Reference

The numbers we design to

This is the sheet we work from, published rather than kept in a drawer. Clearances, rough-ins, ventilation and storage, in the units they are actually specified in.

Basis: Common NKBA planning guidance
Units: Inches, feet, CFM, BTU
Status: Planning guidance, not code

Stack of scale kitchen floor plans on a studio table

One

The work triangle

Sink, range and refrigerator. Each leg 4 ft to 9 ft, the three together 13 ft to 26 ft, and no major traffic route cutting through the middle of it. Move the sliders and the diagram redraws to scale.

Sink to range5.0 ft

Range to refrigerator6.0 ft

Refrigerator to sink5.5 ft

Work aisle42 in

S sink · R range or cooktop · F refrigerator

Total 16.5 ft

OK Every leg is between 4 ft and 9 ft.
OK Total is inside the 13 ft to 26 ft range.
OK The three lengths form a usable triangle.
OK 42 in suits one cook and clears a dishwasher door.

Planning guidance based on common NKBA figures. A measured survey supersedes any of this.

Two

Clearance minimums

Every figure is measured between finished faces, not between studs. The landing areas beside the range, the refrigerator and the sink are the ones most often missing from a plan that otherwise looks fine.

Scroll the table sideways for every column

Kitchen clearance and landing-area minimums
Where	Dimension	Note
Walkway through a kitchen	36 in minimum	Measured between opposing fixed faces, not between wall studs.
Work aisle, one cook	42 in minimum	Between the counter face and the island or opposing run.
Work aisle, two cooks	48 in	Also the figure to use when a dishwasher and an oven face each other.
Seating behind a walkway	44 in	From the counter edge to the wall or obstruction behind the stools.
Landing area beside the range	15 in one side, 12 in the other	Uninterrupted counter, not a cooktop overhang or a sink lip.
Landing area beside the refrigerator	15 in on the handle side	Or 15 in on a counter no more than 48 in across from the door swing.
Landing area at the sink	24 in one side, 18 in the other	The wider side becomes the staging counter for dish loading.
Counter to underside of wall cabinet	18 in standard	15 in only above a dedicated appliance garage or open shelf.
Cooktop to underside of a hood	24 in to 30 in	Follow the appliance data plate. Gas cooktops usually want 30 in.
Clear floor at a dishwasher	21 in in front of the open door	Door plus loading stance. A 42 in aisle just clears it.
Counter height, standard	36 in finished	34 in for a dedicated baking or accessible work surface.
Toe kick	4 in high, 3 in deep	Set after the flooring is down, which is why flooring goes first.

Three

Appliance rough-in dimensions

Cut-outs vary by half an inch between manufacturers, so the number that matters is the one on your model's spec sheet. These are the figures we use to draw before the appliances are chosen.

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Typical North American appliance openings and services
Appliance	Opening	Depth	Height	Services	Note
Freestanding range, 30 in	30 in +0/-0	25 in case, 29 in with handle	36 in to cooktop, adjustable legs	120 V / 40 A 240 V, or 1/2 in gas with a shut-off behind	Leave the gas shut-off reachable without pulling the range.
Slide-in range, 30 in	30 in, counter cut 30-1/8 in	25 in	Cooktop sits on the counter, 36 in	Same as freestanding	Needs a finished counter return behind it. No backsplash gap filler.
Wall oven, single 30 in	28-1/2 in x 28-1/2 in typical	24 in	Control panel at 36 in to 48 in	Dedicated 240 V / 30 A	Confirm the exact cut-out from the model spec sheet. It varies by 1/2 in between brands.
Dishwasher, 24 in	24 in x 34 in x 24 in	24 in, 26-1/2 in with the door open flat	34 in under a 36 in counter	120 V, hot supply, drain with high loop or air gap	21 in of clear floor in front of the open door.
Counter-depth refrigerator, 36 in	36-1/4 in wide, 70 in - 72 in tall	24 in to 25 in case, 30 in with doors	Allow 1 in above for air	120 V plus 1/4 in water line	French doors need 15 in of landing counter on the handle side.
Built-in refrigerator, 36 in	36 in x 84 in framed opening	24 in flush with cabinetry	84 in with grille	120 V dedicated, water line in the cabinet above	The opening is framed by the cabinetmaker. Get the spec before the boxes are cut.
Microwave drawer, 24 in	24 in x 15-3/8 in x 23 in	23 in	Handle at 36 in or below	120 V dedicated 15 A	Works well in an island, keeps the wall clear for a hood.
Undercounter wine unit, 15 in	15 in x 34 in x 24 in	24 in	34 in	120 V dedicated, 1 in rear air gap	Compressor heat needs a path out. Do not box it in tight.

Always confirm against the appliance manufacturer's installation sheet before cutting cabinetry or stone.

