CBO-500 vs CBO-750 vs CBO-1000: Which Pizza Oven to Buy
Chicago Brick Oven sells three core dome sizes. They look similar in the catalog photos, but the cooking capacity differences are dramatic and the heat-up times and footprints scale with the dome size. This breakdown matches each size to the kitchen that fits it.
Interior Dome Diameter
CBO-500: 28-inch interior dome — cooking floor fits ONE 12-inch pizza or a single 9-inch roasted dish at a time. CBO-750: 38-inch interior dome — cooking floor fits TWO 12-inch pizzas side by side, or one 16-inch pizza, or a tray-format roast. CBO-1000: 47-inch interior dome — fits THREE 12-inch pizzas or TWO 16-inch pizzas simultaneously, plus space for a side dish on the floor. The dome-diameter increase is roughly linear, but the cooking-area increase is quadratic (πr²), so going from 500 to 750 doubles the simultaneous output and going from 750 to 1000 roughly doubles it again.
Heat-Up Time From Cold
CBO-500: 45 minutes to operating temperature (700-900°F floor). CBO-750: 60-75 minutes. CBO-1000: 90 minutes. The larger ovens take longer because there's more thermal mass to soak. For a midweek dinner where you light the oven at 5pm and want pizzas at 6, the 500 is the only size that comfortably hits the window from cold. For weekend entertaining where the oven gets fired up 90 minutes ahead of dinner regardless, the 750 and 1000 are fine.
Dual-Fuel (Gas-Assist) Option
Both the 750 and 1000 are available with a gas-assist burner mounted at the back of the cooking floor. Gas-assist cuts heat-up time roughly in half (35 minutes on the 750, 50 on the 1000) and holds operating temperature without adding wood through the cook. The 500 is wood-only — its small dome size means gas doesn't add enough efficiency to justify the cost. Choose gas-assist on the 750 or 1000 when you want quick midweek pizza without lighting a full wood fire; choose wood-only when the smoke-and-char of a wood-fired bake is the point every time.
Footprint + Install Type
CBO-500: countertop format, sits on any 30-inch+ stable surface. Total footprint about 38" wide x 32" deep including chimney clearance. CBO-750: ships as bare dome (for masonry enclosure), freestanding cart (steel base on wheels), or countertop (for built-in install). Freestanding cart adds about 6 inches in every direction; built-in masonry adds whatever the mason designs. CBO-1000: same three formats as the 750, scaled up — the freestanding cart is 60" wide x 50" deep. Plan for at least 12 inches of chimney clearance from any combustible material on any of the three sizes.
Cooking Capacity in Plain English
CBO-500: cooks dinner for 2-4 people in one bake cycle. Best for households cooking pizza or wood-fired roasts as a recurring weekly meal. CBO-750: cooks dinner for 4-8 people; can run a 4-5 pizza party in roughly 12-15 minutes of bakes (90 seconds per pie x 4 pies = 6 minutes plus turnover). CBO-1000: cooks for 8-16 people; can run a 12-pizza party in 15-20 minutes. The 1000 is what restaurants order; for residential, only spec it if entertaining capacity is the primary driver.
Pricing
CBO-500 (countertop, wood): ~$3,500. CBO-750 freestanding (wood): ~$5,800. CBO-750 freestanding (dual-fuel): ~$7,200. CBO-1000 freestanding (wood): ~$9,500. CBO-1000 freestanding (dual-fuel): ~$12,000. The price gap between 750 and 1000 is materially larger than between 500 and 750, which usually pushes residential buyers to the 750 unless party capacity is genuinely the bottleneck. The 500 is the right call for households that want wood-fired but don't entertain at scale; the 750 is the sweet spot for most luxury outdoor kitchens.
Decision Rules
Default to the CBO-750 for residential luxury kitchens — it covers solo cooking through entertaining without compromising either. Upgrade to the 1000 when guest counts regularly hit 10+. Downsize to the 500 when the kitchen is small, the use case is solo or couples cooking, or when portability matters (the 500 is the only one that can move with you on a renovation). Add gas-assist on the 750 or 1000 when midweek cook frequency matters more than the wood-fire ritual.
