Best Commercial Pizza Ovens for Australian Restaurants
Choosing the right commercial pizza oven is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when setting up or upgrading a pizzeria, restaurant, or food service operation. The oven you choose affects everything — the quality of your crust, how many pizzas you can turn out per hour, your energy costs, and ultimately your bottom line.
Australia’s commercial pizza market has grown significantly in recent years, with independent pizzerias, franchise operations, and restaurants all competing to deliver authentic, high-quality pizza. Whether you’re opening a new pizza shop in Melbourne, expanding a franchise in Sydney, or upgrading equipment in Brisbane, this guide will help you understand the different types of commercial pizza ovens available and choose the right one for your operation.
Types of Commercial Pizza Ovens
There are four main types of commercial pizza ovens used in Australian restaurants and pizzerias. Each has distinct advantages depending on your menu, production volume, and kitchen layout.
Stone Deck Pizza Ovens
Stone deck pizza ovens are the gold standard for authentic pizza production. These ovens use thick stone or refractory decks that absorb and radiate intense, even heat — producing the crispy base, charred edges, and perfectly cooked toppings that define a quality pizza.
The stone deck is the key to their performance. When heated to temperatures between 300 and 400 degrees Celsius, the stone transfers heat directly into the pizza base through conduction, while radiant heat from the ceiling and walls cooks the toppings from above. This combination of bottom-up conduction and top-down radiation is what gives stone deck pizza its distinctive texture and flavour — something no other oven type can fully replicate.
Stone deck pizza ovens are available in single-deck and multi-deck configurations, allowing you to scale production by adding decks vertically rather than taking up more floor space. Most commercial stone deck ovens run on three-phase (415V) power, though some compact single-deck models are available in single-phase (240V) for smaller operations.
ABP Atlas carries a comprehensive range of stone deck pizza ovens from Fornitalia and Diamante — two of the most respected names in commercial pizza oven manufacturing.
Modular Deck Ovens (Commercial Deck Ovens)
Modular deck ovens are the workhorse of commercial bakeries and high-volume pizza operations that need maximum flexibility. Unlike fixed stone deck ovens, modular deck ovens allow you to stack individual oven modules in various configurations — mixing different deck sizes, adding a proofer cabinet underneath, or configuring exactly the baking capacity you need.
These ovens excel in operations that bake both pizza and bread, as the individual decks can be set to different temperatures for different products simultaneously. A typical modular deck oven setup might run a top deck at 380 degrees for pizza while the lower decks bake bread at 240 degrees.
Commercial deck ovens are typically electric, offering precise temperature control that’s difficult to achieve with gas. They feature independent top and bottom heating elements in each deck, allowing you to fine-tune the heat balance for different products.
ABP Atlas supplies commercial deck ovens from Europa and Logiudice, including the popular Europa Edison electric modular deck oven and the Logiudice Modus — both designed for serious production environments.
Convection Ovens
Convection ovens use fans to circulate hot air evenly around the cooking chamber, providing consistent, uniform baking. While they’re not traditionally considered a “pizza oven”, commercial convection ovens play an important role in many pizza operations — particularly those that also serve other baked goods, pastries, or roasted dishes.
Convection ovens heat up faster than deck ovens, use energy more efficiently, and are easier to clean and maintain. They’re an excellent choice as a secondary oven in a pizzeria, handling garlic bread, calzones, focaccia, and other menu items while your deck oven focuses on pizza.
For operations where pizza isn’t the primary focus — say a cafe or restaurant that offers pizza alongside a broader menu — a quality commercial convection oven can produce perfectly acceptable results, especially for thicker-crust and pan-style pizzas.
Browse the ABP Atlas range of convection ovens from Pavailler, including the Topaze and Topaze Opera models.
Rotary Rack Ovens
Rotary rack ovens are designed for high-volume wholesale production. A rotating rack moves product through the oven chamber, ensuring even baking across every tray. These ovens are most commonly found in wholesale bakeries and large food production facilities rather than individual pizza shops.
