What Size Range Cooker? Real Widths, Gaps and Clearances

What size range cooker you need is decided by two things, in this order: the gap your kitchen can give up, and the cooking you actually do. Most buyers start with the second and end up redesigning the first. The mainstream widths in Britain are 90cm, 100cm and 110cm, and the jump between them is not only 10cm of hob. It is the difference between one main oven and two, and between keeping your existing base units and losing one.

This page works through the widths with real measurements, the cabinet arithmetic that tells you which one your run can take, the clearances the manufacturers actually specify, and the honest case for each size. If you would rather answer a few questions about your household and get a recommendation, our range cooker size tool does that and checks it against your measured gap.

The nominal size is not the real width

The number in a range cooker’s name is a label, not a measurement. Rangemaster’s own specification sheets for its Professional+ range show it clearly:

So a “100” is a few millimetres under a metre and a “110” is 8mm under 1100mm. That slack is deliberate. The cooker slides into a gap of the nominal size with a few millimetres either side, which is what our range cooker buying guide means by cutting the gap about 5mm wider than the cooker. Other brands differ by a few millimetres, so always take the width from the specification of the exact model you are buying, not from the name.

Depth catches people too. The carcass is around 600mm, which lines up with a standard worktop, but the handles and rail add about 40mm, so a range stands proud of the cupboard doors either side. That is normal and part of the look, but in a narrow galley it eats into the walkway.

The cabinet maths: which width your run can take

Most British kitchens were planned around a 600mm cooker space. UK base units come in a ladder of standard widths, 300, 400, 500, 600, 800 and 1000mm, as set out in our kitchen cabinet sizes guide. Moving to a range cooker means giving up the 600mm cooker space plus whatever unit sits next to it:

If your cooker currently sits next to a 300mm tray unit, a 90cm range is a straight swap and the rest of the kitchen stays. If the neighbour is a 500mm drawer pack, a 110 fits without the fitter touching anything else. If the neighbour is a 600mm unit, none of them fits cleanly, and you are into a filler panel, a replacement unit or a worktop join that shifts.

Measure the gap at the back wall, in the middle and at the front edge, because walls are rarely square and runs of units drift. Work from the smallest of the three figures.

Height is the other half of the fit. Standard British worktops finish at roughly 890 to 910mm once the plinth, 720mm carcass and worktop are added together. Rangemaster’s Professional+ adjusts from 905 to 930mm to the hotplate, so it sits level with or just above a normal worktop. A kitchen with an unusually low worktop, or a thick stone top on raised legs, can fall outside that range; check before you order.

Clearances the manufacturer specifies

Clearances decide where in the kitchen a range cooker can go, not just whether it fits the gap. Rangemaster’s installation instructions for its Professional+ FX 90 Dual Fuel set these minimums:

• Above the hob: at least 650mm between the top of the hob and any horizontal combustible surface, such as the underside of a wall cupboard or a shelf. A cooker hood follows its own manufacturer’s instructions instead.
• Beside the hob: where the cooker goes into a recess, 75mm clearance above hob level to the side, up to a height of 410mm. That can drop to 25mm if the side wall is non-combustible, such as tiles on masonry.
• Floor: the cooker should not be placed on a base or plinth.

The side rule is the one that shapes layouts. A range pushed into a corner against a plastered wall, or tucked next to a tall larder unit, needs that gap above hob level. Rangemaster also warns that some vinyl-wrapped and laminate kitchen doors discolour or delaminate near a cooker, which is a good reason to put a solid-faced unit beside it. The figures above come from the Professional+ FX 90 installation instructions; other models and brands differ, so read the guide for yours before the kitchen is designed, not on delivery day.

A hood should be at least as wide as the hob beneath it, so a 110cm range normally takes a 110cm or 120cm hood, and a chimney hood for a 90 will not suit a bigger cooker later. Our cooker hood buying guide covers extraction rates and mounting heights.

What the extra width actually buys you

The biggest misunderstanding is that a wider range cooker means a bigger oven. Mostly it does not. It means more ovens. Leisure’s range, a typical mainstream line-up, shows the pattern:

• 90cm: the main oven with a tall fan oven and a grill, and five burners.
• 100cm: two to three large ovens with a grill, and up to seven burners.
• 110cm: three ovens with a grill, and up to seven burners.

