Pick your bath and enter the tallest person who showers. You get the height of every accessory, from the toilet paper holder to the shower head, drawn on the wall.
Toilet paper holder
26″ from the floor38–42″ from the wall behind the toilet · towel bar 48″ · shower arm 78″
Quick answer: hang the toilet paper holder 26″ from the floor, 8–12″ in front of the toilet bowl. Put the towel bar at 48″, a towel ring with its bottom at 48″ and a robe hook at 70″. A tub’s valve goes 32″ above the tub floor, a shower’s 45–48″, and the shower arm at 78″. Grab bars sit 33–36″ high. In an accessible (ADA) bathroom, nothing you reach for goes above 48″.
How to use the bathroom accessory height calculator
- Pick everyday or accessible. Accessible uses the 2010 ADA Standards: lower hooks and towel bars, a hand shower, grab bars drawn in.
- Pick a tub with a shower, or a shower only. The valve sits much lower over a tub.
- Enter the tallest person who showers. Over 6′2″, the shower arm goes higher.
- Measure the toilet from the wall behind it to the front of the bowl: you get the spot to drill for the paper holder. Copy link keeps the result.
The rules behind the numbers
Toilet paper holder: 26″ up, just in front of the bowl
The NKBA’s bathroom planning guidelines put the holder 8–12″ in front of the edge of the toilet bowl, centered 26″ above the floor, where your hand falls when you sit. The ADA rule is tighter on distance: 7–9″ in front of the toilet to the middle of the holder, its outlet 15–48″ up, and never behind a grab bar: at least 1½″ below it or 12″ above.
Towels and hooks
True Value’s mounting guide gives the everyday heights: a towel bar at 48″ to its middle, a towel ring with its bottom at 48″ (the ring hangs from a post above it), and towel and robe hooks at 70″. For access, the ADA reach limit is 48″, and 44″ over a vanity 20–25″ deep, so hooks come down to 48″.
The shower: the valve maker’s rough-in
Moen’s rough-in instructions for its Posi-Temp valves: over a tub, the valve 32″ above the tub’s floor with the spout 6–11″ below it; in a shower only, the valve 45–48″ above the shower floor; either way, the shower arm 78″ up. That arm clears a 6′2″ head by 4″, so for anyone taller we keep the 4″. The NKBA allows shower controls anywhere from 38″ to 48″ to suit shorter people. An ADA shower has a hand shower on a hose at least 59″ long, or a fixed head no higher than 48″.
Grab bars and the vanity light
Grab bars go 33–36″ above the floor to the top of the bar (ADA §609.4, and the NKBA’s guidelines). Beside the toilet, the ADA side bar is 42″ long, starting no more than 12″ from the back wall and reaching 54″ from it; behind the toilet, 36″ long. A tub gets a second bar 8–10″ above its rim. Lighting maker Kichler centers a vanity light 72″ above the floor, up to 80″ for tall people or high ceilings, and never higher.
Bathroom accessory height chart
| Accessory | Everyday | Accessible (ADA) |
|---|---|---|
| Toilet paper holder | 26″, 8–12″ in front of the bowl | 26″, 7–9″ in front of the bowl |
| Towel bar (to its middle) | 48″ | 48″ at most |
| Towel ring (its bottom) | 48″ | 48″ |
| Robe and towel hooks | 70″ | 48″ at most |
| Shower arm | 78″ above the tub or shower floor | hand shower, 59″ hose |
| Tub and shower valve | 32″ above the tub’s floor | end wall, rim to 33″ |
| Shower valve | 45–48″ | 38–48″ |
| Grab bars (to the top) | 33–36″ | 33–36″ |
| Vanity light (its middle) | 72″, 80″ at most | 72″, 80″ at most |
Heights are from the finished floor unless the row says otherwise. The ADA column is what the 2010 ADA Standards require in public buildings, and a sound plan for anyone aging in place.
Three worked examples
A family bathroom with a tub. The toilet’s bowl ends 30″ from the wall, so drill the paper holder 38–42″ from the wall, 26″ up. The valve goes 32″ above the tub’s floor, the spout 21–26″, and the shower arm 78″.
A 6′4″ owner’s walk-in shower. The valve goes 45–48″ up, and the arm rises to 80″ so the spray clears a 76″ head by 4″. The round-bowl toilet, 28″ deep, puts the paper holder 36–40″ from the wall.
An accessible shower bathroom. The paper holder moves to 37–39″ from the wall, below the grab bar. Hooks and towel bars come down to 48″, and the shower gets a hand shower on a 59″ hose with the controls 38–48″ up.
Common mistakes
- The paper holder behind you. Mounted beside the tank, it makes you twist to reach it. It belongs in front of the bowl’s edge.
- Measuring from the tub rim. Moen’s valve heights start from the floor of the tub, not the bathroom floor or the rim.
- A towel bar over the toilet paper. Towels hide the roll and drip on it. Keep the bar on another wall or well to the side.
- Grab bars without blocking. A bar screwed only to drywall pulls out. Put wood blocking in the walls at 33–36″ while they are open.
- A robe hook behind the door’s swing. A robe on a hook where the door opens keeps it from opening fully.
Planning the whole bathroom? Lay it out to scale in the free 2D room planner, set the vanity and mirror with the vanity height calculator, and size the curtain with the shower curtain size calculator.
Plan the bathroom freeRead next
- Towel ring placement ideas
- Small powder room ideas
- Guest bathroom ideas
- Small bathroom ideas
- Kids bathroom ideas
Bathroom accessory height questions
What is the standard toilet paper holder height?
26″ from the floor to the middle of the holder, 8–12″ in front of the edge of the toilet bowl, as the NKBA’s bathroom guidelines put it. For an accessible bathroom, the ADA wants it 7–9″ in front of the toilet and below the grab bar.
What height should a towel bar be?
48″ from the floor to the middle of the bar. A bath towel folded over it stays off the floor, and a hand towel stays off the counter. A towel ring goes with its bottom at 48″, and hooks at 70″.
What is the standard shower head height?
Moen’s rough-in puts the shower arm 78″ above the floor of the shower or tub, and 80″ is often quoted too. If anyone who showers is taller than about 6′2″, raise the arm so it clears their head by 4″, or fit a slide bar.
How high should a shower valve be?
Over a tub, 32″ above the floor of the tub, with the spout 6–11″ below it. In a shower only, 45–48″ above the shower floor. The NKBA allows 38–48″, lower for shorter people.
What is the ADA grab bar height?
33–36″ above the floor, measured to the top of the bar. Beside a toilet the bar is 42″ long, from 12″ off the back wall to 54″; behind it, 36″ long. A tub also gets a bar 8–10″ above its rim.
How high should a robe hook be?
About 70″ from the floor, so a robe hangs clear of it. In an accessible bathroom, 48″ at most, within reach from a wheelchair.
How high should a vanity light be?
Kichler centers it 72″ above the floor, up to 80″ for tall people or a high ceiling, and never higher. Keep the fixture no wider than the mirror.