What Chimney Size and Suction Does a Bengaluru Flat Need?

Last Updated: August 2026 | Reading time: about 8 minutes

The Four Numbers That Decide a Kitchen Chimney: Width, Suction, Height, Duct

Kitchen chimney (ducted hood)

A hood above the hob that draws cooking fumes through a grease filter and discharges them outdoors through a rigid duct. Indian widths are 60 cm, 75 cm and 90 cm, rated 700 to 1,800 m3/hr. Faber India listing prices in August 2026 run from Rs. 6,599 to Rs. 26,550 for the Gen-i S series; fitted Bengaluru installations run Rs. 22,000 to Rs. 48,000 for a 90 cm auto-clean unit.

• Hood width must equal or exceed hob width. A 90 cm hood over a 60 cm hob gives roughly 15 cm of overhang each side.
• For regular Indian frying in a Bengaluru flat, 1,200 to 1,400 m3/hr is the sensible floor.
• Mount it 24 to 30 inches above the hob, 26 to 28 for a high flame, with 2 to 3 inches of cabinet clearance.
• Duct diameter follows the hood: 150 mm for 60 cm, 200 mm for high-capacity 90 cm.
• Each 90 degree bend costs 2 to 3 metres of straight duct; a 3 metre run with two bends sheds 30 to 40 percent of rated suction.
• Faber's 1500 m3/hr band starts at Rs. 12,990, below the Rs. 14,080 entry of the 1250 to 1350 band.

Hood Width Follows Hob Width: 60 cm, 75 cm or 90 cm

Pick the hood width from the hob, then check it against the overhead cabinet run. A 60 cm hood suits a hob up to 60 cm and fits the closed galley kitchens common in Bengaluru two bedroom flats. A 90 cm hood belongs over a 75 to 90 cm hob and suits open plan and island layouts.

Overhang matters more than the brochures admit. A 90 cm hood over a 60 cm hob extends roughly 15 cm past each edge, catching vapour that rolls sideways off a kadai. It also changes the cabinetry: cutting a wider gap in the overhead run after the shutters are pressed is a rework charge.

The 75 cm width is under-used. Faber lists 75 cm models at 1,500 m3/hr from Rs. 14,590, cheaper than several of its own 60 cm units, so a 60 cm hob with 80 cm of clear run gets real overhang for very little.

What Suction Rating a Bengaluru Kitchen Actually Needs in m3/hr

The rating on the box is a free-air figure, measured with nothing attached to the outlet. What you live with is whatever survives the duct, which is why a 1,200 m3/hr hood on a short clean duct beats a 1,600 m3/hr hood on a long crooked one.

The practical bands are simple. A closed kitchen with light cooking is served by 1,000 to 1,200 m3/hr. Daily Indian cooking with frying and tempering wants 1,200 to 1,400 m3/hr. A 90 cm hob, an open kitchen, or a household that fries often should sit at 1,400 to 1,600 m3/hr. Do not drop to 700 to 900 m3/hr just because the kitchen is small.

Read that table twice. The 1500 m3/hr band opens at Rs. 12,990 while the weaker 1250 to 1350 band opens at Rs. 14,080, because discounting sits on the popular models. Stepping up a band need not cost more.

Filter choice is a maintenance decision, not a budget one: a 60 cm 1500 m3/hr Faber baffle model runs Rs. 14,550 against Rs. 12,990 filterless, and Rs. 16,950 against Rs. 15,290 at 90 cm. Our published Bengaluru range for a 90 cm filterless auto-clean unit is Rs. 22,000 to Rs. 48,000, with slim profiles from about Rs. 28,000 and downdraft units from about Rs. 62,000.

Mounting Height and Clearance: 24 to 30 Inches Above the Hob

Glen India puts the hood 24 to 30 inches above the gas stove, narrowing to 26 to 28 inches where the flame is strong and the oil heavy, which describes most Bengaluru kitchens. Keep 2 to 3 inches of clearance from the cabinets either side, for airflow and filter access. One consequence people miss: a tall cook will hit their head on a 90 cm bell profile at 24 inches, a real reason to pick a slim or straight-line hood.

