Three inserts, three different products: the 250, 400 and 600 CFM blowers compared by what you touch and hear
Reviewed September 2026 · Captivating Cabinets
The three internal blowers on this page are Broan-NuTone power-pack inserts that fit inside the stainless liner of every wood shell on the hood list, and they are listed under Galaxy Pistachio Green only because that is the collection they sit in. You will never see one once the hood is up. What you will notice, every day, is how loud it is, how you switch it on and what you clean. On those counts the three are not a small, medium and large of the same thing. They are three different products, and the numbers on the airflow are the least interesting difference between them.
Side by side, from the published specifications
The figures below come from Fabuwood’s published insert sheet and the Broan-NuTone insert guide that matches these models. Prices are displayed prices in this collection. Treat everything else as something to confirm on the insert’s own spec sheet before ordering, since a manufacturer can revise a model.
| GPG RHBB 250 CFM | GPG RHBB 400 CFM | GPG RHBB 600 CFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rated / maximum airflow | 250 / 300 CFM | 400 / 450 CFM | 600 / 650 CFM |
| Noise at normal speed | 3 sones | 1 sone | 0.5 sone |
| Controls | 2-speed rocker | 3-speed rotary | 4-speed, heat-sensing auto mode, Wi-Fi and voice |
| Filter | Washable mesh | Washable mesh | Hybrid baffle |
| Other | — | ENERGY STAR | Code Ready airflow cap; the only one that takes an 8″ round duct |
| Displayed price | $419.25 | $903.50 | $1,787.50 |
All three carry Broan-NuTone’s one-year limited warranty. The steps between them are $484.25 from the 250 to the 400, and $884.00 from the 400 to the 600.
The surprise in the table: bigger is quieter here
Most people assume a stronger fan is a louder one. In this line it is the other way round at normal speed: the 250 is rated at 3 sones, the 400 at 1 sone and the 600 at 0.5. Sones are roughly linear to the ear, so 3 sones is about three times as loud as 1 — the difference between a fan you talk over and one you forget is on.
That changes the usual value argument. The 250 is the cheapest to buy, but a noisy hood is a hood people turn off, and a hood that is off removes nothing. If budget allows only one step up anywhere on the hood order, the move from the 250 to the 400 buys more daily comfort than any change of shell shape. For a sense of scale, 1 sone is roughly a quiet refrigerator and 3 sones is close to ordinary conversation. Every insert is louder at top speed than at normal speed, and Fabuwood’s published sheet does not give maximum-speed ratings, so we do not quote them.
Rocker, rotary or app: how you will actually use it
The controls are the part of the insert you touch most, and they differ more than the airflow does.
The 250: two speeds on a rocker
Simple and hard to break. Two speeds is enough for a small cooktop used for everyday cooking; it is limiting if you often want a gentle background setting and a strong one for searing.
The 400: three speeds on a rotary
The middle setting is the useful addition — a low speed for simmering and a high one for frying, with something between. It is also the ENERGY STAR unit of the three.
The 600: four speeds, auto mode, Wi-Fi and voice
Heat-sensing auto mode turns the fan up when it detects heat under the hood, which helps the people in a household who never remember to switch it on. Wi-Fi and voice control are convenient; they also mean an app and an account, which not everyone wants for a kitchen fan. Confirm the current app and voice-assistant support with the manufacturer before relying on it.
Code Ready on the 600: a cap you can set once and never lift
Fabuwood’s 600 includes Broan-NuTone’s Code Ready feature, which lets the installer cap the blower’s maximum airflow at 400 or 300 CFM so the hood stays under a make-up-air threshold. It exists for a real problem: in many jurisdictions, a hood above a set airflow in a house with certain fuel-burning appliances triggers a requirement for make-up air, which can cost more than the hood. The parent hood article covers the threshold itself.
The detail that matters: the cap is permanent. In the matching Broan-NuTone guide it can only be set in the first five minutes after the insert is first powered, and once set it cannot be undone. That makes it a decision for the building inspector and your contractor, made once, with the numbers in front of them — not a setting to experiment with. If you are buying the 600 intending to cap it, ask whether the 400, at $884.00 less, meets the same need; the case for the capped 600 is its quieter running and its controls, not its airflow.
