Pizza Stone vs Steel: Which Is Best for Your Domestic Home Oven?

If you’ve started making pizza at home, you’ve probably heard two recommendations for a great bake: a pizza stone or a pizza steel. Both promise crispier crusts and better browning - but they actually work very differently. Here’s a quick breakdown to help you make up your mind when choosing what to use.

Charge Time: How Long They Take to Heat

Stone:

Typically requires 45 - 60 minutes of preheating for best results.

Steel:

Heats in 20 - 30 minutes, half the time (metal is a far better conductor of heat).

Material Matters: Porosity & Heat

Pizza stones are porous - they absorb moisture, oils, and even burnt bits over time, which can lead to stains, smells, and cracks.

Carbon steel is non-porous, so moisture stays in the dough, not the material. It also heats faster and transfers energy far more efficiently, giving you a crisp, golden crust with soft, airy interiors - just like a pizzeria.

Heat Retention, Transfer & Conductivity

This is where the steel wins decisively.

Stone:

• Holds heat well, but transfers it slowly.

• Good for gentle, even cooking.

• Struggles to mimic the performance of stone in a real pizzeria oven environment.

  
  

Steel:

• Conducts heat up to 20x better than stone.

• Transfers energy to the dough instantly, helping create a blistered, crisp base and is vital for explosive oven spring.

• Retains heat between pizzas so your second and third pizzas bake just as well as the first.

(If you’ve ever made two pizzas back-to-back and the second came out pale, that’s a stone problem - not a steel one).

Longevity & Durability

Stone:

• Can crack from thermal shock.

• Will break if dropped.

• Stains easily.

• Typically very thick

  
  

Steel:

• Practically indestructible.

• A lifetime purchase.

• Can be re-seasoned like a cast-iron pan and will only improve with use.

Pros & Cons Summary

Pizza Stone

✓ Gentle heat

✓ Traditionally used

✗ Slow to charge

✗ Can crack

✗ Lower conductivity

✗ Inconsistent for multiple pizzas

Pizza Steel

✓ Fast preheat

✓ Exceptional conductivity

✓ Crispy, puffy crusts

✓ Virtually indestructible

✓ Best results in standard home ovens

✗ Heavier than a stone (the only real downside)

Final Verdict: Steel Wins

If you want faster preheats, consistent browning, and pizzeria-quality crusts in your home oven, carbon steel is the clear winner. It combines durability, speed, and heat performance in a way a stone simply can’t match. It’s the closest you’ll get to pizzeria results - without splashing out on a dedicated indoor/outdoor oven.

Ready to level-up your homemade pizza?

Pick up a ScratchMadePizza carbon steel and start baking like a pro - at home.