Pizza stones are a useful piece of kitchenware to elevate your pizza making skills, no matter whether you’re spinning dough for a commercial enterprise or in your home. But with a variety of sizes, features, and materials available, choosing the right stone for you can be overwhelming. In this article, we’ll outline how to choose the best pizza stone for all kitchens and every level of aspiring pizza maker.
Table of Contents
What is a pizza stone?
Global market value of pizza equipment
How to choose the best pizza stone
Cast iron pizza stones
Ceramic pizza stones
Cordierite pizza stones
Final thoughts
What is a pizza stone?
Pizza stones are used for baking pizzas and are designed to mimic the effects of a brick oven. This flat and heat-retaining surface is usually made from materials such as cast iron, ceramic, or cordierite, which absorb and evenly distribute heat. This helps the crust to cook evenly and reach that crispy perfection. Preheating the pizza stone can help prevent sogginess by drawing moisture away from the dough in the first moments of cooking.
Global market value of pizza equipment
Many types of equipment and tools are used in the pizza production process, as well as pizza baking. While some of the equipment, such as pizza ovens and larger tools, are mostly reserved for restaurants, smaller accessories such as pizza stones and pizza cutters are in more demand than ever among home cooks.
The pizza equipment market is only growing, with the global market value of pizza ovens in 2024 exceeding USD 2 billion. This number is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of at least 5.4% until 2032, bringing the total value to approximately USD 3.05 billion.
How to choose the best pizza stone
There are three main types of pizza stones for consumers to consider, and each one comes with its own pros and cons. Which to choose will ultimately come down to what kind of style pizza the user will want to make and personal preferences.
According to Google Ads, “pizza stone” had an average monthly search volume of 90,500 in 2024. Google Ads also reveals that the most searched for types of pizza stones were “cast iron pizza stone,” with 2,900 searches per month, followed by both “ceramic pizza stone” and “cordierite pizza stone,” with 1,300 searches each monthly.
Read on to discover the key features of each of these popular pizza stones.
Cast iron pizza stones
Cast iron pizza stones are valued for their versatility and durability. They’re perfect for use in ovens and outdoor grills because cast iron heats quickly and retains heat well, achieving a crisp crust in a shorter period of time compared to other materials.
Thanks to their non-stick properties, cast iron stones can also be used for more than just pizza, making them a great choice for consumers who want multi-purpose kitchenware.
Ceramic pizza stones
Ceramic pizza stones are designed to mimic the effects of a traditional brick oven. Ceramic is great at retaining and distributing heat, ensuring a well-cooked pizza with a crispy crust. Ceramic pizza stones also help the dough absorb moisture, preventing sogginess and creating a light and airy texture.
Ceramic pizza stones come at a lower price point and also work with conventional overs, making them perhaps the best choice for home cooks or people who occasionally use a pizza oven. To ensure their longevity, these stones should be preheated and cleaned regularly, as well as handled with care as sudden changes in temperatures can cause them to break.
Cordierite pizza stones
Cordierite pizza stones are popular for their durability and resistance to thermal shock. This material is the most reliable for at-home pizza baking, and unlike ceramic, won’t break with sudden changes in temperature. This means they can easily be used in ovens as well as on grills without worry.
Therefore, consumers looking for long-lasting and reliable pizza stones that offer high performance will want to use cordierite. These stones require less maintenance than other materials, making them great for both experienced cooks and beginners.
Final thoughts
When choosing the best type of pizza stone, buyers will mostly choose based on material, of which there are three main types: cast iron, ceramic, and cordierite. Each offers different features and outcomes when cooking pizza. Although ceramic is the most affordable option, it’s prone to breakage and isn’t the most reliable, which is why many consumers turn to either cast iron or cordierite pizza stones, both at home and in commercial kitchens.
