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Kitchen work triangle calculator
Measure between the sink, range and fridge and see whether your kitchen layout works for everyday cooking.
What is the kitchen work triangle?
The imaginary triangle between the sink, the cooktop and the refrigerator, the three places you go back and forth between most. Keep it compact and you take fewer steps; keep traffic out of it and nobody walks through the cook.
The rules of thumb
Each leg should be 4 to 9 feet, and all three together 13 to 26 feet. Measure from the center front of each appliance or sink. An island or tall cabinet should not cut across a leg by more than about 12".
Zones for bigger kitchens
In large or two-cook kitchens, designers plan zones instead: prep, cooking, cleanup, and storage, sometimes with a prep sink on the island. Try the kitchen layout planner to test a layout.
Common questions
How far apart should the sink and stove be?
Between 4 and 9 feet, with at least 24" of counter between them for prep.
Does the work triangle still matter?
For one cook, yes; it keeps steps short. Larger kitchens often layer work zones on top of it.
Related tools & pages
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