Hood height is a trade-off. Too low and the hood sits in the heat and grease coming off the burners, and taller cooks hit their heads. Too high and smoke and steam spread out before they reach the filters. Manufacturers publish general ranges by fuel type, but the guide for your specific hood is what sets the real minimum and maximum.
General guidance from the manufacturers
Two Whirlpool Corporation brands publish broadly similar starting points:
- •KitchenAid recommends about 24 to 30 inches above a gas stove and 20 to 24 inches above an electric one, and says to defer to the instructions for your specific model.
- •Whirlpool's range hood sizing article gives similar heights, puts the upper limit at 36 inches, and says the hood should match the cooktop's width at minimum, ideally extending 3 inches past it on each side to catch exhaust from the outer burners.
A model-specific example
The dimension guide for KitchenAid's commercial-style wall-mount canopy hoods (KXW8730Y, KXW8736Y, KXW8748Y) is stricter than the general ranges:
- •Minimum over electric: 24 inches between the cooking surface and the hood's lower edge.
- •Minimum over gas: 30 inches.
- •Suggested maximum: 36 inches.
- •Ceiling height: For canopy-only installations, 78 inches minimum from an electric cooking surface to the ceiling (84 over gas). With the optional duct cover, 90 inches over electric and 96 inches over gas.
- •Power: A 120-volt, 15-amp fused circuit.
That 30-inch gas minimum is the top of the general range, not the bottom. It's a clear example of why the hood's own guide wins.
Why the heights differ
Gas puts out more heat upward. Open flames and hot grates send more heat straight up than an electric element, so gas minimums are higher.
Capture drops with distance. A smoke plume widens as it rises. Past roughly 36 inches, much of it spreads beyond the hood's edges before the fan can pull it in.
Width helps. Extra width catches steam that drifts off the front and outside burners.
Canopy hoods need ceiling height. A chimney-style hood's duct cover comes in fixed lengths, so it only fits within a range of ceiling heights. That's where the 78-to-96-inch figures come from.
Measuring your setup
- Identify the cooktop type: gas, electric (coil or smooth-top) or induction.
- Find your hood's installation guide and note its minimum and maximum heights for that fuel.
- Measure from the cooking surface (on gas, the top of the grates) up to the hood's lower edge.
- Compare widths. The hood should match or exceed the cooktop's width.
- For a chimney or canopy hood, measure the ceiling height and compare it with the guide's minimums.
- If an over-the-range microwave is involved, use its guide instead; it has its own rules.
DC kitchens and hood height
- •High ceilings in older rowhouses. Many prewar kitchens have tall ceilings, which can exceed the duct cover's range on a chimney hood. Compare the ceiling height with the guide's range before ordering.
- •Low ceilings in basement units. English basement kitchens often have the opposite problem. A canopy hood may not fit at all, and an under-cabinet hood can be the better choice.
- •Gas range upgrades. Swapping an electric range for gas under an existing hood can move you from compliant to too low, since gas minimums are higher.
- •Recirculating hoods in condos. Mounting height still matters when a hood recirculates. Capture depends on distance whether or not the air leaves the building.
Symptoms of a hood at the wrong height
- •Too low: filters and the hood underside get very hot, grease builds up quickly, and the hood is in the way.
- •Too high: smoke escapes into the kitchen, the smoke alarm trips, and cooking odors linger.
- •Too narrow: the front burners' steam rolls past the hood's edge.
A quick worked example
Say you have a 30-inch gas range and want a 30-inch KitchenAid KXW canopy hood. The guide's gas minimum is 30 inches and its suggested maximum is 36, so the bottom of the hood should land somewhere in that 6-inch window above the grates. With a typical 36-inch counter height, that puts the hood's bottom edge roughly 66 to 72 inches off the floor. Then check the ceiling: canopy-only installation over gas needs at least 84 inches from the cooking surface to the ceiling, and adding the duct cover raises that to 96. Whirlpool's width advice would also point you toward a hood wider than the range if the opening allows it.
Height is only half of performance. A hood mounted perfectly but connected to a long, undersized duct will still struggle. See duct sizing for hoods.
Work that needs a licensed trade
- •A hood circuit. KitchenAid's KXW guide specifies a fused 15-amp, 120-volt circuit, and adding one is licensed electrical work.
- •Ductwork through a wall, ceiling or roof is contractor work. The DC Department of Buildings' instant permits include replacing a kitchen exhaust fan in kind in a one- or two-family home; anything beyond that, ask DOB what's required.
- •Exterior changes in historic districts go through historic preservation review.
Hood and vent fan problems, from a dead blower to a light that won't work, are part of our range repair service. For the cabinets beside and above the range, read our clearance guide.
Documents referenced
- •KitchenAid: What's the right range hood height above a stove?: typical heights by fuel, follow the model's own instructions.
- •Whirlpool: Range hood sizes: height ceiling and width advice.
- •KitchenAid KXW8730Y/KXW8736Y/KXW8748Y dimension guide: minimums of 24 inches (electric) and 30 inches (gas), suggested 36-inch maximum, ceiling heights, circuit.