Appliance sizes and the space around them

Sizes you can design to#

Appliance	Width	Depth (body)	Depth with door and handle	Height
Refrigerator, full size	30 / 33 / 36 in (76 / 84 / 91 cm)	28 to 32 in (71 to 81 cm)	30 to 36 in (76 to 91 cm)	66 to 72 in (168 to 183 cm)
Refrigerator, counter depth	30 / 33 / 36 in (76 / 84 / 91 cm)	24 to 25 in (61 to 64 cm)	28 to 30 in (71 to 76 cm)	68 to 72 in (173 to 183 cm)
Refrigerator, integrated EU	600 mm (23.6 in)	550 mm (21.7 in)	600 mm (23.6 in)	1780 to 2000 mm (70 to 79 in)
Freestanding range	30 in (76 cm)	25 to 27 in (64 to 69 cm)	29 to 31 in (74 to 79 cm)	36 in (91 cm) to cooktop
Range, professional style	36 or 48 in (91 or 122 cm)	27 to 29 in (69 to 74 cm)	32 to 35 in (81 to 89 cm)	36 in (91 cm)
Cooktop only	30 or 36 in (76 or 91 cm)	21 in (53 cm) cutout	n/a	3 to 5 in (8 to 13 cm) below counter
Built-in oven, EU	595 mm (23.4 in)	550 mm (21.7 in)	595 mm (23.4 in)	595 mm (23.4 in)
Dishwasher	24 in (61 cm) / 600 mm	24 in (61 cm)	48 in (122 cm) with racks out	34 to 34.5 in (86 to 88 cm)
Dishwasher, slimline	18 in (46 cm) / 450 mm	24 in (61 cm)	44 in (112 cm) with racks out	34 in (86 cm)
Microwave drawer	24 or 30 in (61 or 76 cm)	23 to 24 in (58 to 61 cm)	39 to 44 in (99 to 112 cm) open	15 to 16 in (38 to 41 cm)
Countertop microwave	20 to 24 in (51 to 61 cm)	15 to 20 in (38 to 51 cm)	plus 18 in (46 cm) door	12 to 14 in (30 to 36 cm)

Two entries cause most of the trouble. A "counter-depth" refrigerator is counter depth in the body only: the door and handle still stand 3 to 5 in (8 to 13 cm) proud of a 25 in (64 cm) worktop, and only a fully integrated unit in a 24 in (61 cm) housing gives a flush front. And a dishwasher with its racks out is a 48 in (122 cm) object, which is the number that matters in an island aisle, not the 24 in on the spec sheet.

Landing areas, appliance by appliance#

Appliance	Required clearance	Where it is measured	Source
Refrigerator	15 in (38 cm) of counter	Handle side, or either side of a French door, or within 48 in (122 cm) on an island	NKBA guideline 16
Cooking surface	12 in (30 cm) and 15 in (38 cm)	One side and the other, at the same height, 16 in (41 cm) deep	NKBA guideline 17
Above a cooking surface	24 in (61 cm) protected, 30 in (76 cm) unprotected	Cooking surface to the surface above	NKBA guideline 18
Oven	15 in (38 cm) of counter	Beside it, or directly across an aisle no wider than 48 in (122 cm)	NKBA guideline 23
Microwave	15 in (38 cm) of counter	Above, below or adjacent	NKBA guideline 22
Microwave height	54 in (137 cm) max to the base	Floor to the underside of the cavity	NKBA guideline 21
Dishwasher	21 in (53 cm) of standing space	Beside the open door	NKBA guideline 13
Dishwasher to sink	36 in (91 cm) max	Nearest edge to nearest edge	NKBA guideline 13
Prep sink	36 in (91 cm) of uninterrupted counter	Beside the sink	NKBA guideline 12

Where two of these overlap, guideline 24 lets you count the larger requirement plus 12 in (30 cm) rather than adding them. A 15 in fridge landing next to a 12 in cooktop landing becomes 27 in (69 cm), not 27 in by coincidence but by rule: 15 + 12. That allowance is what makes the compact one-wall and galley runs possible at all.

