Updated 2026-09-11
Ask three contractors for a fixed price to clean "the ductwork" without a survey and any honest one will refuse. Kitchen extract ductwork is priced on what is actually there: how many metres of duct run between the canopy and the discharge, how many points it can be reached from, how it is routed and what is inside it. Two restaurants with identical canopies can have duct runs of four metres and forty, and the price difference is real work, not margin.
How ductwork is priced
| Pricing basis | How it works | When contractors use it |
|---|---|---|
| Per metre | A rate for each linear metre of duct, often with different rates for horizontal and vertical sections | Long, straightforward runs where length is the main variable |
| Per access point | A charge for each panel or section opened, cleaned, photographed and measured | Complex routes with many bends and short sections |
| Complexity or time | An estimate of technician hours for the whole run, including equipment | Risers, loft runs, fire-rated duct and anything needing access equipment |
| Within a system price | Ductwork absorbed into a single quote for canopy, duct, fan and discharge | The normal position for a full TR19 clean |
In practice most quotes for a full kitchen extract clean present one figure for the whole system, with the ductwork element the reason the figure sits where it does within the typical ranges: £300 to £600 for a small single-canopy kitchen, £500 to £900 for a medium restaurant or pub with a proper duct run, and £900 to £2,000 or more for a large hotel, care home or multi-canopy site. The kitchen extract cleaning cost guide covers the whole-system figures; this page is about what the ductwork contributes.
What makes ductwork expensive
- Length. The obvious one. Every metre has to be degreased, and grease-laden air condenses along the whole route.
- Vertical risers. A duct that climbs three storeys through a shared riser is slow to clean, harder to access and often shared with other tenants, which adds coordination.
- Bends and changes of section. Grease collects where the air slows, so every elbow and transition is a heavy spot that needs its own access.
- No access panels. If the run cannot be opened, it cannot be cleaned. Panels are cut in and fitted with grease-tight doors; this is a one-off cost and the best money you will spend on the system, but it lands on the first invoice.
- Loft and ceiling void runs. Working above a suspended ceiling or in a roof space means crawling boards, lighting and slower progress.
- Heavy deposits. Years of build-up needs scraping before degreasing; time roughly doubles.
- Fire-rated or insulated duct. Access has to be made without compromising the fire rating, which takes care and the right components.
- Height and roof access. A discharge on a high roof may need a tower, a powered platform or a rope-access team.
Access panels: the one-off that pays back
TR19 Grease expects every section of duct to be reachable for cleaning and inspection. Where a system was installed without panels, the first contractor to clean it has to fit them, and that can be the largest single item on a first quote. It is not a reason to choose a contractor who offers to skip it. A duct that is only cleaned where it happens to be open still carries a fire load in the closed sections, and the report will either say so or be dishonest. Once the panels are in, every later clean is faster and cheaper, and the post-clean report can show readings from the whole run.
Ductwork within the frequency cycle
The duct is cleaned as part of the full system at the TR19 interval for the kitchen: every three months for heavy use at twelve to sixteen cooking hours a day, six months for moderate use at six to twelve hours, and twelve months for light use at two to six hours. The nearer sections to the canopy load fastest, so on a heavy-use system the first few metres may justify an interim clean even when the far end is within limits. A contractor who takes readings at each access point can tell you where the grease actually is rather than treating the run as one block.
General ventilation ductwork is different
This guide is about grease extract. Supply, return and air-conditioning ductwork in the same building is cleaned to TR19 Air rather than TR19 Grease, the hazard is dust and microbial growth rather than fire, and pricing follows a different logic. Where our partner contractors offer general ventilation cleaning we can arrange it, but ask for it separately so the quotes are clear.
Why the duct is where the insurer looks
After a kitchen fire, a loss adjuster's first question is whether the ductwork was cleaned, because that is where the fire spreads and where a wipe-down of the canopy makes no difference. Records that show the canopy cleaned and the duct untouched are commonly the reason a claim is reduced or refused. Paying for the duct is paying for the part of the clean that the insurance depends on; the insurance requirements guide explains why.
Getting a ductwork price
We arrange ductwork cleaning as part of a full TR19 clean through vetted contractors nationwide. If you can describe the route from canopy to discharge, or send a photograph of the plant and roof, the contractor we assign will price it accurately, normally within a working day and confirmed by a short survey.
Read next: Insurance Requirements · Legal Requirements · Post-Clean Report
Frequently asked questions
Can you give me a price per metre for duct cleaning?
Not a national one. Per-metre rates exist, but they vary with whether the run is horizontal or vertical, how heavy the deposits are and whether access exists, so the rate for one building is meaningless in another. The contractor we assign will price your run from a description and a survey, and will explain which basis they have used, so you can see the metres, the access points and the complexity separately.
How many access panels does my ductwork need?
Enough for every section to be reached and cleaned, which in practice means a panel at each bend and change of direction, on both sides of the fan, and at intervals along straight runs. A contractor will survey the route and tell you how many are missing. Fitting them is a one-off cost that makes every later clean cheaper and lets the report cover the whole system.
Is it cheaper to have the ductwork cleaned less often than the canopy?
The canopy and filters can be cleaned by kitchen staff between specialist visits, but the ductwork and fan need the specialist at the TR19 interval for the kitchen's usage band. Skipping the duct to save money leaves the fire load where it is most dangerous and produces a certificate that does not cover the system, which an insurer will notice.
My duct runs through the flat upstairs. Does that change the price?
Often, yes. A run through another occupier's property needs access arranged with them, may pass through fire-rated construction and is usually harder to open up. It is also the situation fire safety officers and insurers worry about most, because a duct fire can spread to sleeping accommodation, so it is worth having cleaned properly and documented in full.