Baking steel size – what fits your home oven
Leave 1.5–2cm clearance on every side for air to circulate. Why a thicker steel holds heat better but takes twice as long to heat through.
Quick answer: Measure your oven’s interior and choose a steel that leaves at least 1.5–2 cm of clearance to the walls on every side, so hot air can circulate. A thicker steel (8–10 mm) stores more heat and recovers better between pizzas, but also takes considerably longer to heat up — often 45–60 minutes versus 30 for a thinner steel.
Measure the oven, not the pizza
The most common mistake is choosing a steel to match the pizza size you want and forgetting the oven’s actual dimensions. A steel that touches the oven’s back wall or almost touches the door blocks the heat from circulating freely around it, which can give a less even bake than a slightly smaller steel placed in the middle of the oven cavity. Measure the width and depth of the shelf position you plan to use, subtract a couple of centimetres of clearance on each side, and that’s the maximum size you should be looking for.
Thickness: heat mass versus heating time
A thicker steel holds more heat and loses less temperature when a cold, moist dough is placed on it — most noticeable if you bake several pizzas in a row. The price is heating time: roughly double the thickness takes roughly double the time to reach an even temperature all the way through, because the heat has to travel further before the surface is stable. 6 mm is a reasonable middle ground for baking a single evening, while 10 mm suits someone who often does several bakes in a row and can plan for a long preheat.
Placement in the oven
The steel’s position matters at least as much as its size. High up, close to the grill element, gives faster colour on top but a risk of a burnt base if the steel is already hot; further down gives a more even bake but weaker colour on top. Our full breakdown of how the surface and its placement interact is in pizza in a home oven.
How long should you preheat?
The exact preheating time depends on the steel’s thickness and your oven’s power — guideline figures for preheating a baking steel are in the how-to for it. As a starting point: allow at least 45 minutes on the oven’s highest setting before you bake the first pizza, longer for a thicker steel.
Read on in baking steel – thickness, placement and care and compare with pizza stone. We’re set to measure the difference in a planned test, baking steel vs pizza stone — and measure your own oven’s actual floor temperature with an infrared thermometer.
