Under cabinet hood widths
The widths here are 30, 36, 42, 48 and 60 inches, and they exist because kitchen cabinets do. A hood in this category slots into the run where a wall cabinet would otherwise be, so it has to match that opening, not merely suit the cooktop.
That makes the decision simpler and narrower at the same time. If the run has a 30 inch gap, the hood is 30 inches, and the question of whether a wider canopy would capture better does not arise unless the joinery is being changed as well.
Venting up or back
The hood exhausts either upward through the cabinet above it or backward through the wall behind. Many models allow both, with the direction chosen during installation, so the question is usually what the building allows, not what the hood permits.
An upward duct runs through the cabinet, which usually means losing its shelf and part of its depth to a duct enclosure. A rear exit leaves the cabinet intact but requires the wall behind to take the duct. Neither is difficult, but they are different jobs, and which route the kitchen will use has to be settled before the cabinets are ordered.
Canopy height and capture
An under cabinet hood sits where the cabinet was, which is lower and shallower than a wall canopy hanging in open air. There is less volume above the cooktop for rising air to gather in before it is drawn away.
What compensates is the cabinetry itself: the run of cabinets on either side and the wall behind form a partial enclosure that holds the plume in place. It is the opposite situation from an island, where the air is open on every side.
Under cabinet hood finishes
Most of this category is stainless steel, with a small number in copper and the occasional wood fronted hood. That reflects what the category is: a component within a run of cabinets, not a feature in the room.
Only the front edge and the underside are really seen, and the underside is what gets looked at closely, since it holds the filters and the lights and it is at eye level for anyone standing at the cooktop.
Controls at the front edge
Because the controls sit at the front edge, within easy reach and directly above a hot cooktop, they are used more casually on this type than on any other. Push buttons, rockers and touch panels all appear, and the difference between them is more noticeable here than it would be on a hood mounted higher.
The same applies to the lighting, which on an under cabinet hood is the main task light over the cooktop, not a supplement to it. The range hoods overview covers filters and lighting across the types.
Wall hoods and inserts
If the wall cabinets are being removed above the cooktop, a wall range hood becomes possible and brings more canopy volume with it. If the cooking is moving to an island, the island range hoods page covers that.
And if the intention is for the hood not to be visible at all, an insert built into custom joinery is the type designed for it.