Four

Drawers or doors

Zone by zone. Drawers win almost everywhere in a base run, and lose decisively in exactly two places. Knowing which is which is most of a storage plan.

Pots and pans, 30 in base

Drawer: Two deep drawers, 10 in and 12 in inside. Everything reachable from above, nothing stacked behind.
Door: One shelf plus a floor. The back 9 in becomes a place where lids live and are never found.

Drawers. This is the single biggest usability change in a remodel.

Plates and bowls

Drawer: A 36 in drawer with pegs holds about 24 plates in one reach, at counter height.
Door: A wall cabinet holds more per square foot but needs a stretch and a two-hand lift.

Drawer if you have base run to spare, wall cabinet if you do not.

Pantry goods

Drawer: Deep drawers in a 24 in base show every jar label from above.
Door: A tall larder with pull-out shelves is denser and keeps the run visually calm.

Tall unit with internal pull-outs. You get drawer access with pantry volume.

Blind corner

Drawer: Not possible. A drawer cannot reach around a corner.
Door: A swing-out or a magic-corner fitting recovers roughly 70 percent of a 33 in blind base.

Door with a corner fitting, or delete the corner with a diagonal sink base.

Under the sink

Drawer: A U-shaped drawer clears the trap and holds bottles upright.
Door: Standard. Simple, cheap, and the space around the trap is wasted.

U-drawer if the budget allows. It converts dead space to real storage.

Cutlery and small tools

Drawer: A 21 in top drawer with a dividing tray, 4 in inside height.
Door: No sensible equivalent.

Drawer. Plan two of them, not one.

Baking sheets and boards

Drawer: Needs a 6 in drawer at least 18 in deep, which is rarely available.
Door: A 12 in or 15 in tray base with vertical dividers stores eight sheets on edge.

Door with vertical dividers. This is where doors clearly win.

Recycling and waste

Drawer: A 18 in pull-out with two 35 qt bins sits under the prep counter.
Door: Bins on the cabinet floor, lifted out by hand.

Pull-out. Place it within one step of the prep sink, not by the back door.

Five

Ventilation by cooktop type

Total burner BTU divided by one hundred, rounded up to the next model. Then match the duct. Above 400 CFM, plan the make-up air path during framing.

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Hood airflow, duct size and mounting height by cooktop
Cooktop	Airflow	Duct	Hood width	Mounting	Note
Electric or induction, 30 in	250 - 350 CFM	6 in round	30 in, 36 in preferred	Mount 24 in - 30 in above	Induction boils fast and throws a lot of steam. Do not under-size it because there is no flame.
Gas, 30 in, up to 40,000 BTU	350 - 450 CFM	6 in or 7 in round	36 in	Mount 27 in - 30 in above	Rule of thumb: 1 CFM for every 100 BTU of burner rating, then round up.
Gas, 36 in, 45,000 - 60,000 BTU	450 - 600 CFM	8 in round	42 in	Mount 30 in above	At 400 CFM and above, Oregon requires a make-up air path. Plan it during framing, not at inspection.
Pro range, 48 in, 60,000+ BTU	600 - 1,200 CFM	8 in or 10 in round	54 in	Mount 30 in - 36 in above	A powered make-up air damper interlocked with the hood is effectively mandatory.
Island cooktop, any fuel	+100 - 200 CFM	Straight vertical run through the roof	6 in wider than the cooktop on each side	Mount 30 in - 36 in above	Added on top of the equivalent wall figure. No wall to help capture, and cross-draught from the room works against the hood.
Downdraft, any fuel	500 - 600 CFM	Under-floor or toe-kick run to an exterior wall	Matches the cooktop	Rises 8 in - 10 in behind the burners	Fights physics. We specify it only when a hood is genuinely impossible.

Six

The four plans, drawn to scale

The same four archetypes as on the home page, side by side, so you can compare the aisle each one demands against the room you actually have.

Galley: 42 in minimum between opposing fronts, 48 in if two cooks pass

Galley

Legs 4 ft to 7 ft. Total 13 ft to 20 ft, which is comfortably inside the 26 ft ceiling

L-shape: Open on two sides, so 36 in of clear floor in front of each run is enough

L-shape

Legs 4 ft to 8 ft. Total 15 ft to 22 ft

U-shape: 60 in between opposing runs so the base of the U stays usable

U-shape

Legs 4 ft to 7 ft. Total 13 ft to 19 ft, the shortest of the four

Island plan: 42 in on the working sides, 36 in on a no-work side, 44 in where seating backs onto a walkway

Island plan

Legs 4 ft to 8 ft. Total 16 ft to 24 ft when the sink moves to the island

Where we stand

Numbers on a page are a starting point. Your room is the argument.

Bring these figures to the survey and hold us to them. Every plan we hand over carries its aisle widths and work-triangle total written on the drawing.

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