The Convective 440 S is a gas grill with four main burners under the lid and a side burner in the left side table, with a two-door cabinet underneath. On Amazon it costs approx. €516 according to our price box (Amazon page on 20.10.2026: €515.54). Char-Broil UK designs it for more than six people.
Which 440 S this page covers
There are two versions under this name, and they differ clearly in output. Amazon lists the grill with item number 140845, and the manufacturer shown there is Char-Broil Europe GmbH. We did not find a German product page for this number at Char-Broil; the matching address on charbroil.de led nowhere. Only the British page was reachable, and it describes item number 140846 with model number 468402518.
The manual linked there covers both versions of the “Convective Series 4 Burner” and separates them by gas:
- Model 468401518 is intended for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg, runs at 50 mbar and has a total nominal heat input of 13.48 kW at 981 g/h.
- Model 468402518 is designed for other countries and gas pressures and reaches 17.00 kW at 1237 g/h.
That Amazon number 140845 is exactly the German model 468401518 is not stated anywhere in black and white at Char-Broil. It is plausible, because the manual provides only this one model number for Germany. We therefore work with 13.48 kW. The British product page lists 14, 3 and 17 for main burners, side burner and total, labels the values as “BTU” and evidently means kilowatts of the UK version. They do not apply to the grill on this page.
Build: burners, grates, cabinet
In the product photo the cooking chamber is box-shaped, with a lid thermometer and a handle bar. Four control knobs sit at the front, on the left a side table with a covered side burner and its own control, on the right a smooth shelf. The cart below has two doors in a stainless steel look, black side walls with ventilation slots and four castors.
More precise than any product description is the parts list from Char-Broil’s exploded diagram. Under the lid there are four stainless steel tube burners, which according to Char-Broil UK direct their flame upwards. Above each burner sits a flame guard plate, called a “Heat Tent” in the original. Three carry-over tubes (“Carry Over Tube”) run between the burners, and we come back to them under ignition. The cooking grate is in three pieces, two normal-width grates and a narrow one, and is made of porcelain-coated cast iron. Above it hangs the warming rack, which the parts list calls “Swing Away Grid”, a rack that swings out of the way. Fat runs into a removable, porcelain-coated grease tray with a grease cup. Two of the four castors can be locked. A match holder is also among the parts.
The side burner has its own burner, a lid and its own grate. Amazon calls it a side burner, for warming side dishes. The manual sets limits for it: pots need a diameter of at least 200 mm and at most 260 mm, and a maximum load of 4.5 kg applies to the side burner and the side shelf. Its nozzle on the German model is 0.75 mm wide, the four nozzles of the grill burners 0.71 mm each.
According to the Amazon catalogue, the grill is approx. 134 cm wide, 62.2 cm deep, 114.3 cm high and weighs approx. 50 kg. You have to assemble it yourself, and the manual warns that some parts can have sharp edges; it recommends protective gloves.
In detail: one ignition button, four burners, three carry-over tubes
Amazon advertises “lighting all burners at the push of a button”. The manual describes something different. The electronic ignition button belongs to the pilot burner: you push in its control knob and turn it to HIGH, then immediately hold down the ignition button until the burner is lit. You then turn the other burners to HIGH one by one, starting with the one closest to the pilot burner. The German translation of this step is clumsy, but the order is clear.
This is where the carry-over tubes come in. Each tube connects two neighbouring burners: when you open the second one, part of its gas flows through the tube to the flame of the first, ignites there, and the flame runs back. This is the usual design for gas grills with only one ignition point. None of us has seen how reliably it works on this appliance.
Before you light it, you open the lid. The manual prohibits lighting with the lid closed, because unburnt gas would collect in the cooking chamber. If a burner does not light within 5 seconds, you turn it off, wait 5 minutes and start again. You should not lean over the grill while doing so. If it sticks more often, you will find the usual causes in our guide Gas grill will not light.
What “Convective” means and what 13.48 kW tells you
Char-Broil UK simply calls the cooking system “Convection”. Technically, this is part of the heat transfer in any gas grill with a lid: the burners heat the flame guard plates and the air in the cooking chamber, the hot air circulates around the food under the closed lid, and radiation from the plates and contact heat via the cast iron grate add to it. None of our sources describes a dedicated fan or a special air-guiding system, and we do not assume one.
