Kitchen Work Triangle Calculator
Type the three distances between your sink, hob and fridge, or place them on a plan of the kitchen. The kitchen work triangle calculator checks each leg and the total against ranges you set, shows the triangle’s shape, and flags an island in the way.
Kitchen work triangle calculator
Planning aid, not a building-code check. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and building type. Confirm with your local rules or a qualified professional. The triangle is one way to think about kitchens; zones and workflows are others.
Measure between the centre fronts of each appliance.
Bare numbers are meters; 190 mm works too.
Assumptions
Change any value to match your product or local rules.
Basis: Example values from a rule of thumb credited to US kitchen-planning guidelines. It is not a building rule; set your own.
Basis: Example values from a rule of thumb credited to US kitchen-planning guidelines. It is not a building rule; set your own.
Basis: Example values from a rule of thumb credited to US kitchen-planning guidelines. It is not a building rule; set your own.
- Sink to hob
- 1.80 m
- 5′ 11″
- Hob to fridge
- 2.40 m
- 7′ 10″
- Fridge to sink
- 2.10 m
- 6′ 11″
- Triangle total
- 6.30 m
- 20′ 8″
- Against your ranges
- All within
Your work triangle totals 6.30 m (20′ 8″). Ranges used: each leg 1.20 m to 2.70 m, total up to 7.90 m.
Each leg
- sink–hob: 1.80 m (5′ 11″), within your range
- hob–fridge: 2.40 m (7′ 10″), within your range
- fridge–sink: 2.10 m (6′ 11″), within your range
- Total 6.30 m (20′ 8″), within your longest total
Shape
- Angles: sink 75.5°, hob 57.9°, fridge 46.6°.
How this was calculated
- Plan mode: each leg = √((x₂ − x₁)² + (y₂ − y₁)²) between the two points.
- Total = sink–hob + hob–fridge + fridge–sink.
- Each leg is compared with your shortest and longest leg; the total with your longest total.
- If one leg is as long as the other two together, the three points are in a line.
- An island is in the way when a leg’s straight line passes through it.
- Total = 1.80 m + 2.40 m + 2.10 m = 6.30 m
How to use it
Measure the legs
Measure in a straight line between the centre fronts of the sink, the hob and the fridge, or choose plan mode and enter where each one is from the left and top walls.
Set your ranges
The shortest leg, longest leg and longest total start at example values from a rule of thumb. They are no building rule; set your own.
Read each leg
Each leg shows whether it is inside your range or by how much it misses, and the total is checked against your longest total.
Check an island
In plan mode, add an island: any leg whose straight line passes through it is flagged.
Worked example
Legs of 1.8 m (sink to hob), 2.4 m (hob to fridge) and 2.1 m (fridge to sink) total 6.3 m. With the example ranges of 1.2–2.7 m per leg and up to 7.9 m in total, every leg and the total are inside the ranges. In feet, legs of 6, 8 and 7 ft total 21 ft, inside 4–9 ft per leg and 26 ft in total.
In plan mode the legs come from the points: a sink 0.6 m from the top wall and 1.8 m from the left, and a hob 1.8 m from the top and 0.6 m from the left, are √(1.2² + 1.2²) = 1.70 m apart.
Islands and through traffic
An island inside the triangle is fine; one that sits across a leg makes you walk round it every time you move between those two points. Plan mode draws the triangle over the plan and names any leg the island crosses. Think about through traffic too: a route to the back door or the dining room that crosses a busy leg puts people in the cook’s way.
When the triangle fits poorly
A one-wall kitchen puts all three points in a line, so the triangle is flat; the calculator says so instead of drawing a shape. In a galley kitchen the legs cross the aisle, and with two cooks or a second sink there are several triangles. Kitchens can also be planned as zones for preparing, cooking, washing up and storing, with the triangle kept as a quick check on walking distances.
Frequently asked questions
What is the kitchen work triangle rule?
A rule of thumb that the sink, hob and fridge should form a triangle whose sides are neither too short nor too long, with nothing blocking them. The figures quoted for it are a starting point; this calculator lets you set the ranges yourself.
How do you measure the work triangle?
Measure straight lines between the centre fronts of the sink, the hob and the fridge, then add them up. In plan mode the calculator measures them from where you place each one.
Does a one-wall kitchen have a work triangle?
Not as a triangle: the three points are in a line, so the “triangle” is flat. The calculator reports the legs and total anyway, which still tells you how far you walk.
Can an island be inside the triangle?
Yes, as long as it doesn’t sit across a leg. In plan mode, add the island and the calculator names any leg it crosses.
Is the work triangle still used?
It is a quick check on walking distances; kitchens with islands or two cooks may suit zones better. Use whichever helps you think about how you cook.
Ready to plan your space?
It is free, runs in your browser and needs no account. Projects are saved privately on this device.