Two compatibility rules, and one responsibility note
- The 250 is not offered for the 48″ plain box, GPG RHA483021. Every other pairing of insert and shell works. On a 48″ box, choose the 400 or 600.
- Only the 600 takes an 8″ round duct. If you are buying it for a big range, plan an 8″ run from the start; a 6″ run will connect, but air moves much faster through a smaller duct, so noise rises and delivered airflow falls. That is a decision for before the ceiling is closed.
- Sizing is on the buyer and installer. Fabuwood’s note on every blower says the dealer and installer should follow the heating-appliance manufacturer’s ventilation requirements and that Fabuwood is not responsible for improper blower selection or installation. Our designers will help size it, but the installer signs off.
Which one to buy, by cooktop
Sizing belongs to the parent hood article and to your installer, but most kitchens fall into one of three groups, and each points to one insert.
A 30″ electric or induction cooktop, everyday cooking
The 250 will move enough air, and it is the cheapest. The 400 is the better buy if the budget stretches: a third of the noise at normal speed, a third speed setting, and room to spare if you ever switch to gas. A 30″ electric range on a wall is well served at around 300 CFM, which sits between the two.
A 30″ or 36″ gas range with standard burners
The 400 is the usual answer. It covers many 30″ gas ranges comfortably and most 36″ ones that are not built around high-output burners, provided the hood is at least as wide as the cooktop and the duct is short and smooth.
A 36″ or 48″ gas range with high-output burners
The 600, on an 8″ duct, with a make-up-air conversation started early. Add up the burner ratings and compare; if the burners call for more than 600, the honest answer is a hood from a ventilation specialist, and we will design the cabinets around it.
Where it hangs changes how well it works
The insert guide that matches the 400 and 600 specifies 24″ to 30″ from the cooktop to the bottom of the hood, with the lower end capturing better. A hood at the top of that range needs more help from the blower to catch the same plume, so a generous height and a small insert is the combination to avoid. Your range’s own installation manual may require more clearance to combustibles; when it does, the range manufacturer’s number governs. The dimensions guide covers the surrounding heights.
Why the colour in the title does not matter here
Every Galaxy collection lists these inserts under its own prefix — this one is GPG — and the same unit appears in other finishes’ collections at the same price. It sits inside the liner, out of sight. So if you are ordering a hood in a different finish from the rest of the kitchen — a light shell over green lowers, say — the insert can come from either collection; it is the same part. What must match the room is the shell, not the fan inside it.
Everything else outside the insert — the ductwork, the exterior cap and damper, the circuit and the install — comes from your contractor, and any make-up-air equipment with it.
Common questions
- Which is quieter, the 400 or 600 CFM range hood insert?
- At normal speed the 600 is rated at 0.5 sone and the 400 at 1 sone, so the 600 is the quieter of the two. The 250 is the loudest at 3 sones. Higher speeds are louder on all three.
- Is the range hood blower included with the wood hood?
- No. Each wood shell ships with a stainless liner and no blower. The insert is a separate line: $419.25, $903.50 or $1,787.50 for the 250, 400 or 600 CFM unit.
- Can I use a 6 inch duct with the 600 CFM insert?
- It connects, but the 600 is the only one of the three that also accepts an 8″ round duct, and at that airflow the larger duct keeps noise down and delivered airflow up. Plan the 8″ run if you can.
- What does Code Ready mean on a range hood?
- It lets the installer permanently cap the 600’s maximum airflow at 400 or 300 CFM to stay under a make-up-air threshold. The change cannot be reversed, so decide it with your contractor and building department.
- Which insert fits a 48 inch wood hood?
- On the 48″ plain box, the 400 or the 600; the 250 is not offered for that shell. The 48″ curved glass shell has no such exclusion.
- Does the blower have Wi-Fi?
- The 600 does, with voice control and a heat-sensing auto mode. The 400 has a 3-speed rotary control and the 250 a 2-speed rocker.
Keep reading
The guides behind the numbers on this page.
- Kitchen Layouts Guide
A range on an outside wall is the shortest duct run, and the quietest.
- Important Kitchen Dimensions Before Buying Cabinets
Where the hood hangs above the cooktop, which affects how well any insert works.
- How Much Do Fabuwood Cabinets Cost
The hood and insert against the rest of the budget.
- Free 3D Kitchen Design
What to send so a designer can recommend an insert.