The 13.48 kW is the sum of all five burners, side burner included. Compared with the British version, that is 3.52 kW less, a good fifth. The figure cannot be converted to cooking area, although that would be the more meaningful value for other grills, because Char-Broil does not state the area.
For indirect grilling, four individually adjustable burners are enough: the food sits over a burner that is switched off, the neighbouring burners run, and the lid stays closed.
What Char-Broil leaves open
These details are missing from all the sources we had (British product page, multilingual manual, parts list, Amazon catalogue), and we do not estimate them:
- the cooking area in centimetres or square centimetres
- the output per main burner and that of the side burner for the German model; only the total is documented there
- maximum temperature, heat-up time and the temperature distribution across the grate
- dimensions and weight from the manufacturer itself; whether the Amazon values describe the assembled grill or the box remains open
- the material of the lid and cart sides in detail
- whether a cover or other accessories are included
- country of origin and year of release
- written proof that Amazon number 140845 corresponds to model 468401518
Does my gas bottle fit in the cabinet?
Yes, if it holds at most 6 kg, is no more than 345 mm in diameter and no taller than 370 mm. According to the manual, you place larger bottles under the side shelf or behind the grill. A bottle standing on the floor must never stand under the side burner.
The manual does not say whether the 370 mm includes the valve or not; we would measure with the valve before buying a bottle.
A pressure regulator is mandatory. Char-Broil prescribes using only the one supplied, and if none is supplied, one certified to EN 16129 with a flow of at most 1.5 kg/h that is approved for your country and the grill’s gas data. For Germany that means 50 mbar. The hose must be approved under the relevant EN standards and may be at most 1.5 m long. Whether regulator and hose are in the box remains open given the wording “if no regulator is supplied”. Plan for both if you do not already have them.
On consumption: with all burners at full load, the German model uses 981 g of gas per hour. By calculation, a 5 kg bottle lasts a good 5 hours, an 11 kg bottle, which has to go beside or behind the grill, a good 11 hours. With the burners turned down, any bottle lasts longer. What else matters when buying a bottle is covered in our guide to the gas bottle for the grill.
You check the hose before every use for cracks and wear, and it must not be kinked or touch hot surfaces. You replace damaged hoses before the next grilling session, and otherwise as often as your country’s regulations require. The leak test is due before first use, then at least once a year and after every bottle change or disconnection. The manual describes it in six steps:
- Set all control knobs to off.
- Check that the pressure regulator is firmly connected to the bottle.
- Turn on the gas. If it hisses, turn it off at once: the connection is then grossly leaking and must be repaired before you go on.
- Brush a soap solution of half soap, half water onto the hose connections.
- If bubbles form there, the spot is leaking. Turn the gas off at the bottle at once and tighten the connections. If the leak cannot be sealed, do not repair it yourself but request spare parts.
- After the check, turn the gas off at the bottle again.
After every grilling session, you turn off the gas at the bottle. Before you move the bottle from its place, you close it and disconnect the regulator, and it is never changed closer than 3 m to an open flame or another ignition source.
These three alternatives are worth a look
| Model | The difference | Price | Our rating | Choose this one if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Char-Broil Convective 440S (this one) | 4+1 burners, 13.48 kW according to the manual (German model), porcelain-coated cast iron grates | approx. €516 | 8.3 | you want to heat pots on the grill and want the bottle to disappear into the cabinet |
| Tarrington House Paxton | 4+1 burners, cooking area 41 x 71 cm according to the Amazon title | approx. €298 | 8.1 | you need a stated cooking area when comparing |
| Flammenwerk Profi 4+1 | 17.0 kW in total (split across the burners contradictory according to the manufacturer), cooking area 70 x 40.6 cm | approx. €449.99 | 8.7 | you want more rated output and would like to spend less |
| Broil King Regal 590 | 5 dual-tube burners, rear burner 4.4 kW, cooking area 80 x 48.8 cm | approx. €1,649 | 9.4 | you often grill for large groups and want to use a rotisserie |
The prices are guide values from our price boxes and change. The rating is our editorial assessment from the data comparison; we did not measure anything on any of the four grills.
