Range Hood Height Chart: Mount Yours at the Right Height

What does a 30-inch standard range hood mean?

On the default — a hood bottom 30 inches above the cooktop — the centimetres are 76.20 cm and the type is a standard range hood. The range hood height is the BOTTOM of the hood above the cooktop, and 30 inches is the classic hood height — the middle of the 24–36 in standard zone. The centimetres are the inches times 2.54: 30 × 2.54 = 76.20 cm. The bands are CLOSED at both ends: low 18–23 in, standard 24–36 in, high 37–42 in above the cooktop. Heights between the bands (23.01–23.99 in and 36.01–36.99 in) match NO standard type — the bands have gaps, they are not continuous — and heights of 43 in and above, and below 18 in, match NO standard type either.

Three things about the model are worth stating plainly.

First, the conversion is 30 × 2.54 = 76.20 cm. Second, the meaning is a hood bottom 30 inches above the cooktop — the middle of the usual 24–36 in range, close enough to capture smoke and steam, high enough to clear tall pots and stay out of the heat. And third, the centimetre figure is displayed to two decimals, half-up, and a figure that displays as 69.98 cm can sit a hair below the line — 27.55 in gives 69.9770 cm, which displays as 69.98 cm — and one that displays as 89.99 cm can sit a hair below it — 35.43 in gives 89.9922 cm, which displays as 89.99 cm. The page prints the unrounded value so the rounding does not mislead you.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: hood bottom 30 inches above the cooktop.

Line 1 — the centimetres. 30 × 2.54 = 76.20 cm.

Line 2 — the type. 30 inches sits inside the 24–36 in standard band, so the type is a standard range hood.

Line 3 — the check. At 27.56 inches the centimetres are 70.00 cm; and at 27.55 inches they are 69.98 cm — below 70.00 cm.

Every height in the table, checked

The table runs from 20 to 31 inches in one-inch steps. Every height in the table sits inside one of the three bands: 20–23 in are low hoods and 24–31 in are standard hoods. The bands are closed at both ends — 23 in is a low hood, 36 in is a standard hood and 42 in is a high hood. Heights between the bands (23.01–23.99 in and 36.01–36.99 in) match NO standard type, and heights of 43 in and above, and below 18 in, match NO standard type either.

20 in: 20 in = 50.80 cm; matches low range hood (1 type) — 20 inches is the bottom of the table, a low hood.

22 in: 22 in = 55.88 cm; matches low range hood (1 type) — 22 inches is a low hood, two inches above the bottom of the table.

24 in: 24 in = 60.96 cm; matches standard range hood (1 type) — 24 inches is the bottom of the standard band.

26 in: 26 in = 66.04 cm; matches standard range hood (1 type) — 26 inches is a standard hood, two inches above the bottom of the standard band.

28 in: 28 in = 71.12 cm; matches standard range hood (1 type) — 28 inches is a standard hood, two inches below the classic height.

30 in: 30 in = 76.20 cm; matches standard range hood (1 type) — 30 inches is the classic hood height, the middle of the standard zone.

Centimetre bars — 23 in, 30 in, 37 in: 23 in: 58.42 cm — low range hood; 30 in: 76.20 cm — standard range hood; 37 in: 93.98 cm — high range hood — one height from each band: the top of the low band, the middle of the standard band and the bottom of the high band.

The reverses, worked backwards

Smallest height for the cm figure to reach 70.00 cm: At the displayed 27.56 in the figures are 27.56 in = 70.00 cm (unrounded 70.0024 cm); matches standard range hood (1 type). At 27.55 in the figure is 69.98 cm (unrounded 69.9770 cm), below 70.00 cm — so 27.56 in is the smallest height that reaches 70.00 cm.

Largest height for the cm figure to STAY at or below 65.00 cm: At the displayed 25.59 in the figures are 25.59 in = 65.00 cm (unrounded 64.9986 cm); matches standard range hood (1 type). At 25.60 in the figure is 65.02 cm (unrounded 65.0240 cm), above 65.00 cm — so 25.59 in is the largest height that stays at or below 65.00 cm.

Smallest height to match a standard range hood: At the displayed 24.00 in the figures are 24.00 in = 60.96 cm (unrounded 60.9600 cm); matches standard range hood (1 type). At 23.99 in the figure is 60.93 cm (unrounded 60.9346 cm) and it matches NO standard type at all — so 24.00 in is the smallest height that matches a standard range hood.

Smallest height for the cm figure to reach 90.00 cm: At the displayed 35.44 in the figures are 35.44 in = 90.02 cm (unrounded 90.0176 cm); matches standard range hood (1 type). At 35.43 in the figure is 89.99 cm (unrounded 89.9922 cm), below 90.00 cm — so 35.44 in is the smallest height that reaches 90.00 cm.

Largest height for the cm figure to STAY at or below 80.00 cm: At the displayed 31.49 in the figures are 31.49 in = 79.98 cm (unrounded 79.9846 cm); matches standard range hood (1 type). At 31.50 in the figure is 80.01 cm (unrounded 80.0100 cm), above 80.00 cm — so 31.49 in is the largest height that stays at or below 80.00 cm.

Smallest height to match a high range hood: At the displayed 37.00 in the figures are 37.00 in = 93.98 cm (unrounded 93.9800 cm); matches high range hood (1 type). At 36.99 in the figure is 93.95 cm (unrounded 93.9546 cm) and it matches NO standard type at all — so 37.00 in is the smallest height that matches a high range hood.

A warning about the neighbours: every neighbour above sits one hundredth of an inch from the star, and every neighbour centimetre figure is a hair below or above the target even though it displays as the target — a 0.01 in move changes the centimetres by less than 0.005, so the displayed two-decimal figure cannot tell the star from its neighbour. The page prints the unrounded four-decimal value in full so the rounding does not mislead you: 70.0024, 69.9770, 64.9986, 65.0240, 60.9600, 60.9346, 90.0176, 89.9922, 79.9846, 80.0100, 93.9800, 93.9546.