Three placement rules belong in the drawing. Centre the hood on the hob, not on the wall or cabinet module, because those centrelines are rarely the same. In a parallel kitchen put it over the main cooking counter; in an L-shape, over the longer leg. Give it a dedicated 15 ampere earthed socket behind the chimney body.

Where the Duct Terminates in a Bengaluru Apartment

Appliance brochures skip this, and it decides whether your kitchen smells of last night's fish. A ducted hood must discharge outdoors, and a Bengaluru flat offers three legitimate endpoints.

The commonest is the builder-provided kitchen exhaust shaft. Confirm it is genuinely that and not a small toilet ventilator, because the two look alike from a utility balcony. The second is an outlet through an external wall into an open setback or balcony, available only if it is in the approved plan and your association permits penetrating the facade. The third is a common exhaust riser terminating above the roof, which newer towers provide and older ones do not. Whichever route you take, finish it with an exterior cowl or non-return flap.

Four terminations are wrong and I see all four. Do not end the duct in the false ceiling, in a cabinet, or in an enclosed utility room. And do not tie it into a bathroom shaft unless the builder states in writing that it is an approved shared kitchen exhaust route. Bengaluru building regulations provide dedicated ventilation shafts precisely so these services do not share a duct. Settle this with your association before the drilling machine arrives.

If none exists, a ductless recirculating hood is the honest fallback: charcoal filtration returns air to the room, removing grease and some odour but not heat or moisture.

Every 90 Degree Bend Costs 2 to 3 Metres of Straight Duct

Here is the arithmetic that ought to be printed on every chimney carton. Each 90 degree elbow imposes a pressure loss roughly equivalent to 2 to 3 metres of straight pipe, costing 15 to 25 percent of extraction efficiency. A hood on 3 metres of duct with two bends and a roof exit loses 30 to 40 percent of its rated free-air suction.

That gives four rules to hand your installer in writing, before the cabinetry drawing is frozen. Keep the run under 3 to 3.6 metres, or 10 to 12 feet. Hold it to two 90 degree elbows, three at the limit, and prefer two 45 degree bends over one sharp 90. Use rigid circular aluminium pipe at the manufacturer's diameter, because circular section produces less turbulence, and never step it down. Seal every joint with aluminium tape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Limitations and Sources

Prices here are Faber India listing prices captured in August 2026 and move with offers and stock, so treat them as an anchor, not a quotation. Suction bands are guidance, not standards; no Indian standard mandates an m3/hr figure for domestic kitchens. Duct loss figures are rules of thumb. Shaft availability differs building by building, so verify with your builder first.

Sources used for this guide:

• Glen Appliances, chimney installation height and duct sizing, 24 November 2025.
• Faber India, 1500 m3/hr kitchen chimney listing, accessed August 2026.
• Faber India, importance of kitchen chimney suction power.
• Beyond Appliances, chimney duct bends and their impact on suction.

Final Word

A kitchen chimney is the one appliance whose performance is decided by the designer rather than the manufacturer. Get the four numbers right in the drawing, hood width matched to the hob, suction sized to how you cook, height at 24 to 30 inches and duct at the specified diameter on the shortest route the building allows, and a Rs. 15,000 hood will outperform a Rs. 40,000 one fitted badly.

To have the duct route resolved before the shutters are cut, visit our studio at 2nd Floor, Sapthagiri Complex, 265/1, Kaggadasapura Main Road, Vignan Nagar, Bengaluru 560075. Call or WhatsApp +91 94499 00222, or write to [email protected]. We work across Marathahalli, Whitefield, HSR Layout, Sarjapur Road, Indiranagar, Koramangala, JP Nagar, Bellandur, Hebbal, Yelahanka, Electronic City and Bommanahalli.

Related: what a modular kitchen quote leaves out, our HSR Layout kitchen cost breakdown, and the JP Nagar shutter and hardware comparison.