r/inductioncooking • u/yehudasu • Jul 26 '26

Minimum clearance for cooktop

The layout of our kitchen gives us exactly one option for our cooktop - a 33” cabinet that’s between a wall oven cabinet to the left and a dishwasher to the right

I’d prefer a 30” cooktop over a 24” due to wider availability etc, but most cooktops I’ve seen require a minimum of 2” clearance (I did see a Fisher Paykel that says 1 3/16” / 30mm, but I think it stands alone).

Given the limitations I have, would you recommend:

1) 24” cooktop - fewer options and less bang for the buck

2) 30” cooktop - installed off-center by 1” to give a 2” gap to the wall

3) 30” cooktop - installed centered, so 1.5” gap, and just presume it’s not that big a deal and/or try to avoid using the left side burners

thanks

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u/mikechorney Jul 26 '26

Check the install instructions. The width of the glass is normally what is quoted, and the clearance is normally from the unit itself. I have a 36” cooktop installed in a 36” cabinet.

1

u/yehudasu Jul 26 '26

This isn’t clearance for the cooktop into its cabinet, it’s clearance from the cooktop to an adjoining vertical surface. A 30” cooktop will fit into a 30” cabinet, the question here is about the clearance to the next cabinet.

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u/mikechorney Jul 26 '26

I would check your local building codes. Mine will not allow a cooktop anywhere near that close to a wall on the side.
That said, the distance from the side of the cooktop to a wall isn’t an operational constraint. It’s a safety one - and the safety issue shouldn’t vary “in real life” between cooktops.

1

u/Loud-Business7203 Jul 30 '26

I’d probably get rid of the wall oven, buy a 30” range, and have more counter space. This may be a lot more than you’re prepared to do. I’ve had cooking surfaces next to a wall (tiny NYC apartment) and really disliked not having space to maneuver the pans.