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Deck Oven vs Conveyor Pizza Oven: Which Is Right for Your Irish Pizzeria or Takeaway?
Deck oven vs conveyor pizza oven is the first big decision for any Irish pizzeria, takeaway or pub kitchen adding pizza to the menu. Get it right and the oven quietly earns its keep every Friday night. Get it wrong and you are either standing at the oven turning pizzas by hand while orders stack up, or serving a pizza that never quite tastes like the one you had in mind.
Here is the short version before we go into detail. A deck oven bakes on a hot stone or refractory brick base, gives you that proper crisp, stone baked base, and rewards a bit of skill. A conveyor oven moves every pizza through on a belt at a set speed, so the result is the same whether it is your head chef or someone on their second shift loading it. Neither is better in general. It depends on your menu, your volume and who is working the oven.
Deck oven vs conveyor pizza oven at a glance
| Deck oven | Conveyor oven | |
|---|---|---|
| How it bakes | Pizza sits on a stone or brick base inside a heated chamber | Pizza travels through on a belt, usually with hot air blowing across it |
| Skill needed | Someone has to watch, turn and time each pizza | Very little, set the belt speed and load |
| Best for | Restaurants, pubs and pizzerias where the pizza is the star | Takeaways, delivery kitchens and busy menus with more than just pizza |
| Footprint | Compact, and many models stack two or three high | Longer, because the belt needs room, though counter top models exist |
| Other food | Pizza, bread, focaccia, some baking | Pizza plus chicken portions, flatbreads, garlic bread and more |
You can browse the full range on our commercial pizza ovens collection, and the belt style ones sit together in the conveyor pizza ovens collection.
How a deck pizza oven works
A deck oven is a heated chamber with a flat baking surface, usually refractory brick or stone. The base soaks up heat and passes it straight into the dough, which is what gives you a crisp underside with a bit of chew. Top and bottom heating elements (or burners, on gas models) are controlled separately, so you can adjust how much colour the top gets compared with the base.
Every pizza is loaded and removed by hand with a peel. That is the trade off. You get control, and you get a result that customers notice, but somebody has to stay with the oven. Timing and turning matter, especially at 450 degrees, and a new member of staff needs a few shifts to get a feel for it.
Who a deck oven suits
- Restaurants and pizzerias where the pizza is the main event and the base is part of the selling point
- Pubs and bars adding a pizza menu with a trained person in the kitchen
- Kitchens that also want to bake bread, focaccia or flatbreads
- Tight spaces, because decks can be stacked to double capacity without doubling the floor area
How a conveyor pizza oven works
A conveyor oven feeds pizzas along a belt through a heated tunnel. Most use impingement, which means jets of hot air are blown onto the pizza from above and below, so it cooks fast and evenly while it moves. You set the belt speed and the temperature once, and every pizza gets the same time in the oven.
That consistency is the whole point. Nobody needs to watch the oven or judge when a pizza is ready, so one person can build pizzas, load the belt and keep up with a delivery rush. It also copes well with a mixed menu, because the same oven that does your pizza can handle garlic bread, wraps, flatbreads or chicken portions.
Who a conveyor oven suits
- Takeaways and delivery kitchens where speed and repeat results matter most
- Busy operators with staff turnover, because there is almost nothing to learn
- Kitchens running a wider menu than pizza alone
- Anyone who wants to scale up by stacking a second oven on top of the first
Deck ovens we stock, and who each one is for
Every oven below is on our site now, with warranty and delivery shown on the product page. Delivery for each is usually 2 to 4 working days.
Small kitchens and snack bars
The Chefs Range FP17AE is a compact countertop twin deck electric oven that takes one 16 inch pizza per deck. It is listed as 230V, 13 amp, so there is no three phase supply to organise, which makes it a sensible first oven for a snack bar, café or small takeaway. Temperature runs from 50 to 450 degrees, you can store up to 6 recipes, and there is a timer and interior light. Warranty is 12 months parts and labour, and delivery is usually 2 to 4 working days.
Pubs, takeaways and small pizzerias
The Moretti IDD60.60 is a twin deck electric oven that bakes four 12 inch pizzas per deck, so eight at a time. It has electronic controls where you can set either a temperature or a percentage of power, spring loaded doors and a full width handle. It is available for either single phase or three phase supply, which is handy if you are fitting out a premises that only has one or the other. It is one of the smaller ovens in the iDeck range, at 850mm wide. Warranty is 2 years parts, and delivery is usually 2 to 4 working days.
Busy restaurants with a pizza focus
The Italforni VS70 Visor bakes six 13 inch pizzas per deck and comes as a single, twin or triple deck, so you can start with one and add capacity later. It has touchscreen controls, temperatures up to 450 degrees, 9 programmable menu settings and double glazed doors so you can see what is happening without opening them. The listing gives average energy use at around 6.5kW an hour. It runs on a three phase supply, listed at 16 amp. Warranty is 2 years parts, and delivery is usually 2 to 4 working days.
Gas deck option
If you have gas on site, the Chefs Range Gas XL6L fits six 13 inch pizzas on one refractory brick deck, with piezo ignition and an electronic thermostat up to 450 degrees. It is supplied for natural gas with an LPG conversion kit included, and it stacks two high. The listing gives 23kW with a 3/4 inch gas supply plus a 230V connection. Have a registered gas installer confirm the supply and sort the connection. Warranty is 2 years parts and 1 year labour on site, and delivery is usually 2 to 4 working days.