However, for operations that produce large quantities of pizza bases, par-baked crusts, or frozen pizza products, a rotary rack oven can dramatically increase throughput compared to deck ovens. The Europa Bell and Logiudice Stream Classic models from ABP Atlas are designed for this level of production.
How to Choose the Right Commercial Pizza Oven
Selecting the best commercial pizza oven for your business comes down to five key factors.
1. Pizza Style and Quality Expectations
The style of pizza you’re making should drive your oven choice more than any other factor.
If you’re producing traditional Neapolitan, New York, or thin-crust gourmet pizza, a stone deck pizza oven is essential. The intense bottom heat from the stone deck creates the characteristic charred, blistered base and leopard-spotted crust that customers expect from a quality pizzeria. No other oven type delivers this result as consistently.
For thick-crust, deep-dish, or pan pizzas, a convection oven or commercial deck oven can produce excellent results. These styles rely less on intense bottom heat and more on even, sustained cooking — which both convection and deck ovens handle well.
If you run a mixed operation producing pizza alongside artisan bread, pastries, or other baked goods, a modular deck oven gives you the flexibility to bake different products at different temperatures simultaneously, making it the most versatile option for multi-product bakeries and restaurants.
2. Production Volume
How many pizzas you need to produce per hour directly determines the size and type of oven you need.
A single-deck stone deck pizza oven like the Fornitalia MG2 70/70 is suited to smaller operations producing around 30 to 50 pizzas per hour. For higher volume, multi-deck configurations like the Fornitalia Black Line BL 105/105 can handle 80 to 120 or more pizzas per hour depending on the number of decks.
For very high-volume operations — pizza chains, wholesale producers, or busy Friday and Saturday night services — consider a dedicated multi-deck setup with 3 or 4 decks, or a combination of a multi-deck stone oven for quality pizzas and a convection oven for sides and accompaniments.
3. Available Space and Power Supply
Commercial pizza ovens vary significantly in footprint. A compact single-deck oven might occupy less than one square metre of floor space, while a four-deck modular system with a proofer base can be over two metres tall and require dedicated ventilation.
Power requirements are equally important. Most commercial pizza ovens in Australia require three-phase (415V) power, which is standard in commercial kitchens but may need to be installed if you’re converting a retail space. Some smaller models — including the Fornitalia MG 70/70 and MG2 70/70 — are available in single-phase (240V), making them suitable for smaller cafes and restaurants without three-phase power.
Always check the amperage requirements of any commercial oven before purchasing. A single deck oven might draw 6 to 9 kW, while a multi-deck setup can require 20 kW or more — your electrical supply and switchboard need to handle this load safely.
4. Energy Efficiency and Running Costs
Energy costs are a significant ongoing expense for any pizza operation, and the efficiency of your oven directly impacts your profitability. In Australia, where electricity prices are among the highest in the world, this deserves serious attention.
Electric stone deck ovens are generally more energy-efficient than gas equivalents because they lose less heat through exhaust. Modern commercial deck ovens feature heavy insulation and precise thermostatic control that minimises energy waste — the oven uses power to maintain temperature rather than constantly reheating.
Convection ovens are typically the most energy-efficient option overall, as the forced-air circulation cooks food faster and at lower temperatures than static heat ovens.
Consider the heat-up time as well. A well-insulated commercial deck oven may take 45 to 60 minutes to reach pizza-baking temperature from cold, while a convection oven can be ready in 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re running a lunch and dinner service with a gap in between, a faster heat-up time means you can turn the oven off between services and save energy.
5. Budget and Return on Investment
Commercial pizza ovens represent a significant investment, typically ranging from a few thousand dollars for a compact single-deck model to tens of thousands for a multi-deck modular system.
When evaluating the cost, think beyond the purchase price. Consider installation costs (ventilation, electrical work, any structural reinforcement for heavy ovens), energy consumption over the oven’s lifetime, maintenance requirements, and the revenue the oven will generate through improved pizza quality and higher throughput.
