Range Hoods

• Under cabinet: Mounts directly beneath existing upper cabinetry, preserving your storage space. This is typically the easiest to install and ideal for compact kitchens or straightforward replacements.
• Wall mount: Replaces the cabinet above the cooking surface with an exposed chimney design. It acts as a visual focal point and often provides a wider capture area for heavy cooking.
• Island mount: Suspended directly from the ceiling over a freestanding island cooktop. Because it lacks adjacent walls to help guide smoke, island hoods often require a higher CFM rating to compensate for ambient cross-drafts.
• Insert (built-in): A concealed ventilation power pack designed to slide inside a custom wooden cabinet or decorative metal enclosure. This is the standard choice for custom range hood designs.
• Ceiling mount: Installs flush into the ceiling above the cooking area. It keeps sightlines entirely open for minimalist or open-concept spaces, capturing smoke as it naturally rises to the ceiling.

Ducted range hoods pull smoke, heat, grease, and moisture completely out of your home through exterior ductwork. They offer the highest performance and are heavily recommended for gas ranges or high-heat cooking. Ductless (recirculating) hoods use charcoal filters to trap grease and odors before recirculating the air back into the kitchen. Ductless hoods are easier to install but cannot remove heat or moisture from the room.

Your range hood should be at least as wide as your cooktop. However, sizing up is recommended. Choosing a hood that is 3 to 6 inches wider than your range (e.g., a 36-inch hood for a 30-inch cooktop) creates an overlapping capture area that traps expanding smoke, steam, and angled grease splatters before they escape into the kitchen.

For more information, read our Guide to Range Hood Sizes.

1. Gas Burners: Use Your BTUs
If you have a gas range, calculate how many BTUs (British Thermal Units) the burners produce. The more BTUs, the more ventilation you’ll need. You can usually find information about burner BTU output in the owner’s manual, on the back of the appliance, or underneath the cooktop on a specification label. Remember, the BTU output specified is the maximum output per burner.

The general rule of thumb:

If you have a gas range, you need 1 CFM for every 100 BTUs of your cooktop’s total output.

So, if your gas range has a total of 40,000 BTUs, you’ll need a range hood that can deliver 400 CFM if you plan on using all the burners simultaneously at full power. (If you plan to go beyond 400 CFM, read about make-up air below.)

2. Electric/Induction Burners: Use the Width of Your Cooktop
If you have an electric or induction cooktop, there’s another basic guideline.

You’ll want about 100 CFM for every linear foot of cooktop width for wall-mounted hoods.

So a 30-inch-wide range with an electric/induction cooktop (2.5 feet) would need at least 250 CFM if you plan on using all the burners simultaneously at full power.

Island hoods often need more CFM since they don’t have a wall to help direct smoke and fumes. We recommend adding an additional 100-200 CFM if you plan on using an island hood.

For more information on CFM, read our guide to determining how much CFM you need.

Standard under cabinet and wall mount hoods perform best when installed 24 to 30 inches above the cooking surface. Island hoods generally follow similar spacing but may be mounted slightly higher depending on sightline preferences. Flush ceiling mounts are dictated by your ceiling height. Always check the manufacturer's exact specifications, as mounting too high severely reduces smoke capture, and mounting too low creates a fire hazard.

For more information, read our guide to Range Hood Height and Installation.

Ducted hoods utilize aluminum mesh or stainless steel baffle filters to trap grease. Most are fully washable and should be run through the dishwasher every 1 to 2 months. Ductless hoods require secondary charcoal filters to eliminate odors. Charcoal filters cannot be washed and must be completely replaced every 3 to 6 months depending on how often you cook.

For more information, read our guide on How to Clean Range Hood Filters.

Only range hood models explicitly rated for use above grills, such as outdoor grill hoods, should be installed above grill setups and barbecues. Some range hood models are outdoor-approved, but may not be able to handle extremely high heat from outdoor grilling.

Read our guide to Outdoor Grill Hoods for more information.