Kitchen Dimensions: Standard Counter, Cabinet, Aisle and Appliance Sizes

Laundry appliance sizes

Standard kitchen dimensions at a glance

US and Canadian kitchens are built on a small set of fixed numbers. Cabinets, countertops and appliances are all made to fit them, which is why a 30 in range from one brand slides into the space left by another.

The wall cabinet heights line up with ceilings. With uppers starting at 54 in (36 in counter plus 18 in gap), 30 in cabinets finish at 84 in, 36 in cabinets at 90 in, and 42 in cabinets at 96 in, which is the top of a standard 8 ft ceiling. Every cabinet size and its metric equivalent is in the kitchen cabinet dimensions guide, and slab sizes and overhangs are in the countertop size guide.

Kitchen aisle widths and clearances

These figures come from the NKBA Kitchen Planning Guidelines, which most US kitchen designers work to. They are recommendations, not code, but a kitchen that misses them feels cramped the first time two people use it.

When two walkways meet at a right angle, NKBA's access standard asks for one of them to be at least 42 in wide so a wheelchair or a person carrying a tray can turn. Appliance doors also eat into aisles: an open dishwasher door reaches about 24 in into the room and a refrigerator door 15 to 36 in (half-width French doors swing the least), so a 42 in aisle opposite either one still leaves room to stand.

Island and counter seating sizes

Each seat needs 24 in (61 cm) of counter length. How far the top must overhang depends on its height, because a higher seat lets the knees sit closer to the cabinet.

So an island that seats three on one side needs to be at least 72 in (183 cm) long, and a counter-height island built on 24 in base cabinets with a 15 in overhang ends up about 39 in (99 cm) deep. Stool heights are covered in the bar stool size guide.

The kitchen work triangle

The work triangle connects the three main work centers: the sink, the cooking surface and the refrigerator. NKBA's rule for a kitchen with three work centers:

• Each leg between 4 ft and 9 ft (1.2 to 2.7 m), measured from the center front of each appliance or sink.
• All three legs together no more than 26 ft (7.9 m).
• No island or peninsula cutting into any leg by more than 12 in (30 cm).
• No major traffic route crossing the triangle, and no full-height pantry or fridge standing between two of the work centers.

Under 4 ft, the counter between two centers is too short to work on. Over 9 ft, you walk too far carrying a wet pot. A kitchen with a second sink or a separate wall oven adds more legs, and each extra leg follows the same 4 to 9 ft rule.

Appliance openings and sizes

Appliances are sold by the width of the opening they fill. The appliance itself is a little narrower so it can slide in, and its depth is set so the door lines up roughly with the cabinet fronts.

Refrigerator 36 in French doorWasher Front-loadRange 30 × 36 inDishwasher 24 × 34.5 in

A standard-depth refrigerator, 33 to 36 in deep with its handles, sticks out 8 to 11 in past the countertop edge. If you want a flush look, plan for a counter-depth model or a built-in, both covered in the refrigerator size guide.

Landing areas next to each appliance

Landing area is counter space where you can set something down the moment it comes out of an appliance. NKBA's minimums, with the counter at least 16 in deep:

Where two landing areas overlap, take the larger requirement and add 12 in. A sink next to a range therefore needs at least 36 in of counter between them (24 in plus 12 in), not 24 in plus 15 in. Across the whole kitchen, NKBA recommends 158 in (401 cm) of countertop frontage, 24 in deep, with 15 in of clear space above it.

Minimum kitchen sizes by layout

The clearances above set the smallest practical room for each layout. These are worked out from 25 in deep countertops and NKBA aisle widths.

For length, add up the openings. A compact one-wall kitchen with a 24 in fridge, a 24 in range, an 18 in dishwasher, a 30 in sink base and two 15 in landing cabinets runs 126 in (10 ft 6 in, 320 cm). Swap in full-size 36 in, 30 in and 24 in appliances and the same wall needs 150 in (12 ft 6 in, 381 cm).

Kitchen dimensions in cm (European and UK kitchens)

European kitchens use metric modules, typically multiples of 10 or 15 cm wide, with appliances 60 cm wide as the base unit.

A UK base unit of 72 cm on a 15 cm plinth with a 4 cm worktop gives a 91 cm counter. Freestanding European appliances are built to 60 × 60 × 85 cm. A 60 cm module is only 1 cm (0.4 in) narrower than the US 24 in module, but European worktops are 60 cm deep instead of 64 cm, so full-depth US appliances stick out past the worktop edge.

Accessible and multi-height counters

• Lower work counter: NKBA recommends two counter heights in a kitchen, one between 28 and 36 in (71 to 91 cm) and one between 36 and 45 in (91 to 114 cm). A 30 in section with knee space below works for seated prep, baking and children.
• Accessible sink and cooktop: ICC A117.1 sets a maximum sink height of 34 in (86 cm), and NKBA's access standard suggests lowering a cooktop to 34 in with knee space beneath. Knee spaces should be at least 30 in wide; NKBA recommends 36 in.
• Microwave height: the bottom of the oven ideally sits 3 in below the main user's shoulder and no higher than 54 in (137 cm). Below the counter, keep it at least 15 in off the floor.
• Storage reach: put everyday items between 15 and 48 in (38 to 122 cm) above the floor. The top shelf of a 42 in wall cabinet is 85 to 90 in up, which most people cannot reach without a step.

Laundry appliances in or near the kitchen

In many US apartments and European homes the washer lives in the kitchen, under the counter or in a closet off it. Full-size US washers and dryers are 27 in wide and 38 to 39 in tall in front-load form, so they do not fit under a 36 in counter; 24 in compact front-loaders (about 33.5 in tall) and 60 cm European machines (85 cm tall) do.

• Washer cabinet sizes, drum capacities in cu ft and kg, and the 60 cm European standard: washing machine dimensions.
• Stacked pairs, laundry closet sizes, hookups and delivery paths: planning the laundry space.
• Dryer sizes, vent duct limits and power supply: dryer dimensions.

Sink bowl sizes and the cabinets they need are in the kitchen sink size guide.

Frequently asked questions