Conveyor ovens we stock, and who each one is for
Compact electric conveyor
The Moretti Forni T64E is a counter top electric impinger oven with a 16 inch belt. The listing gives an output of 25 pizzas of 13 inches per hour, or ten 600 x 400mm trays, with a maximum temperature of 320 degrees. Power adjusts automatically to the amount of product passing through, you can store up to 20 recipes, and the outside stays cool to touch. The belt direction can be reversed on site, and ovens can be stacked three high. It is listed at three phase, 16 amp. Warranty is 2 years parts, and delivery is usually 2 to 4 working days.
Same oven, gas version
The Moretti Forni T64G is the gas version of the same compact conveyor, with the same 16 inch belt and the same listed output of 25 pizzas of 13 inches per hour. It is listed with a 1/2 inch gas connection plus 230V. Warranty is 2 years parts, and delivery is usually 2 to 4 working days.
Stone belt conveyor for high volume
The Italforni Kiln is the one to look at if you want conveyor speed without giving up the stone baked base. The belt itself is a refractory stone, so pizzas, focaccia and flatbreads cook directly on the stone, at temperatures from 50 to 450 degrees. Temperature control is accurate to within 1 degree, belt speed is adjustable, and standby mode cuts energy use by 50%. The cooking chamber and belt width are made to your requirement, so tell us your volume and the space you have and we will confirm the exact lead time for your spec. The listing shows warranty of 2 years parts and delivery of 2 to 4 working days.
There are more conveyor options from Combisteel, Moretti Forni and Italforni in the conveyor pizza ovens collection, in belt widths from compact counter top up to high volume tunnels.
How to choose: five questions to ask yourself
- What is your menu? If pizza is the whole identity of the business, a deck oven makes sense. If pizza sits alongside garlic bread, wraps and chicken, a conveyor handles all of it.
- Who will be working the oven? A trained pizza chef can get the best from a deck. If staff change often or the oven is loaded by whoever is free, a conveyor takes the guesswork out.
- How many pizzas in your busiest hour? Count your real peak, not an average day. Compare it with the per hour figures in the product listing, and leave some room for growth. A stackable model lets you add a second unit later.
- What power and gas do you have? Check whether the premises is on single phase 230V or three phase before you fall in love with a model. The FP17AE runs from a 13 amp supply, the IDD60.60 comes in single or three phase, and the VS70 and T64E are both listed as three phase. Gas models need a registered gas installer.
- How much space is there? Measure the spot, the door you will carry the oven through and the clearance around it. A counter top conveyor is long, while a deck oven is deeper and taller. Allow room around any oven for heat and air to move.
Things worth checking before you order either type
- Extraction and ventilation. Requirements depend on the oven, whether it is gas or electric, and your premises. Check it with your installer and, where relevant, your local authority before you buy.
- Stand or counter space. Some ovens come on a stand, others need a sturdy counter or a separate stand. Check the weight and footprint in the listing.
- Cleaning. Conveyor belts come out for cleaning, and deck ovens need the base brushed and the chamber wiped. Ask yourself who will do it and when.
- Your prep line. A good oven is only half the story. Fast pizza service needs a prep counter and chilled toppings close at hand, and our guide to pizza prep counters in Ireland covers that side, with the pizza fridges collection if you want to see the options.
Frequently asked questions
Which makes a better pizza, a deck oven or a conveyor oven?
It depends what you mean by better. A deck oven gives a crisp base with a proper stone baked bite and takes more skill. A conveyor gives the same result every time with almost no skill. If you want the stone baked base and the speed, a stone belt conveyor like the Italforni Kiln is worth a look.
Which is faster for a busy takeaway?
For steady, repeat volume with minimal attention, a conveyor usually wins, because pizzas flow through without anyone watching them. A deck oven with several decks can also move a lot of pizza, but it needs somebody on the oven the whole time.
Do I need three phase for a pizza oven?
Not always. Compact ovens like the Chefs Range FP17AE run from a 13 amp supply, and the Moretti IDD60.60 is available in single phase or three phase. Larger ovens, including the Italforni VS70 and the Moretti T64E, are listed as three phase. Check the product page for the exact requirement before ordering.
Can I stack pizza ovens?
Many can. The Italforni VS70 comes as a single, twin or triple deck, the Chefs Range Gas XL6L stacks two high, and the Moretti T64E and T64G can be stacked three high. It is a handy way to add capacity without taking up more floor space.
What is the warranty and how long does delivery take?
It depends on the model. The ovens above carry between 12 months and 2 years, and the exact cover is shown on each product page. Delivery for the ones featured here is usually 2 to 4 working days.
Ready to pick your pizza oven?
If you already know your menu and your busiest hour, you can go straight to the commercial pizza ovens collection and compare the options. If you are still weighing deck against conveyor, send us your menu, your peak number of pizzas an hour and what power you have on site, and we will point you at a shortlist from across the brands. We deliver nationwide across Ireland, so it does not matter whether you are in Donegal or Dingle.
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