Wood-Fired Dome Oven 120 in Uganda

Use case

In the field.

A Naivasha resort specified a 120 cm dome for a poolside pizza station serving conference groups. Running two operators through a 250-cover lunch, the floor held above 450 °C for the full service — the failure mode they had experienced with a smaller oven, where temperature sagged after the first hundred covers.

Do we actually need 120 cm rather than 100 cm?

Only if your peak hour genuinely needs more than 50 pizzas, or you are cooking to functions where temperature has to hold for hours. The 120 costs more to build, takes twice as long to heat, and burns more wood. If your constraint is really the person on the peel rather than the oven, a second operator on a 100 cm dome is the cheaper fix.

How much wood does it use compared to the 100?

Roughly 40–50% more to reach temperature from cold, but proportionally less to hold it once hot, because the larger mass loses heat more slowly relative to its volume. Kitchens that keep it warm between days see the gap narrow considerably.

Can this be delivered finished?

Rarely. At around 1.95 tonnes it needs crane access and a clear path, which most commercial kitchens do not have. We build it in position instead, which typically takes 7–9 days plus curing.

What size flue does it need?

250 mm insulated twin-wall, terminated above the roofline. The larger fire needs the extra diameter to draw properly — undersize it and smoke rolls back out of the mouth into the kitchen.

How long does a build like this take on site?

Seven to nine days of construction, plus the six-day curing schedule, plus finish time depending on what you specify. Allow four to five weeks from deposit to first pizza. We can often run the finish work in parallel if an opening date is tight, but the curing week is not negotiable.