Door swings, and the direction people get wrong#

The 2 to 3 in hinge-side figure is derived, not arbitrary. To pull a crisper out cleanly the door must open to about 120 degrees, and swinging the rear corner of a 2.5 in (6 cm) thick door from 90 to 120 degrees pushes it past the plane of the case side by 2.5 x sin 30, which is 1.25 in (3 cm). Add the handle and service tolerance and 2 to 3 in is the honest allowance. Fit a fridge tight into a niche and it opens to exactly 90 degrees and no further, so the drawers jam on the door seal for the life of the kitchen.

Other swings to draw on the plan:

• Dishwasher door: 24 in (61 cm) down and out from the cabinet face, plus 20 in (51 cm) of rack travel.
• Under-counter oven door: 21 to 24 in (53 to 61 cm), and it is at shin height, which is worse than a door at chest height.
• Range oven door with a hot tray on it: 24 in (61 cm) plus a person, so 46 in (117 cm) of aisle while cooking. The strongest argument for a 48 in (122 cm) aisle in front of a range.
• Microwave drawer: 39 to 44 in (99 to 112 cm) when open, but at counter height, so it collides with an island rather than with your shins.

Air gaps, ventilation and the things that fail quietly#

• Refrigerator: typically 1 in (25 mm) at the rear and top and about 1/8 in (3 mm) at the sides. Integrated units need a ventilated plinth and an outlet at the top of the housing. A fridge starved of air runs its compressor longer and fails early, and it fails silently.
• Built-in oven: the housing needs the maker's ventilation gap, usually at the plinth or a slot at the back. Never seal an oven housing to the wall.
• Dishwasher: a 600 mm or 24 in aperture with about 5 mm (0.2 in) of tolerance, plus a route for the drain hose that rises to a high loop.
• Extraction: NKBA guideline 19 asks for at least 150 cfm (255 m3/h) over the cooking surface, and IRC section M1503 governs ducting and termination. Hood width and mounting height are in upper cabinet and backsplash heights.
• Electrical: NKBA guideline 30 and the IRC both require GFCI protection at kitchen counter receptacles, spaced so no point along the counter is more than 24 in (61 cm) from an outlet.

The sink, the window and the tap#

Centre the sink bowl on the window opening. Not the cabinet, not the run: the bowl, because that is what your body aligns with. A 30 in (76 cm) sink base under a 36 in (91 cm) window centres cleanly with 3 in (8 cm) each side; a 33 in (84 cm) base under a 30 in (76 cm) window reads as an error from the garden forever.

Two checks before ordering:

1. Tap height against the sill. A pull-out tap needs 14 to 18 in (36 to 46 cm) of clearance above the counter, plus room to lift the spray head. A sill 6 in (15 cm) above the counter blocks it. Either move the tap to the side of the bowl or choose a low-profile model.
2. Window opening direction. A casement that opens inward over the sink cannot be opened once a tap is fitted, and NKBA guideline 20 warns specifically against putting a cooking surface below an operable window for the same class of reason.

Checking your appliance schedule in five minutes#

1. Get the actual installation manual for every appliance you have chosen, not the retail listing. Note the aperture, not the product dimension.
2. Add handle and door projection to every depth in your plan.
3. Draw every open door as a rectangle at full projection and mark which pairs can be open at once.
4. Check the four landing areas: 15 in fridge, 12 and 15 in cooktop, 15 in oven and microwave, 21 in beside the dishwasher.
5. Confirm 42 in (107 cm) of clear floor in front of the fridge and the oven.
6. Confirm the delivery route to the room. A 36 in (91 cm) fridge needs a clear path, and furniture delivery path covers the doorway and turn arithmetic that strands appliances in hallways.