Induction is the easiest hob to install right up to the moment you look at the power figure. Then it becomes an electrical job, and electrical jobs have to happen before the appliance arrives rather than after.
The good news is that this is entirely knowable in advance. Every induction hob we list publishes its power requirement.
Start with what a socket can actually give you
A standard 13 A socket outlet in Singapore runs at 230 V. Thirteen amps at 230 volts is about 2990 W, so call it 3000 W as the practical ceiling for anything that plugs in.
That single number sorts the whole category. A hob at or under 3000 W can use an existing socket if one is within reach. Anything meaningfully above it cannot, no matter how convenient that would be.
Where the models actually sit
Real figures from the induction hobs we carry, lowest to highest:
- Mayer MMIH603FZ: listed as a 13 A plug. Plugs in.
- Bosch PUE611BB5J and PUE612BB1J: 3000 W, supplied with an earthed plug. Plugs in.
- Fujioh FH-ID3530, FH-ID5228, FH-ID5125: marked 15 A. Above socket rating, needs its own supply.
- Bosch PUC61KAA5E and PUC611BB5E: 4600 W, no plug supplied. Hardwired.
- Bosch PKK651FP8E (ceramic rather than induction): 5750 W, no plug.
- Bosch PID631BB5E and PXE675DC1E: 7400 W, no plug.
- Fujioh FH-ID5230: marked 30 A.
- Bosch PVS601B16E and PXX895D66E (venting hobs): 7400 W, listed at 220-240 or 380-415 V.
The spread between the bottom and the top of that list is more than double, on hobs that all look the same on a worktop.
The 380-415 V note is not a typo
Two of the Bosch venting hobs list a voltage range covering three-phase supply. In a domestic Singapore flat you will almost always be on single phase, and these hobs can be wired for it, but the connection configuration is something the electrician decides from the installation manual, not something to work out on the day.
If you are looking at a 7400 W hob, get the electrician to read the manual before the hob is delivered. It takes them five minutes and it prevents a wasted delivery slot.
What actually needs doing
For anything above socket rating, a licensed electrician runs a dedicated circuit from the distribution board to a connection point behind or beside the hob, on a breaker sized to the appliance. The two questions worth asking them early are whether your distribution board has a spare way, and whether the cable run is practical without opening up finished walls.
Both of those answers change the price and the schedule, and both are much cheaper to find out during renovation than afterwards. If your kitchen is being redone anyway, add the circuit while the walls are open even if you are buying a plug-in hob today. Nobody regrets having the supply already there.
Two induction zones is not the same as two gas burners
Worth saying plainly because it affects how much power you need. A 60 cm induction hob with three or four zones cannot usually run every zone at full output simultaneously. The hob shares its total wattage across zones and manages it internally, which is why a 3000 W hob and a 7400 W hob can both have four zones.
If you regularly cook two or three things hard at the same time, the higher-powered models are the ones that will keep up. If you cook one main pan at a time, a 3000 W hob is genuinely adequate and much simpler to install.
Cookware, briefly
Induction needs magnetic cookware. The kitchen test is a fridge magnet: if it sticks firmly to the base of the pan, the pan works. Most stainless steel and all cast iron are fine. Aluminium, copper and most ceramic are not, unless they have a bonded magnetic base.
Budget for replacing a few pans. It is a smaller cost than the electrical work but it catches people out in the first week.
If the electrical work is the sticking point
Gas remains a reasonable answer, especially if a piped supply is already in the kitchen. That has its own requirements, including a Licensed Gas Service Worker for the connection. The full hobs and cooktops range covers both, and the 60 cm hobs listing is the easiest place to compare like for like at the most common width.
What the power figure buys you in practice
Two recipes that use the hobs named above and show where the wattage matters and where it does not: Hainanese chicken rice, which needs fine control at the bottom of the range rather than raw power, and chilli crab, which needs a wide zone and plenty of it.
Common questions
Can I plug an induction hob into a normal socket?
Only if the hob is rated at or below about 3000 W and is supplied with a plug. In our range that covers the Bosch PUE611BB5J and PUE612BB1J and the Mayer MMIH603FZ. Everything above that needs a dedicated circuit installed by a licensed electrician.
What does no plug supplied mean on a product page?
The hob is intended to be hardwired to a fixed connection point rather than plugged in. It is not an omission. Fitting a plug to a hob rated above socket capacity is unsafe.
How much does the electrical work cost?
It depends on your distribution board, the cable run and whether walls need opening, so we will not quote a figure that would be wrong for most readers. Get a licensed electrician to look at the kitchen before you order, and ask specifically whether the board has a spare way.
Is a 7400 W hob better than a 3000 W one?
It is faster when you are running several zones hard at once, and it usually has a higher boost output on the main zone. For one pan at a time the difference is much smaller than the numbers suggest. Match the hob to how you actually cook.
Do venting hobs need more power than normal induction hobs?
In our range they sit at the top end. The Bosch PVS601B16E and PXX895D66E are both 7400 W, because the extraction motor draws on the same supply as the cooking zones. They also take up the cabinet space below the hob, so plan both together.