When the 440 S fits and when another grill does
Where will it stand? That decides first. The manual permits operation only outdoors in a well-ventilated place, never in an enclosed space, and it counts carport, garage, veranda, covered courtyard and roofing of any kind as such. It requires at least one metre of clearance to any wall or surface, and 3 m to flammable objects and ignition sources such as the pilot lights of kettles or switched-on electrical appliances. If there is a wall on the left and right, by our calculation with the 134 cm catalogue width you need a good 3.3 m of free width. A covered balcony is therefore ruled out. For open balconies, our guide Grilling on a balcony helps with the question of house rules and tenancy agreement.
Do you mainly want to sear? Then we would rather go for the Flammenwerk Profi 4+1. According to the manufacturer it has 17.0 kW against 13.48 kW and according to our price box costs approx. €449.99, the Char-Broil approx. €516.
Are you comparing by cooking area? With the Char-Broil you cannot. The Tarrington House Paxton has the same layout of four burners plus a side burner, a cooking area of 41 x 71 cm according to the Amazon title, and costs approx. €298. However, the area figure there also comes only from the retailer’s catalogue.
Do you regularly grill for ten or more? Then the Broil King Regal 590 is the size class above: five main burners, rear burner, rotisserie set with motor included. It costs approx. €1,649.
Do you need the side burner? If you make side dishes in a pot, you will use it. If you never take a pot outside, the fifth burner is dead weight, and other four-burner models in our overview of gas grills do without it.
For your budget, add a gas bottle, a cover and, if necessary, regulator and hose to the approx. €516.
Cleaning and storage: what the manual requires
Clean often, ideally after every grilling session, but at least once a year. You do not clean the cooking surface while the appliance is still hot. The grease tray must be pushed in and emptied after every use, and you may remove it only once the grill has cooled down completely. If you use a bristle brush, check before grilling whether loose bristles are lying on the cooking surface. The manual prohibits foil or any other material on the cooking grates, because it blocks the ventilation of the burners.
Char-Broil names separate rules for the surfaces. Porcelain-coated parts, because of their glass-like composition, can usually be wiped with a solution of baking powder and water or a cleaner made for the purpose. You wash stainless steel with mild detergent and warm soapy water and rub it dry with a soft cloth after every use; steel wool or similar is off limits, because scratches give rust a foothold. On plastic parts, citric acid, abrasives, degreasers and concentrated appliance cleaners have no place. Brown or black deposits inside are grease and soot, not flaking paint: the inside of gas grills is not painted at the factory and is never supposed to be.
You clean the burners with a narrow bottle brush with a flexible handle, expressly without brass wire, and pass it through each burner tube several times. If a burner has large cracks or holes, it is replaced. A leak test and a check of the burner flames follow. The manual devotes a separate paragraph to spiders and insects: if the grill is hard to light or the flame burns weakly, you check and clean the venturi tubes and burners, because gas backed up can ignite behind the control panel. After a long period of disuse, burners and venturi tubes should be removed and cleaned. If grease drips onto the valve, hose or regulator, you turn off the gas immediately, find and fix the cause, and clean and check the parts before going on.
With the gas bottle connected, you store the grill outdoors, well ventilated and out of the reach of children. It may go into an enclosed space only if the bottle is closed, disconnected and stored outside. When you take it out of storage, first check whether a burner is blocked.
Who is it suitable for?
For purchase through a company, club sales or catering, the 440 S is the wrong choice, at least if the manufacturer’s warranty matters to you: according to the manual it applies only to products sold at retail to private individuals within the EU, expressly in contrast to businesses. It does not affect your statutory consumer rights.
For families with small children, the manual says: accessible parts can be very hot, small children are to be kept away, and they should not romp or play near the grill. Char-Broil also calls for particular care with seniors and pets nearby. The grill is not moved during use.
In our comparison, it suits a household with a garden or open terrace that wants to store the gas bottle in the cabinet and keep side dishes warm in a pot at the grill.
