A standard stove’s measurements are 30 inches wide, about 27 inches deep, and 36 inches tall. These measurements typically fit the usual bottom cabinet arrangements. That’s the standard, though.
I’ve cooked on a college dorm’s two-burner 20-inch, three-foot high stove, a Girl Scout Bunson-type burner made of a large coffee can over a small fire (don’t laugh, it cooked our bacon and eggs quite well,) a hot plate with two burners, and cooktops of various sizes and types.
There are dozens of types of stoves, but we want to know how wide and deep stoves can be. So kick back as we explore stoves.
Related To: Types of Ovens | Glass Stovetop Cleaners | Oven vs. Stove | How Long Does Stoves Last?
Let’s Begin With The Different Sizes Of Stoves Because They Have To Fit In A Variety Of Spaces
The 20-Inch Stove
Not everyone lives in a 3,000-square-foot home. Some live in studio apartments, their RVs or campers, or in tiny houses. Kitchens must be compact and do double duty as so many other spaces in a tiny venue must do. Thus, most small spaces require a 20-inch stove with two to four burners. They’re typically 26 inches deep and stand 36 inches high.
The 24-Inch Stove
The 24-inch stove is good for those with a different or smaller cabinet cutout measurement. At least the pots and pans won’t knock against each other on the slightly wider stovetop. This stove tends to be about 26 inches deep and the requisite three feet high.
The 30-Inch Stove
This is what you find in most appliance stores, church fellowship hall kitchens, a few restaurants, and homes. The 30-inch stove is generally 25 to 28 inches deep and the requisite 36 inches tall. These dimensions don’t include the oven door handle or the knobs.
The Professional Stove
Cooks who can foods, cooks with large families, cooks who want the extra power at Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as many restaurants all covet the professional range. This big guy is the typical three feet high (sometimes plus a couple of inches,) 36 to 48 inches wide, and 26 to 31 inches deep. These are stoves with six to eight and up to ten burners, two ovens, and some include griddles or a hot plate for keeping something warm. I wish I had had one when my kids were small, especially at the holidays.
Cooktops On Kitchen Islands Are A Big Thing. How Wide And Deep Are They?
First, A Word About Safety
With traditional stoves, you have to configure the lower kitchen cabinets along with the upper to give you enough clearance. Otherwise, something might catch fire, and that’s just a terrible end to that pretty roast. Every size of the kitchen cabinet and stove is configured for safety.
Not only that, but you have to arrange a certain number of inches for people to walk around a kitchen without injury when the fridge door, the dishwasher door, or the oven door is open. This is generally 42 inches to 48 inches all around the kitchen.
Add to this the fact that kitchen island seating is a big thing. You must have enough space between the hot elements on an island cooktop and the folks eating what comes from it. The island should have between 12 and 18 inches of overhang that supports the countertop. This overhang is where the family eats. Figure 24 inches per person seated around the island, and you’ll have a reasonable idea of the size of the island.
Size Matters, So Cooks Should Plan Their Kitchen Island With Cooktop Carefully
Now that we have an idea of sizes and safe walkways around the kitchen, we’re ready to put a cooktop onto a kitchen island. Cooks want just the right size island so they don’t have to hurt themselves reaching to clean the center of the island. Thus, natural stone suppliers Granite Transformations advise us that a kitchen island should be no more than 42 inches.
Most islands use a 24-inch cooktop, usually electric, and usually vented to the bottom of the island. Given a 42-inch island, this leaves the expert-recommended 15 inches to one side and 12 on the other, as well as one-inch leeway. This gives cooks plenty of extra room to cook on the holidays and to place food within reach of seated diners or a line of people with plates at Thanksgiving.
Cooks requiring more space might want to use two islands in their kitchens. Keep in mind that this example is in addition to the standard stove in most kitchens.
Are Specialty Stoves The Same Dimensions As Ordinary Cooking Stoves?
That depends on the size of the cabinets. For example, a slide-in stove will rest flush against the wall with no backsplash, as well as the countertop with no space for food to fall between surfaces. Since the dimensions of ordinary cabinet cutouts are 34.25 inches wide, 24 deep, and 36 inches tall, the dimensions of the slide-in stove’s 30 inches wide by 26 inches deep and 36 inches tall are just right.
Another example of a specialty stove is the downdraft range. This is a cooktop with several eyes and a grill. It’s usually vented with a filter that cleans the vapors from cooking and recirculates them in the kitchen. Other downdraft stoves vent directly to the outside through vents directed into ducts beneath the floor.
Downdraft stoves require a professional to install and vent the stove. There is a specific amount of area for the downdraft to occupy (60 feet) as well as using the minimum number of elbows in order to provide efficient cooking. Jenn Aire is the only company I know of that makes downdraft ranges, so check on their webpage to learn more about it.
Since downdraft stoves range from normal to professional, cooks might want to have a professional match the cabinet dimensions to the downdraft range’s dimensions so everything fits nicely.
Stove Dimensions FAQs
Will A 30 Inch Stove Fit Into A 30 Inch Space?
Yes. Stoves are actually 29 7/8 inches, leaving a couple of 8ths of an inch for the appliance to fit between the cabinet cutouts. It’ll be a tight fit, but it’ll fit.
How Much Space Should Be On Each Side Of The Stove?
If you measure the space into which to place a freestanding stove, measure left to right. Standard cutouts are 30 inches, with standard stoves measuring 29 7/8 inches. This leaves a small gap to prevent the wood of the cabinets from becoming too hot from the oven.
How Deep Is A Cooktop?
Cooktops are designed to be flush with the edge of the countertop. Most counters are 24 inches deep, so cooktops range from 19 to 22 inches. They’re usually 2 ½ to 4 inches tall.
What Is A Drop-In Cooktop?
A drop-in range is specifically designed for custom cabinetry. It consists of the top and oven but has no bottom. No warming drawer or drawer for pots and pans. A drop-in cooktop is generally found on islands and matches the surrounding cabinetry. These are found in kitchens with one or more wall ovens.
Is There A Difference Between Slide In Stoves And Drop In Stoves?
Absolutely. Slide-in stoves have all the ovens and bottom or warming drawers of a standard stove. Drop-in stoves have no bottom at all, which means they hang on the edges of the countertops with no other means of support. You’ll need a special cabinet or drawer somewhere in the kitchen for the pots and pans.
What Size Stove Should I Buy?
That depends on how big the family is for which you’re cooking. As I said above, cooks who can food or cook for large family gatherings and holidays could use all the help they can get. Most of these cooks go with the 36-inch to the 48-inch wide kitchen stove.
Does The Depth Of The Stove Include The Oven Handle?
No. The manufacturer will include in the specifications the depth of the stove without the oven handle along with the depth including the oven handle.
What Are Flat-Topped Stoves Called?
Ceramic cooktops are sometimes made of glass and heat food by induction. I had a Jenn Aire ceramic cooktop, and I loved it. Even if you put your hand (or worse, a child’s hand) directly on the burner or eye, you wouldn’t burn your hand. My kids were small at the time, and the cooktop was a blessing. These cooktops become more efficient and advanced as time goes on.
What Sizes Of Cooktops Are Available?
The size of the cooktop generally matches the size of the cabinets (or, in the case of an island, the size of the island.) Cooktops range from 15 to 24 inches and go as wide as 45 to 48 inches. Did you know the term range comes from the earliest days of cooking when stoves ranged from one or two burners and one or two ovens with a warming space?
