KITCHEN SIZE GUIDE

The kitchen work triangle and clearances

The work triangle links the sink, hob and fridge. Keep it compact and out of the way of through-traffic, leave enough aisle to work in, and put worktop beside each appliance. These are the NKBA figures designers start from, in metric and imperial.

A 4,500 × 3,600 mm kitchen-diner drawn in Free Room Planner at 1:50, with an L-shaped run of units, a range cooker, a tall fridge freezer and a dining table — A kitchen-diner planned in Free Room Planner, from sheet 1 of its scaled PDF. Measure the triangle and aisles on your own plan the same way.

Check the triangle in your kitchen →

The work triangle rules

Rule	Metric	Imperial
Each leg at least	1.2 m	4 ft
Each leg at most	2.7 m	9 ft
All three legs together	No more than 7.9 m	26 ft
Crossing an island or peninsula	No more than 305 mm	12 in

Measure each leg from the centre of the front of the sink, hob and fridge. The NKBA also says no major traffic route should cross the triangle: someone walking through to the garden shouldn’t pass between the sink and the hob.

L-shaped kitchen plan, 3.6 by 3.0 metres, with the work triangle drawn between the front centres of the sink, hob and fridge: sink to fridge 1.40 m, fridge to hob 2.55 m, hob to sink 1.42 m, 5.37 m in total — An L-shaped kitchen, 3.6 × 3.0 m. Legs: sink to fridge 1.40 m, fridge to hob 2.55 m, hob to sink 1.42 m; 5.37 m in total, inside every limit.

Aisles and walkways

Space	Minimum	When it applies
Work aisle, one cook	1,067 mm (42 in)	Between worktops, appliances or an island where someone works
Work aisle, two or more cooks	1,219 mm (48 in)	When people regularly cook at the same time
Walkway	914 mm (36 in)	A route with no worktop on either side
Walkways meeting at a corner	1,067 mm (42 in)	One of the two should be this wide
Doorway, clear opening	813 mm (32 in)	Into the kitchen

These are the minimums. An open dishwasher or oven door takes up much of an aisle, so a busy kitchen benefits from more.

Landing space beside each appliance

The work triangle only works if there is somewhere to put things down at each corner:

Next to	Worktop to leave	Imperial
Sink	610 mm one side, 457 mm the other	24 in and 18 in
Hob	305 mm one side, 381 mm the other	12 in and 15 in
Fridge	381 mm on the handle side	15 in
Oven	381 mm beside or above	15 in
Main preparation area	914 × 610 mm, next to the sink	36 × 24 in

Put the dishwasher within 914 mm (36 in) of the edge of the sink, with 533 mm (21 in) of standing room beside it. Across the whole kitchen the NKBA suggests about 4,013 mm (158 in) of worktop frontage, 610 mm deep.

The triangle in each layout

Galley: sink and hob on one side, fridge on the other, with a 1,067 mm (42 in) aisle between.
L-shaped: two corners of the triangle on the long run, one on the short run, as in the plan above.
U-shaped: one point on each side of the U, which keeps every leg short.
Island: if the sink or hob is on the island, check that no leg crosses its end by more than 305 mm. See island dimensions.
Single-wall: a working line rather than a triangle.

Try this in your room. Draw your kitchen, place the sink, hob and fridge, and measure the triangle and the aisles on screen.

Open the kitchen planner

More size guides

Questions

What is the kitchen work triangle rule?

The NKBA guideline is that the three legs between the sink, the hob and the fridge should add up to no more than 7.9 m (26 ft), with no single leg shorter than 1.2 m (4 ft) or longer than 2.7 m (9 ft). Each leg is measured from the centre-front of one to the centre-front of the next.

Can a work triangle cross an island?

Only slightly. The NKBA says no leg should cut across an island or peninsula by more than 305 mm (12 in), and main traffic routes should not run through the triangle.

How wide should a kitchen aisle be?

At least 1,067 mm (42 in) for one cook and 1,219 mm (48 in) for two or more, measured between worktops, appliances or an island. A walkway with no work on either side needs at least 914 mm (36 in).

How much worktop do you need beside a hob and sink?

The NKBA suggests 305 mm (12 in) on one side of a hob and 381 mm (15 in) on the other, and 610 mm (24 in) on one side of the sink and 457 mm (18 in) on the other.

Does a single-wall kitchen have a work triangle?

Not really: with everything on one wall the sink, hob and fridge sit in a line. Plan it as a working sequence of fridge, preparation space, sink, preparation space and hob, with landing space beside each.

Sources

Figures were checked against these references in October 2026. Manufacturers’ sizes vary, so check the specification sheet for the products you buy.

NKBA Kitchen Planning Guidelines