Best 36-Inch Ranges

The best 36-inch range is the one whose burner layout, oven, and fuel match how you cook. At this width you choose between six burners or four plus a griddle, a gas or electric oven, and gas or induction on top, and the lines we carry each make those choices differently. The sections below compare what Wolf, BlueStar, Thermador, Viking, Hestan, Bertazzoni, ZLINE, and SKS ranges offer, using each maker's published figures.

Width is the first decision

A range's width sets the cabinet run around it, the hood above it, and the opening your cabinet maker builds. Change the width later and the drawings change with it. Pick the width with your cabinet plan, then pick the range.

At 36 inches a pro-style range starts giving you layout choices. Wolf builds its 36-inch gas range with six burners or with four burners plus a griddle or charbroiler, and most lines in this guide offer a similar split. You also get a full-width oven. Go wider and you start adding second ovens and bigger griddles, which we cover in moving up to a 48-inch range.

This guide compares 36-inch ranges from the lines we carry on design choices each maker publishes. It does not rank them on lab tests or reliability, because no maker publishes data we could compare fairly. The right range here is the one that fits how you cook.

What 36 inches buys on top

Six burners. The standard layout. Wolf's 36-inch gas range lists one 9,200 BTU burner and five at 15,000. Its 36-inch dual fuel range spreads the heat wider: 9,200, two at 15,000, two at 18,000, and one at 20,000 BTU.

Four burners and a griddle or charbroiler. Wolf offers both at 36 inches, and its 36-inch dual fuel range with an infrared charbroiler lists the charbroiler at 16,000 BTU. BlueStar sells 36-inch ranges with a 12-inch griddle or charbroiler. Thermador offers a removable cast-aluminum griddle and an optional grill accessory. Hestan's 36-inch dual fuel range comes as five burners or four burners with a 15,000 BTU griddle. Bertazzoni's 36-inch Professional dual fuel range includes a removable cast-iron griddle. SKS ranges offer a chromium griddle on the four-burner 36-inch gas and dual fuel ranges.

If you cook pancakes on Sunday and stock on Monday, the griddle layout works. If every meal uses four pans at once, keep six burners and buy a griddle pan.

Gas burners: how each maker builds the flame

Burner design is where these ranges differ most.

• Wolf uses dual-stacked sealed burners. On the 36-inch dual fuel range they run from 20,000 BTU down to 300 BTU for a true simmer, and spark ignition relights a burner that goes out.
• BlueStar builds two styles. The Nova (RNB) series uses open burners rated at 22,000 BTU with a 130-degree simmer burner rated at 1,300 BTU. The Platinum series uses star-shaped X-8 sealed burners at 25,000 BTU in front, 18,000 in back, and a 500 BTU setting on every burner.
• Thermador uses its Star burner, which it says gives 56 percent more coverage than ordinary burners. The 36-inch Pro Grand gas range has four ExtraLow burners; Thermador says ExtraLow simmers delicate sauces or keeps food warm without scorching or stirring. The 36-inch Pro Harmony range has two. Thermador lists 22,000 BTU on the 36-inch Pro Grand and 18,000 BTU on the 36-inch Pro Harmony.
• Viking 7 Series ranges use Elevation burners with brass flame ports, rated 23,000 BTU across the front, with a VariSimmer setting on every burner.
• Hestan puts a 30,000 BTU CircuFlame burner in the center of its five-burner 36-inch range, with 23,000 BTU front burners and a 500 BTU simmer on all burners.
• Bertazzoni fits its 36-inch Professional range with six brass burners, including two dual-ring burners at 19,000 BTU and a 750 BTU simmer.
• ZLINE uses six Italian brass burners on its 36-inch dual fuel range, from 1,000 to 18,000 BTU.
• SKS pro ranges pair high and low burners. The 36-inch SKS gas professional range with six burners (SKSGR360S) lists six sealed burners, including two Ultra-High brass burners at 23,000 BTU and two Ultra-Low brass burners for a precise simmer, plus a built-in wok grate.

Open burners, like BlueStar's Nova, leave the flame exposed under the grate, which many wok cooks like. Sealed burners keep spills out of the burner bowl and clean up with less disassembly. Choose by what you cook and how you clean.

The oven at 36 inches

Read the spec sheet carefully here. Some makers list overall capacity and some list usable capacity, and those numbers are not the same. Wolf lists both: its 36-inch dual fuel oven is 6.3 cubic feet overall and 4.1 usable, and its 36-inch gas oven is 5.5 overall and 3.7 usable.

