| Width | Good for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| 9 inches | Spices, oils, cutting boards and trays on end | Little room inside once the box sides are taken off |
| 12 inches | Spices, oils, small jars, a single stack of plates | A single door; check it can open past the hood |
| 15 to 18 inches | Everyday glasses, mugs and small bowls | Can crowd the hood on a short wall |
| Open shelf instead | Oils and things you reach for while cooking | Grease and dust; shelves near the range need wiping |
How wide should the range hood be?
Common guidance is that a hood should be at least as wide as the cooking surface, and often 3 to 6 inches wider overall, so it catches the steam and smoke that drift out past the burners. A 36-inch range, for example, often gets a 36-inch or 42-inch hood. A wider hood captures more, but takes wall space from the cabinets either side.
The rule that actually governs is the ventilation insert’s. Its maker publishes the minimum width, the mounting height range, and the duct size. If you are choosing a wood hood cover, the insert comes first and the cover is built around it.
How do you make the hood wall symmetrical?
Start from the centre of the range, not from the corner of the room. The hood centres on the range, and the uppers on each side are then sized to fill the remaining wall equally. On paper:
- Measure the wall from corner to corner, or from corner to the window or end panel.
- Find where the centre of the range falls on that wall.
- Subtract the hood width, then measure what is left on each side of it.
- If the two sides are equal, size the uppers to match. If they are not, decide whether the range can move, or whether one side gets an extra cabinet, an end panel or a shelf so the eye still reads the hood as centred.
The common problem is a range that sits a few inches off centre on the wall. With stock cabinets in 3-inch steps, the uppers can’t come out equal, and the difference ends up in a filler strip. That is why so many hood walls have a 2-inch strip on one side and not the other.
Are 9-inch or 12-inch uppers beside a hood worth it?
They can be, if you know what goes in them. A narrow upper loses the thickness of two box sides, so the inside is narrower still. It won’t hold dinner plates. It is useful for:
- Spices, oils and vinegars, right where you cook.
- Cutting boards, baking sheets and trays, stood on end with vertical dividers.
- A small stack of the things you reach for at the range.
Where the space is narrower than about 9 inches, a door and a box start to cost more space than they give. An open shelf, a pull-out spice rack below, or simply a wider hood often works better.
The same thinking applies below the hood. The base cabinets either side of the range are usually the most useful drawers in the kitchen, and they don’t need to match the uppers’ widths exactly. Deep drawers for pots and pans on one side and a narrow pull-out for oils on the other is a common, practical split, and it doesn’t spoil the symmetry because the eye reads the upper line far more than the lower one.
Check the door swing too. A narrow door next to a deep hood cover can hit the hood before it opens fully, so hinge it to open away from the hood.
Do you need fillers and scribes?
Some, but not to fix your sizes. A scribe is a thin strip left slightly oversized and trimmed on site to follow a wall that is not perfectly straight, which most walls aren’t. A filler is a strip that takes up space the cabinet sizes couldn’t, and it is the one stock kitchens rely on.
Our boxes are cut to your measurements in 1/16-inch increments, so the uppers can be sized to meet the hood and the wall exactly. In most kitchens that means a symmetrical hood wall with no filler at all, only a small scribe where cabinets meet an uneven wall.
Should the uppers step up or run to the ceiling?
Both work. Some options:
- Run everything to the ceiling. Uppers and hood finish at the same line under the crown. It is the cleanest look and gives the most storage. Stacked uppers, with a short cabinet above a standard one, are the usual way to reach a tall ceiling.
- Step the uppers. The cabinets nearest the hood sit higher or project differently, so the hood wall reads as one composition.
- Let the hood rise above the uppers. The uppers stop below the ceiling and the hood carries on to it, making the hood the focal point.
Our upper cabinet height guide works through 30, 36 and 42-inch uppers against common ceiling heights.
How deep are floating shelves next to a hood?
Uppers are typically 12 inches deep. Floating shelves are often shallower, typically around 10 inches, so they don’t feel heavy and things don’t get lost at the back. If you put shelves either side of a hood, keep them clear of the cooking surface and expect to wipe them more often: anything near a range collects grease. The full set of standard depths is in our kitchen cabinet dimensions guide.
How high does the hood go above the cooktop?
A common figure is around 30 inches from the cooking surface to the bottom of the hood, but it is not a rule to design to. The hood or insert maker sets a mounting height range, usually different for gas and electric, and local code may set clearances for cabinets and shelves close to the burners. Follow the spec sheet, then size the hood cover and the cabinets beside it to suit.
Can the hood cover match the cabinets?
Yes. A wood hood cover is cabinetry, and we build ours around the ventilation insert in the same door style and finish as the rest of the kitchen, sized to the ceiling and to the uppers on each side. Plan the hood, the insert and the uppers together and the wall lines up. Our panel-ready appliances guide covers the hood with the other appliance panels.
Every Crafted kitchen has plywood boxes, arrives fully assembled, and comes with a fixed-price quote agreed before production starts. If you are working out your hood wall, we will draw it with you as part of the design, or call (925) 849-4110.
Frequently asked questions
What size upper cabinet goes next to a range hood?
Whatever fills the wall equally on each side once the hood is centred on the range. Stock uppers come in 3-inch steps, often 9 to 18 inches beside a hood. Custom uppers can be sized to the exact space, so both sides match.
Is a 9-inch upper cabinet useful?
Yes, for spices, oils, cutting boards and trays stood on end. It will not take plates. If the space is narrower than that, an open shelf or a wider hood is often a better use of it.
Should a range hood be wider than the cooktop?
Common guidance is at least as wide as the cooktop and often 3 to 6 inches wider overall, for better capture. The ventilation insert maker’s specification is what governs.
Does Crafted Cabinetry build range hood covers?
Yes. We build wood range hood covers around a ventilation insert, in the same door style and finish as your cabinets, sized to the ceiling and the uppers either side.
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