Measure between the centres of the sink, the cooktop and the fridge. You see whether your kitchen’s work triangle works, which leg is too long or too short, and the fix. Then open a kitchen in the free planner and draw yours.
Your work triangle
It works: 18′ in allevery leg between 4′ and 9′, the three under 26′
Quick answer: the kitchen work triangle joins the sink, the cooktop and the fridge. By the NKBA’s kitchen planning guidelines each leg should be 4′ to 9′, and the three together no more than 26′. Measure yours above; then open a kitchen in the free 2D planner and draw your own.
How to use the kitchen layout planner
- Measure the three legs from the middle of the front of each: sink to cooktop, cooktop to fridge, fridge to sink.
- Read the answer. Each leg shows green if it is between 4′ and 9′, and the total if it is under 26′. A leg out of range comes with the fix.
- Open a kitchen in the free planner to try another layout before anything is moved. Copy link keeps the result.
The kitchen work triangle rule
- Each leg 4′ to 9′ (1.2–2.7 m). Under 4′ and there is no counter between two stations to set things down; over 9′ and every meal is a walk.
- The three together: 26′ (7.9 m) at most. A big kitchen still wants a tight triangle.
- Nothing through it. An island or peninsula should not cut into a leg by more than 12″ (30 cm), and the house’s main path should not run through the triangle.
- Two cooks, two triangles. A second sink on an island gives the second cook a triangle of their own; they may share one station.
Work triangles by kitchen layout
| Layout | Typical legs | In all | Works? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galley (two parallel runs) | 5′, 7′, 5′ | 17′ | Yes |
| L-shape | 6′, 7′, 5′ | 18′ | Yes |
| U-shape | 7′, 8′, 7′ | 22′ | Yes |
| Large L with the fridge far away | 8′, 10′, 7′ | 25′ | No: one leg over 9′ |
| Tiny kitchen, sink next to the cooktop | 3′, 5′, 5′ | 13′ | No: one leg under 4′ |
A one-wall kitchen has no triangle: the three stand in a line. Keep the sink between the cooktop and the fridge, with counter on both sides.
Three worked examples
An L-shaped kitchen, 6′, 7′ and 5′. Every leg is between 4′ and 9′ and the three come to 18′: the triangle works.
A big kitchen with the fridge on the far wall, 8′, 11′ and 6′. The cooktop-to-fridge leg is 11′, over 9′, though the total, 25′, is inside the rule. Move the fridge to the end of the cooktop run, or add a prep sink on the island.
A small kitchen with the sink right beside the cooktop, 2′ 6″, 6′ and 5′. The sink-to-cooktop leg is 2′ 6″, under 4′: no counter to prep on between them. Slide one of the two along the run.
Common kitchen layout mistakes
- The fridge in a far corner. It is the station you walk to most. Put it at the end of a run, near the way in, still inside 9′ of the sink.
- An island in the middle of the triangle. Every trip then goes round it. Keep the island to one side, or put the sink or cooktop on it.
- A doorway through the triangle. Family traffic through the cook’s path is how spills happen. Keep the main path outside it.
- Too small an aisle. A work aisle needs 42″ for one cook and 48″ for two. The kitchen island size calculator checks them.
Seating at the island? The stool height calculator gives the stools, and the fan and chandelier size calculator spaces the pendants over it.
Draw your kitchen to scale: the free 2D room planner opens with a kitchen laid out round the work triangle, ready to rearrange.
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Kitchen layout questions
What is the kitchen work triangle?
The three lines joining the sink, the cooktop and the fridge, the three places a cook goes back and forth between. A good layout keeps it compact and keeps traffic out of it.
What is the kitchen triangle rule?
By the NKBA’s kitchen planning guidelines: each leg 4′ to 9′, the three together no more than 26′, and no island or peninsula cutting into a leg by more than 12″.
How far should the sink be from the stove?
4′ to 9′ from the middle of one to the middle of the other, with counter between them to prep on. Right beside each other leaves nowhere to set a pan down.
Does a galley kitchen have a work triangle?
Yes: with two parallel runs, one station on one side and two on the other makes a tight triangle, often the most efficient of all. Keep the aisle 42–48″ wide.
Is the work triangle still used?
Yes, as a starting point. Big kitchens now often have work zones (prep, cooking, cleaning, storage) and a second sink, but the NKBA still publishes the triangle’s 4–9′ legs and 26′ total.
Is there a free kitchen layout planner?
Yes: the calculator above checks the work triangle, and the free 2D room planner opens a furnished kitchen to scale that you can rearrange and save, with no download.