Choosing a range hood and unsure what size to get? The good news is that hood size comes down to one main thing: matching your hob. Get it right and smoke and grease are captured cleanly; get it too small and they escape into your kitchen. Here is how to pick the right size, with simple centimetre rules for Malaysian kitchens.
Quick Answer: What Hood Size Do I Need?
As a rule, your range hood should be at least as wide as your hob, never narrower. Most Malaysian kitchens use a 90cm hood for a standard hob, or 60cm for compact kitchens. When in doubt, size up: a slightly wider hood captures smoke far better than one that is too small.
Why Hood Size Matters
Your range hood does its job by creating a capture zone, the area directly above your hob where rising smoke, steam, and grease are collected before they spread. The wider the hood, the bigger that capture zone, and the more reliably it catches everything coming off your cooking.
When a hood is too narrow for the hob, smoke and oil simply rise past its edges and drift into the room. Over time that means greasy walls and cabinets, lingering smells, and poorer air quality. A correctly sized hood prevents all of this, which is why size deserves just as much attention as suction power or looks.
The Golden Rule: Match or Beat Your Hob Width
There is one rule that covers most situations: your hood should be at least as wide as your hob, and ideally a little wider. Matching the width ensures the hood sits over the full cooking area, while a small overhang on each side captures the smoke that tends to billow outward from the edge burners.
So if your hob is 90cm wide, choose a 90cm hood as the minimum. If your budget and wall space allow, a slightly wider hood never hurts. What you want to avoid is the opposite: a hood narrower than your hob will always leave gaps where smoke escapes, no matter how powerful its motor is.
Common Hood Sizes Explained
Range hoods come in a few standard widths. Here is what each size suits, with both centimetres and the inch equivalents you may see on spec sheets:
Hood Width |
Approx. Inches |
Best For |
|---|---|---|
60cm |
24 in |
Compact kitchens and smaller two-burner hobs; apartments and condos |
90cm |
36 in |
The most popular size; standard 3-burner hobs in most Malaysian homes |
100cm+ |
40 in + |
Large hobs, wide cooktops, and serious home cooks who fry often |
The 90cm hood is by far the most common choice, since it matches the standard hobs found in most homes. The slimmer 60cm size suits tighter kitchens, while 100cm and above is worth considering for big cooktops or heavy daily cooking.
How to Measure for the Right Size
Measuring is simple. Take a tape measure and record the full width of your hob from outer edge to outer edge. That number is your minimum hood width. If you can fit a hood that is a few centimetres wider on each side, even better, as it widens the capture zone.
Then check the space around your hob. Measure the available wall width so the hood fits comfortably, and note any adjacent cabinets, windows, or corners that might get in the way. For wall-mounted hoods you also want enough vertical room for the chimney to reach the ceiling. A few minutes of measuring now saves a lot of trouble later.
Do Not Forget Installation Height
Size is not only about width, mounting height matters too. If a hood sits too high, smoke disperses before it is captured; too low, and it gets in the way of cooking. As a general guide, mount the hood around 65 to 75cm above a gas hob, and slightly lower (about 55 to 65cm) above an induction hob, since induction produces less rising heat.
The right height works hand in hand with the right width to form an effective capture zone. Always check the manufacturer’s recommended height for your specific model, as it is tuned to that hood’s design and power. Getting both height and width right is what makes a hood genuinely effective.
Size and Power Go Together
A correctly sized hood still needs enough suction power to match. Suction is measured in cubic metres per hour (m³/h), and for most kitchens an extraction rate of around 650 to 800 m³/h works well. Larger kitchens, open-plan layouts, and homes that do a lot of high-heat frying benefit from higher figures.
In short, pair the right width with the right power. Our guide on how to measure suction power explains the airflow side in detail, and if you are still deciding between styles, the different types of range hoods guide helps too. Wider models like the Slim Series V995 pair a generous 90cm width with strong airflow, a good example of size and power working together.
