Aim for 100 CFM per linear foot of cooktop width.

Buying a kitchen hood involves balancing your kitchen layout, cooking habits, and extraction needs. The most critical factor is ensuring the hood is powerful enough to clear your kitchen's air volume about . 1. Choose Your Ventilation Type How your hood handles air is the first major decision:

To capture all fumes, your hood must be at least as wide as your cooktop. A 30" cooktop needs at least a 30" hood.

You need roughly 100 CFM for every 10,000 BTUs of your stove's total output.

Because they face cross-drafts, they should always be wider than the cooktop (extend 3–6" beyond the range). 3. Calculate Required Power (CFM) Power is measured in CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) or

Experts often recommend going 3 inches wider on each side (e.g., a 36" hood for a 30" stove) for better coverage.