Is 400 CFM enough for my range hood?

We recommend purchasing a hood that is more powerful than 400 CFM, but the casual cook might be able to get by with 400. Most 400 CFM hoods are manufactured cheaply at big box stores, so they are not very durable. In general, the quality of your hood will increase as CFM increases since higher-CFM hoods need to be built to withstand heavy smoke and grease.

When determining the CFM you need for your range hood, one of the most important things to consider is the British thermal unit (BTU) output of your cooktop. The general rule is for every 10,000 BTUs, your range hood should have 100 CFM. Or, you can also add up the BTU of all your burners, and divide by 100 to get your desired CFM.

For example, if my stove top produces 50,000 BTUs, I’ll need a range hood that pulls at least 500 CFM.

Or, using the other calculation, if I have two burners that are 15,000 BTUs and two burners that are 10,000 BTUs, I’ll add this up to 50,000. Then divide by 100 to get 500 CFM.

The average stove top burner produces about 7,000 BTUs. Lower-heat burners to cook soup or sauces range between 3000 and 5000 BTUs, while some higher-heat burners reach up to 12,000 BTUs.

Most ranges have between 4 to 6 burners. Assuming you have six high-heat burners, your range will produce 72,000 BTUs. In other words, you’ll need 720 CFM for your range hood.

But, don’t think of this as a hard cut-off for the CFM of your range hood. Think of it more as a minimum. We haven’t even considered your cooking style or how often you cook yet. But regardless, we know that your range, using the example above, mandates a 720 CFM range hood.

Now, if you cook Asian food every day for multiple hours, you’ll need to consider a professional 900+ CFM range hood. But if you don’t cook very often, 720 CFM is probably enough.

Most residential range hoods are under 900 CFM, but some may pull up to 2000 CFM. At Proline Range Hoods, we sell range hoods between 600 and 2000 CFM.

What is the most powerful range hood?

The most powerful residential range hoods are about 2000 CFM, while commercial ranges require up to two to three times that amount. In commercial environments, you’ll not only have a range with BTU output but also grills and fryers which increase the BTUs and cooking exhaust drastically.

How far should a range hood be from the stove top?

If you are installing an outdoor hood, mount your range hood between 36” and 42” from your cooktop, grill, or BBQ. Why do you need this extra space? Well, in short, outdoor grills and ranges produce more intense heat. If you mount your hood below 36”, it will shorten the life of your vent hood.

How many CFM do I need for my range hood?

Range hood CFM depends on your cooking style and how frequently you cook. Check out our detailed guides on range hood CFM below:

How Many CFM Do I Need For My Range Hood?

Range Hood CFM for Electric vs. Gas Cooktops

What exactly is CFM? Here's a deep dive.

Range Hood CFM for Chinese Cooking

If you cook a lot of Chinese food, you’ll want to make sure your hood is powerful enough to do its job well . Most Chinese food requires a lot of heat and sometimes frying too. The safest bet is to invest in a 900+ CFM professional range hood.

Use a range hood with more CFM if you cook Chinese food frequently. A range hood with 900+ CFM will be enough to clean your kitchen air and keep your kitchen smelling fresh.

In general, it’s better to go with more CFM than less. Proline’s range hoods include controls panels that have four to six speeds, or dial controls to adjust blower power. So if the max CFM of your hood is too much for most of your cooking, just turn the setting down using your control panel. This will give you enough power when you need it.

Also, if you invest in a high-powered hood and only run it on its lower settings, it’ll be incredibly quiet! This will come in handy whether you are giving instructions to your sous chefs or you’re having a conversation with friends or family while you are finishing up a meal.

For example, our PLJW 120 under cabinet range hood runs at 900 CFM on max speed, and produces 7 sones. In comparison, our PLJW 109 60” pulls 2000 CFM of air, and produces 7.5 sones on max speed. If you purchase the latter hood and run it on a lower speed, it will be significantly quieter than the PLJW 120 under cabinet range hood mentioned above.

The higher-powered hoods have larger motors; essentially, pulling 900 CFM strains a 2000 CFM motor much less than a 900 CFM motor.

Your guests will barely notice your high-CFM hood running on a lower setting, while an under cabinet hood running at that same speed will be more noticeable. Check out our professional line of hoods here!

If you would like to read more about the best range hood for Asian cooking, click here! Maybe you’re interested specifically in Indian cooking; we’ve got a helpful article for you.

Good luck finding the range hood perfect for your kitchen! If you’re looking to purchase a range hood or have any questions, call Proline at (877) 901-5530! We’re happy to help. Or, check our most frequently asked questions page.

Thanks for reading our article on range hood CFM. If you have found any of our blog content helpful in any way, please leave us a review on Yelp or Google. It only takes 10 seconds!