What the defaults assume

The defaults are a hood bottom 30 inches above the cooktop — 30 in = 76.20 cm; matches standard range hood (1 type). With 20 in, 20 in = 50.80 cm; matches low range hood (1 type). With 22 in, 22 in = 55.88 cm; matches low range hood (1 type). With 24 in, 24 in = 60.96 cm; matches standard range hood (1 type). With 26 in, 26 in = 66.04 cm; matches standard range hood (1 type). With 28 in, 28 in = 71.12 cm; matches standard range hood (1 type). With 30 in, 30 in = 76.20 cm; matches standard range hood (1 type). With Centimetre bars — 23 in, 30 in, 37 in, 23 in: 58.42 cm — low range hood; 30 in: 76.20 cm — standard range hood; 37 in: 93.98 cm — high range hood. With Height 0, 0 in = 0.00 cm; matches no standard type — no height at all, and no matching type. With Height -5, 0 in = 0.00 cm; matches no standard type — a negative height is floored to 0.00 cm, never a negative number. With Height 27.55, 27.55 in = 69.98 cm (unrounded 69.9770 cm); matches standard range hood (1 type) — the centimetre figure displays as 69.98 cm. With Height 35.43, 35.43 in = 89.99 cm (unrounded 89.9922 cm); matches standard range hood (1 type) — the centimetre figure displays as 89.99 cm. With Height 36, 36 in = 91.44 cm; matches standard range hood (1 type) — the top of the standard band. With Height 23.5, 23.50 in = 59.69 cm; matches no standard type — in the gap between the low and standard bands, so no standard type. With Height 36.5, 36.50 in = 92.71 cm; matches no standard type — in the gap between the standard and high bands, so no standard type. With Heights 18, 30, 42 and 48, 18 in = 45.72 cm — low range hood; 30 in = 76.20 cm — standard range hood; 42 in = 106.68 cm — high range hood; 48 in = 121.92 cm — matches no standard type — the bottom of the low band, the classic standard height, the top of the high band, and past the high band. With Height 17.5, 17.50 in = 44.45 cm; matches no standard type — below the 18-in low band, so no standard type. With Height 24.5, 24.50 in = 62.23 cm; matches standard range hood (1 type) — inside the standard band.

A note on the rounding: the centimetre figure is displayed to two decimals, half-up. With height 27.55 in the unrounded figure is 69.9770 cm — it displays as 69.98 cm. The page prints the unrounded value so the rounding does not mislead you.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner hanging a new range hood: they learn a hood bottom 30 inches above the cooktop is 76.20 cm and a standard range hood — and they check the 27.56 in reverse to see the smallest height that reaches 70.00 cm.
• The builder fitting hoods through a kitchen: they learn the standard zone is 24–36 in and the bands are closed at both ends — and they check the 37.00 in reverse to see the smallest height that matches a high range hood.
• The cook with tall stockpots: they learn mounting higher (30–36 in) clears tall pots and stays out of the heat — and they check the 25.59 in reverse to see the largest height that stays at or below 65.00 cm.
• The renter checking a low hood: they learn mounting lower (18–23 in) suits low-profile hoods over electric cooktops only — and they check the 31.49 in reverse to see the largest height that stays at or below 80.00 cm.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is first-principles: the centimetres are the height in inches times 2.54, and the type comes from the closed bands — low 18–23 in, standard 24–36 in, high 37–42 in above the cooktop (hood BOTTOM height above the cooktop) — all in inches and centimetres, the centimetre figure displayed to two decimals half-up. There is no division in this calculator — nothing is ever undefined. A negative height is floored to 0.00 cm, never a negative number. With height 27.55 in the unrounded figure is 69.9770 cm — it displays as 69.98 cm. Manufacturers and building guidance put the hood bottom 24–36 in above the cooktop — close enough to capture smoke and steam, high enough to clear tall pots and stay out of the heat; gas ranges need the higher end (30–36 in) because open flames throw more heat, while electric ranges can sit lower (24–30 in); below 24 in the hood risks heat damage and blocks tall stockpots; above 36 in the hood stops capturing effectively because smoke escapes around the edges. Mounting lower (18–23 in) suits low-profile hoods over electric cooktops only; mounting higher (37–42 in) suits very tall cooks but captures poorly. This is why the range-hood standard zone ends at 36 in, while the light-switch standard runs to 48 in and the door-handle standard to 38 in — a hood must sit in the smoke column above the burners, a switch only needs a press and a handle only a grip. What the model cannot do is set the height for you: it says nothing about the cooktop, the duct or the cook using it — a hood that suits a tall cook can be a stretch for a shorter one. Use it to check the height before you drill — then check the light-switch, door-handle, bathroom-shelf, kitchen-shelf and upper-cabinet charts before you set the rest of the room.

No range-hood page of any kind exists on the site — this is the first. The closest pages are the light-switch height chart (a SWITCH — standard 48 in, bands 44–48 in — not a hood), the door-handle height chart (a HANDLE — standard 36 in, bands 34–38 in — not a hood), the bathroom-shelf height chart (a SHELF above a vanity — bands 40–47/48–60/61–68 in — not a hood), the kitchen-shelf height chart (a kitchen SHELF — not a hood) and the upper-cabinet height chart (enclosed CABINETS — bands 48–53/54–66/67–72 — not a hood). This one is the RANGE HOOD mounting-height reference: the hood BOTTOM above the cooktop, anchored to the 30-in standard (standard zone 24–36 in).

Frequently asked questions