A premium stone deck pizza oven that produces a noticeably better product can justify a higher price through increased customer satisfaction, repeat business, and the ability to charge premium prices. In a competitive market like Australian pizza, the quality of your product is your biggest differentiator — and your oven is the foundation of that quality.
Comparing Commercial Pizza Oven Types: Quick Reference
When deciding between oven types, the key trade-offs come down to pizza quality versus versatility, and initial cost versus production capacity.
Stone deck ovens deliver the best pizza quality but are dedicated to pizza and flatbread production. They’re the right choice when pizza is your primary product and quality is non-negotiable. Modular deck ovens offer nearly comparable results with greater flexibility for mixed-use baking operations. Convection ovens are the most versatile and energy-efficient but won’t produce the same crust quality as a stone deck for thin-crust styles. Rotary rack ovens are specialists for wholesale volume and are typically overkill for a single restaurant.
Most successful pizza operations that grow beyond a single oven end up with a combination — a stone deck or modular deck oven for pizza production and a convection oven for everything else.
ABP Atlas Commercial Pizza Oven Range
ABP Atlas supplies a complete range of commercial pizza ovens and commercial pizza equipment for Australian pizzerias, restaurants, cafes, and food production facilities.
Stone Deck Pizza Ovens
Our stone deck pizza oven range includes models from Fornitalia and Diamante:
The Diamante Electric Pizza Deck Oven — a premium single-deck oven delivering exceptional heat distribution and consistent results. Built for pizzerias that demand the best.
The Fornitalia Black Line series — available in multiple configurations including the compact BL 125/70 (2 deck) and the modular BL 105/70 and BL 105/105 (1 to 4 decks). The Black Line is Fornitalia’s flagship commercial pizza oven range, designed for serious pizzerias.
The Fornitalia MG2 range — mid-range stone deck pizza ovens available in 105/105 (max 2 deck) and 70/70 (single deck) configurations. Available in both 415V and 240V options.
The Fornitalia MG Professional — an entry-level static professional single deck oven available in single-phase power, ideal for cafes, small restaurants, and startup pizzerias.
Commercial Deck Ovens
Our commercial deck oven range includes the Europa Edison electric modular deck oven and the Logiudice Modus — both offering stackable modular configurations with independent deck temperature control. These are ideal for operations that bake both pizza and bread, or need maximum production flexibility.
Convection and Rack Ovens
The Pavailler Topaze and Topaze Opera convection ovens complement any pizza operation with fast, efficient baking for sides, bread, pastries, and more. For wholesale volume, the Europa Bell and Logiudice Stream Classic rotary rack ovens deliver high-throughput production.
Complete Your Pizza Kitchen
A commercial pizza oven is the centrepiece of your kitchen, but it’s not the only equipment you need. ABP Atlas also supplies a complete range of commercial pizza equipment to streamline your production line:
Pizza dough rollers — Consistent, uniform pizza bases every time. Browse our pizza dough roller range including the Atlas SH500N and IGF 2300 series.
Dough rounders and dividers — Portion and shape dough balls quickly and consistently. View our divider rounders including the Atlas Pizza Dough Rounder.
Spiral mixers — Heavy-duty dough mixing for pizza and bread production. See our spiral mixer range from Rollmatic, IGF, and LP.
Retarder proofers — Controlled fermentation for superior dough flavour and texture. Learn about retarder proofers and read our guide on what a retarder proofer does.
Get Expert Advice
Choosing the right commercial pizza oven is a decision that will affect your business for years. Our equipment specialists have over 43 years of experience helping Australian pizzerias and bakeries select, install, and maintain the right equipment for their operation.
Whether you’re setting up a new pizzeria, upgrading from a domestic oven, or expanding your current production capacity, we can assess your requirements and recommend the best solution for your budget and goals.
Call us on 1300 122 100 or contact us online for a free consultation and quote. We deliver and service equipment Australia-wide.