's back, so it looks, once lit, as though the bird is carrying the smoke away. Cast in iron and finished in a rich gold, it comes with a matching pedestal to catch the ash. Japan With Love Store — cast iron, gold finish — approx. AUD $59 Shop the Iwachu Origami Crane →
Made by Hakuhodo Sumitani Saburo & Co., a Takaoka copperware house with over 400 years of casting history behind it, this small brass plate is hand-finished to give a luster glow glow which gives it an elegant finish — the kind of surface that only gets better with handling. A simple square that works equally well as an incense plate or a place to rest jewellery. Nippon Kodo Store — hand-finished brass — approx. AUD $100 Shop the Square Plate — Star →
Sydney designer Henry Wilson built his name on discreet, weighted metal objects, and Mono is the incense answer to that sensibility — a petal-like form that reads as much like a small sculpture as a functional holder. It's offered in live brass or a blackened finish that won't develop the same patina, so the decision is really about how much maintenance you want from the object. The Plant Society — blackened bronze — $170 AUD Shop Mono by Henry Wilson →
Sydney's Amod Aromas hand-hammers this one in solid brass, drawing its shape from old apothecary funnels. It's heavier in the hand than its size suggests, and functions as an ash collector as much as a holder — the brass will darken and patina with use, which the brand treats as a feature rather than something to polish away. Amod Aromas — hand-hammered solid brass, antique finish — $85 AUD Shop the Funnel →
A minimalist, lacquered cast iron tray from Nippon Kodo — the refined, modern end of a Japanese incense tradition that dates back centuries. It suits both stick and cone incense and sits flush and low, which makes it an easy addition to a bookshelf or console without competing for attention. Saison — cast iron, acrylic resin varnish — approx. AUD $98 Shop the Cast Iron Square Tray →
Arizona studio Tennen shaped this small brass holder after the agave plant — sharp, architectural points that cradle cone, spiral or short stick incense while letting air move underneath for a cleaner burn, with a central hole for a standing stick. It's compact enough to sit on its own tray, but substantial for its size. Tennen — solid brass, satin finish — from approx. AUD $77 Shop the Agave Holder →
A departure from the more traditional pieces on this list — this one is CNC-machined from non-flammable 6061-T6 aluminium in Minnesota, with rubber non-slip feet and a long, low profile designed to catch ash cleanly along its length. Industrial rather than ornamental, and all the better for it on a minimalist desk or shelf. Etsy (independent maker) — machined aluminium — check listing for current AUD price approx 175 Shop the Aluminium Holder on Etsy →
Amod's companion piece to the Funnel is cast in high-grade aluminium and offered in two finishes — a deep antique brass polish or a mirror-bright nickel plate — both hand-finished so no two are quite identical. Small enough to sit anywhere, architectural enough to hold its own as a desk object when nothing is burning. Amod Aromas — aluminium, antique brass or nickel-plated finish — AUD $65 Shop Hexagon (Antique Brass) → Shop Hexagon (Nickel-Plated) →
Japanese fragrance house APFR designed this holder specifically for bamboo-type incense sticks — two brass plates with pins between them, curved in a way that suggests movement rather than a static object. Non-plated and non-painted, so the brass is left to darken naturally with handling. The Plant Society — solid brass — $195 AUD Shop the APFR Brass Holder →
Puebco's found-object philosophy is on full display here: a repurposed glass prism, once used to demonstrate the refractive index of light in Indian schools, now drilled and set into a long brass tray to hold an incense stick. Each prism carries its own history in the form of small scratches or bubbles from its former life — which is very much the point. The Plant Society — brass and repurposed glass — $80 AUD Shop the Puebco Prism →
Melbourne studio Lightly hand-crafted this from solid brushed brass as part of its Assemblages Balance series, made during the long 2020 lockdown as a meditation on ritual and grounding. It's a small, deliberate object — the kind you reach for as much for the pause it represents as for the incense itself. The Plant Society — solid brushed brass — from $70 AUD Shop Balance 02 →
Where the APFR holder above suits bamboo sticks, this companion stand — designed and hand-made by Japanese sculptor Nagako Makino — is built for standard incense sticks, with a curved base to catch ash. Every box it ships in is also hand-made, by a separate paperware manufacturer, which tells you something about how the brand approaches even its packaging. The Plant Society — solid brass — approx. AUD $180 Shop the APFR Brass Stand →
Designed by Corey Ashford and cast from an actual Sydney rock oyster shell, this one leans into its coastal origins — the natural ridges and imperfections of the shell are preserved in the casting, so each piece is genuinely unique. Left untreated, the brass will patina at its own pace; it's as happy holding jewellery as it is an incense stick. The Cool Hunter (Corey Ashford) — cast brass — $90 AUD Shop the Brass Oyster →
Designed for Aesop by Vienna's Vogel Studio, this is an asymmetrical, individually cast piece weighted at 684 grams — heavy enough that picking it up communicates, before you've read a word about it, that it was made seriously. The concave dish catches spent ash, and the bronze will oxidise into a natural patina over time. Aesop — cast bronze — $210 AUD Shop the Aesop Bronze Holder →
Alessi's take is smaller and more understated than most of the Italian house's homeware — a compact, mirror-polished holder that leans on precision rather than ornament, fitting for a brand built on nickel, chromium and silver-plated tableware since 1921. Farfetch — polished-finish metal — approx. AUD $114 Shop the Alessi Holder →
Another from Nippon Kodo's cast iron collection — this one finished in a matte black lacquer, with a gently curved profile that rocks slightly on its base, and suits both stick and cone incense. It's the more sculptural of the brand's two trays on this list, and reads well left out on its own. Saison — cast iron, matte black lacquer — approx. AUD $110 Shop the Rocking Tray →
Made by Chushin Kobo, the Yamagata studio of award-winning blacksmith Hisanori Masuda, this piece uses the same techniques the studio applies to traditional cast iron teapots. Shaped after a bamboo leaf boat, it lets you lay the incense along its length or stand it upright in a small included stand — a genuinely clever, dual-use design. Osara Australia — cast iron, lacquered surface — approx. AUD $138 Shop the Bamboo Boat (Large) →
The companion piece to the boat above, also from Chushin Kobo — a bamboo leaf silhouette, with "dew" rendered as a small raised bead of iron near the tip. Like all of the studio's work, the lid of each design echoes the mountain silhouettes of Yamagata prefecture, where the workshop is based. Osara Australia — cast iron, lacquered surface — approx. AUD $92 Shop the Bamboo Leaf with Dew →
A circular holder cast entirely from zinc, finished in a matte grey that deliberately mimics the look of cast iron at a fraction of the weight. The concentric circles at its centre are meant to suggest rippling water, and double as a place for ash to collect. Make Designed Objects — zinc alloy, matte finish — approx. AUD $120 Shop No. 30 →
The most sculptural piece on this list: a solid bronze ring set into a Taihu stone — a naturally porous limestone used in traditional Chinese landscape design — then cast in concrete. The result reads like a miniature shanshui painting, the bronze moon nestled into the crevice of the stone. Genuinely unlike anything else here. Kin Objects — solid bronze and cast concrete — approx. AUD $139 Shop Moon Rising →
How to actually use this list
Twenty pieces is a range to browse, not a shopping cart to fill in one go. If you're starting from nothing, one cast iron tray for everyday use and one heavier brass or bronze piece for the moments you want to slow down will cover almost everything. Build from there — the way you'd build a wardrobe, slowly, and only with pieces you'd genuinely miss.
— choose the metal you'll want to touch every day, and the rest follows.