On a 90 the layout is usually a main oven beside a tall, narrow oven, with the grill in a compartment above one of them. That tall oven is the format’s hidden strength, taking several shelves for batch baking. On a 100 or 110 the right-hand side becomes a second full-width oven, often with a separate grill compartment above, which is what lets you roast at one temperature and bake at another without juggling. Rangemaster’s 110 also moves up to six hob zones.

If you rarely use two ovens at once, the 100 and 110 buy you storage and presence rather than cooking you will notice. If you cook Sunday lunch for eight, bake in batches or entertain often, the second full-width oven is the single most useful thing money can buy in a range.

Which width suits which kitchen

90cm: the default for most British homes. It replaces a 600mm cooker space and a 300mm unit, fits a standard kitchen without redesign, and gives a family of four more cooking capacity than they will use on most days. It is also the width with the widest choice of models and finishes, which our best 90cm range cookers page works through.

100cm: the in-between that makes sense on one condition. It is the right choice when the kitchen already has a 1000mm gap, or a 400mm unit beside the cooker space, and you want the second full-width oven. Choice is narrower than at 90 and 110. See the best 100cm range cookers.

110cm: for big kitchens and big cooks. It needs a 1100mm gap, a proper run of worktop either side to stop it dominating the room, and a hood to match. In a farmhouse kitchen with an island it looks right; in a 2.4m galley it looks like a range cooker with a kitchen attached. Our best 110cm range cookers compares the main models.

120cm and wider: specialist territory. Smeg’s Victoria and Portofino families run to 120cm, and makers such as Lacanche build ranges more than two metres wide. These need a kitchen designed around the cooker, and often a heavier-duty gas supply and a bespoke hood.

60cm “mini” ranges: Rangemaster and Leisure both make 60cm cookers styled as ranges. They drop into an existing 600mm cooker space and give the look with two ovens, but not the capacity. For a small flat or a cottage with no spare run, they are the honest answer.

A quick way to decide

1. Measure the existing cooker gap and the unit beside it. That tells you whether 90, 100 or 110 is a straight swap.
2. Count how often you need two ovens at different temperatures. Weekly means 100 or 110; a few times a year means a 90.
3. Check the wall above and beside the cooker against the 650mm and 75mm clearances.
4. Leave at least a worktop’s depth of landing space on each side of the hob so pans have somewhere to go.
5. Measure the route in. A range cooker arrives in one piece, and a tight hallway turn stops a 110 before the kitchen does.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular size of range cooker in the UK? The 90cm. It is the smallest mainstream range width, it replaces a standard 600mm cooker space plus a 300mm unit, and it has the widest choice of models, fuels and colours.

How much gap do I need for a 110cm range cooker? An 1100mm gap. The Rangemaster Professional+ 110 is actually 1092mm wide, so a 1100mm gap leaves a few millimetres each side to slide it in and level it. Check the exact width of the model you choose, because it varies by brand.

Can I put a range cooker next to a wall or a tall unit? Yes, with clearance. Rangemaster’s instructions ask for 75mm to the side above hob level, up to a height of 410mm, reduced to 25mm if the side wall is non-combustible. Below hob level the cooker can sit close to the adjacent units.

How high should a range cooker be? Level with the worktop. A standard UK worktop finishes at roughly 890 to 910mm, and a Rangemaster Professional+ adjusts from 905 to 930mm to the hotplate using its levelling legs. Check your worktop height against the model’s range before ordering.

Is a 110cm range cooker worth it over a 90cm? Only if you use two ovens at once. The extra width mainly buys a second full-width oven and an extra hob zone rather than a bigger main oven. For regular entertaining and batch cooking it is worth it; for most families of four, a 90cm does the job.

How far above a range cooker should wall cupboards be? At least 650mm above the top of the hob to any horizontal combustible surface, according to Rangemaster’s installation instructions. A cooker hood is fitted at the height its own manufacturer specifies.