Other published figures: Thermador lists 5.7 cubic feet for the 36-inch Pro Grand dual fuel oven and 4.9 for Pro Harmony dual fuel. Hestan lists 5.8 cubic feet for its 36-inch dual fuel oven. Viking lists 5.6 for its 36-inch 7 Series dual fuel range. ZLINE lists 4.6 cubic feet on its 36-inch dual fuel range and says it fits pans up to 27 inches wide. SKS ranges include a 36-inch dual fuel model with a griddle (SKSDR360GS) that lists a 6.3 cubic foot steam-combi convection oven, which adds steam to convection heat. BlueStar says its 36-inch Nova, Platinum, and dual fuel ovens fit a commercial 18 by 26-inch baking sheet, which matters if you bake in batches.

Convection systems differ by name and design. Wolf uses Dual VertiFlow on dual fuel and induction ranges, with 10 cooking modes and Gourmet Mode presets. Hestan uses PureVection. Viking's 5 Series uses TruConvec, which heats from a rear element and fan. Bertazzoni lists dual convection fans and an air fry mode.

Gas, dual fuel, or induction at this width

All gas keeps a gas oven and runs on a 120-volt circuit for ignition and lights. Wolf's 36-inch gas oven adds an 18,000 BTU infrared broiler.

Dual fuel pairs gas burners with an electric oven. It needs both a gas line and a 240-volt circuit: Wolf lists 30 amps for its single-oven dual fuel ranges, and BlueStar and Hestan list 40 amps for their 36-inch models.

Induction puts the whole range on a 240-volt circuit, often a larger one: Wolf lists 50 amps for its 36-inch induction range against 30 for its dual fuel. Wolf's 36-inch transitional induction range has five zones, four at 2,100 watts and one 11-inch zone at 2,600, each with a 3,700-watt boost, plus a Bridge function that joins two zones for a griddle. BlueStar's 36-inch Platinum induction lists a 7,400-watt left bridge zone and also fits an 18 by 26-inch sheet. Thermador's 36-inch Pro Harmony Liberty induction range has three extra-large flexible cooking zones. The 36-inch SKS induction professional range (SKSIR360IS) lists a 7,000-watt center element and two flex cooking zones. Bertazzoni, ZLINE, Viking, and Hestan all build 36-inch induction ranges too. For the fuel decision itself, see how induction compares with gas.

Whatever the fuel, plan the hood with the range. Wolf suggests 800 CFM for its 36-inch ranges. Our gas pressure, spacing, and hood planning checklist covers gas pressure, cabinet spacing, anti-tip brackets, and make-up air.

Which 36-inch range fits which cook

• You sear, stir-fry, and boil big pots. Look at the high-output burners: Hestan's 30,000 BTU center burner, BlueStar Platinum's 25,000 BTU front burners, Viking 7 Series and SKS Ultra-High burners at 23,000, or Thermador Pro Grand's 22,000 BTU burner.
• You cook with a wok or like an open flame. Look at BlueStar's Nova series, the open-burner design in this group, or the built-in wok grate on SKS gas ranges.
• You simmer sauces and melt chocolate often. Wolf's 300 BTU low end, Thermador's ExtraLow, and the 500 BTU settings on Hestan and BlueStar Platinum all target low, steady heat.
• You bake in batches. Choose dual fuel, then compare usable oven space. BlueStar's commercial sheet fit is worth a look.
• You want color. BlueStar offers more than 1,000 colors and finishes, Viking's 5 Series offers 18, and Hestan offers 12.
• You want a griddle every day. Pick a four-burner layout with a griddle from Wolf, BlueStar, Thermador, Hestan, or an SKS range, or Bertazzoni's included cast-iron griddle.
• You want induction with a pro look. Compare Wolf, BlueStar Platinum, and Thermador first, then check the circuit your panel can supply.

The Wolf vs Viking guide goes deeper on two of these lines.

Questions to ask in the showroom

• Is the oven figure on this spec sheet overall or usable capacity?
• What is the highest and lowest burner output on this exact model?
• Is the griddle or charbroiler built in, or an accessory?
• What circuit does this range need, and can my panel supply it?
• What hood width and CFM does the maker suggest for it?
• Is it set for natural gas or propane, and how is a conversion handled?
• Which finishes and knob colors are available for this model?

Comparing 36-inch ranges near Sacramento

Bring your cabinet plan, the width of the opening, and a note of the gas and electrical service you have to the Roseville showroom. We can pull the spec sheets for the pro ranges on our line card that you're considering and line them up side by side before you order. If you're shopping for a range in the Sacramento area, that page is a good place to start.