Installation requirements including protection of side cabinets is included in the Installation Instructions.

Cooks Kitchen, I am a bit surprised you would give that kind of advice. You and I both know just throwing a sheet of stainless steel behind the range is not going to protect the wall from heat. They need a back guard specifically made for their appliance, no exceptions as per the appliance specifications and referenced by building code.

You are correct that the specs need to be consulted. But it’s a consumer grade Maytag. 9K & 5K rear burner, not 20K. Not a high BTU pro style range. 99% chance that the specs will be fine with stainless.

Edit: Just checked the clearances myself. Zero clearance at walls is fine for this model.

Thanks cooks kitchen I stand corrected =). Appreciate the link as well.

"Just checked the clearances myself. Zero clearance at walls is fine for this model."

Nearby cabinets are not a wall. Refer to item D in the Freestanding Cutout diagram and the NOTE at the bottom of the page that explains how adjacent cabinets are to be protected based upon their distance from the top of the cooktop.

Just to be clear, I have 18” clearance between the rangetop and the wall cabinets on either side of the range (measurement “A”) and 28” clearance between the rangetop and the stainless steel vent hood (measurement “D”).

I think the wall material behind the range is probably regular sheetrock. I will plan to follow Cook’s Kitchen and put a 24 x 30 stainless steel sheet on the wall.

Thanks, all, for your advice.