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Chimney hood buying guide

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are replacing a wall hood in a UK kitchen, and the listing mixes two airflow figures with a box list that may leave out the carbon filter. This chimney hood buying guide keeps one order: width against the hob, then whether the air leaves the building, then a number you can read, then noise and the carton. The [chimney hood comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/chimney-hood) holds the twelve amazon.co.uk listings checked on 19 October 2026. Peter F. read those listings and Approved Document F. We did not measure airflow in a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are replacing a wall hood in a UK kitchen, and the listing mixes two airflow figures with a box list that may leave out the carbon filter.

Our top picks

CIARRA CIARRA CBCS6201 60 cm

Best overall

CIARRA CIARRA CBCS6201 60 cm
8.3/10about £79.99
View offer
COMFEE' COMFEE' KWH-PYRA17B-60

Rank 2

COMFEE' COMFEE' KWH-PYRA17B-60
8.5/10about £49.99
View offer
FIREGAS FIREGAS FGS-EBV40Z460CC

Best value

FIREGAS FIREGAS FGS-EBV40Z460CC
7.0/10about £75.67
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Match the hood to the hob
  2. 2.Decide if the air leaves the room
  3. 3.Read airflow and noise without mixing units
  4. 4.Open the box list

Match the hood to the hob

The hood has to cover the hob you already own. Approved Document F, Diagram 1.1, asks an outside-extract hood to span at least the full width of the cooker. Measure the hob, the clear gap between the wall units, and the distance up to the ceiling before you care about a brand. Most of this set is 60 cm. Two CIARRA listings are 90 cm. A hob of 70 cm, 80 cm, or 90 cm needs a hood at least that wide, and this basket has no 70 cm or 80 cm model. If the hob is 90 cm, settle that on 60 cm or 90 cm cooker hood before you compare fan figures.

Decide if the air leaves the room

A ducted hood sends cooking air outside. A recirculating hood passes it through a carbon filter and blows it back into the kitchen. Moisture and heat come back with the air. Approved Document F is the English document for new work, not a review score. Table 1.1 sets 30 litres a second when the hood extracts outside, and 60 litres a second for the kitchen when it does not. Diagram 1.2 says a recirculating hood on its own does not comply. Thirty litres a second is 108 cubic metres an hour. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are outside this English table. On 19 October 2026 the shelf prices sat in three bands: about £50–£70, about £70–£120, and the AEG DKB5660HM at £272. The choice of path is on ducted or recirculating cooker hood.
CIARRA CIARRA CBCS6201 60 cm

Testsieger

CIARRA CIARRA CBCS6201 60 cm
8.3/10about £79.99
View offer

Read airflow and noise without mixing units

Use the figure that names its speed. The AEG DKB5660HM prints 779 m³/h on intensive and 175–352 m³/h on the normal settings. The CIARRA CBCS9102 prints 709 m³/h and 650 m³/h. The CIARRA CBCS6201 prints 404 m³/h in the title and 370 m³/h in the specification. Carry 370 until a manual says the title figure is a named boost. The CIARRA CBCS6765C mixes cubic metres an hour with cubic feet a minute. An energy letter such as A++ is not a stronger extract. The black COMFEE' KWH-PYRA17B-60 prints 67 dB beside 400 m³/h at £49.99. The FIREGAS page prints 47 dB and 332 m³/h. That lower figure is a printed claim, not a silent kitchen.

Open the box list

Carbon filters are in the box for the CIARRA CBCS6201, the black CBCB6201, the CBCS9102, the CBCS6765C, the FIREGAS, and the COMFEE' KWH-CH60A17EM12S2-UK. They are separate for the CAS9201A, the CAS6201A (filter code CBCF002X2), and three COMFEE' hoods: the stainless KWH-PYRA17SS-60, which often needs a CF04, the black KWH-PYRA17B-60, and the angled KWH-ANGJ64B-60. The AEG ventilation field says Exhaust. Several CIARRA boxes and the FIREGAS include a 1.5 m pipe and state a UK plug. A reviewer of the AEG said the 150 mm pipe was not in the carton. UK mains are 230 V. Many of these pages say 220 V. If both manuals are silent and the hood ducts outside, Approved Document F’s fallback is 650–750 mm. The shortlist, after width and mode, is best chimney cooker hood.

Common questions

How wide should the hood be compared with the hob?
At least as wide as the hob, and wider only if the gap between the units allows it. A 60 cm hood suits a 60 cm hob. A 90 cm hob needs 90 cm or more. This set has no 70 cm or 80 cm hood. Homebuilding’s 900 mm suggestion for a hob up to 750 mm is their guidance on induction vapour, not a legal width.
Is ducted better than recirculating?
Ducted is the better way to remove steam, because the air leaves the building. Recirculation can reduce some odour and sends moisture and heat back into the room. If you cannot drill an outside wall, fit the correct carbon filter and still plan another extract. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland use their own standards, not this English table.
What airflow number do I trust when the title and the table disagree?
Trust the line that names the speed, and keep both numbers. On the CIARRA CBCS6201 the title says 404 m³/h and the specification says 370 m³/h. Both are printed. Use 370 until the manual calls 404 a boost. On the AEG DKB5660HM, 779 m³/h is intensive and 175–352 m³/h is the normal band. The CBCS6765C mixes cubic metres an hour with cubic feet a minute.
Will the box include carbon filters and a UK plug?
Sometimes. A UK plug and a 1.5 m pipe are stated for several CIARRA boxes and the FIREGAS. The AEG listing is not one of those confirmations: a reviewer said the 150 mm pipe was missing. The CAS models and the COMFEE' pyramid and angled hoods list the carbon filter as a separate buy, including CF04 on the stainless pyramid.
What is a rule of thumb, and what is Approved Document F?
Approved Document F is the English building-regulation guidance. For a kitchen it states 30 litres a second to outside, or 60 litres a second by other means, and it says a recirculating hood alone does not comply. A rule of thumb is a publisher’s method, such as Homebuilding’s six to twelve air changes, or a retailer’s 650 mm or 750 mm height. Use the hood manual and the hob manual first.

Related pages

How to install a chimney cooker hood

Chimney hood

60 cm or 90 cm cooker hood: cover the hob, not the fan

Best chimney cooker hood: who it suits and who skips

Ducted or recirculating cooker hood for UK kitchens

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 19 October 2026.

  1. Approved Document F, Volume 1, 2021 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Approved Document F, 2026 edition (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK ventilation collection (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Homebuilding, cooker hoods (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Hotpoint UK, hood height FAQ (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Fisher & Paykel GB/IE hood guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for this set (retrieved 19 October 2026)