Pick the shower, your tile’s height as it is laid and the grout joint. You get the niche’s height from the floor and its size, both on grout lines so no thin strip of tile is cut, and the prefab niche that matches.
Shower niche
Its base 36⅜″ up, 12⅛″ tall3 rows of tile below it · 12–14½″ wide between the studs · 3½″ deep
Quick answer: put a shower niche’s base 36–48″ from the floor in a walk-in shower (niche maker Redblock says 36–40″; the NKBA plans everyday storage no higher than 48″), or 5–12″ over the rim of a tub. Make it 12–14½″ wide to fit between studs, 3½″ deep, and at least 12″ tall a shelf. Set its base and top on grout lines.
How to use the shower niche calculator
- Pick the shower: a walk-in, or over a tub. For a tub, enter the rim’s height: the tile starts there.
- Enter the tile’s height as it is laid: a 12 × 24″ tile laid long side level is 12″ tall; a 3 × 6″ subway tile, 3″.
- Pick the grout joint and one shelf or two.
- Read where the niche goes and how tall it is, drawn on the wall. Copy link keeps the result.
The rules behind the numbers
Height: the base 36–48″ up
Niche maker Redblock puts a niche’s base 36–40″ from the floor, and the NKBA’s bathroom planning guidelines plan storage of everyday things between 15″ and 48″ off the floor (guideline 22). The calculator’s band is the base at 36–48″. Over a tub, Redblock’s figure is 5–12″ over the tub’s rim, 22–27″ from the tub floor.
On a grout line
The calculator counts the rows up from where the tile starts, each a tile plus its joint, and sets the niche’s base on the grout line nearest the middle of that band. The niche is whole rows tall, so no thin strip of tile is cut above or below it. That rule is the calculator’s own; your tile setter may start the rows elsewhere.
Size: 12″ a shelf, between the studs
Redblock gives a shelf for shampoo 8½–10″ and for pump bottles 12–13″, so each shelf here gets at least 12″. Wall studs 16″ apart are 1½″ thick, which leaves 14½″ between them: a niche that wide needs no stud cut. A 2×4 stud is 3½″ deep, so the niche is 3½″ deep. Wider, and a stud is cut and a header goes in.
Prefab niches
Schluter’s KERDI-BOARD-SN niches come 12 × 6, 12 × 12, 12 × 20 and 12 × 28″ (width × height), made to sit between two studs.
Niche height by tile size (walk-in, 1/8″ joint, one shelf)
| Tile height as laid | Niche base | Niche top |
|---|---|---|
| 3″ (3 × 6 subway) | 40⅝″ | 53⅛″ |
| 4″ (4 × 12) | 41¼″ | 53⅝″ |
| 6″ (6 × 24 plank) | 42⅞″ | 55⅛″ |
| 8″ (8 × 8) | 40⅝″ | 56⅞″ |
| 12″ (12 × 24 laid long side level) | 36⅜″ | 48½″ |
| 24″ (24 × 48) | 48¼″ | 72⅜″ |
From the floor, with the first row a full tile. With 24″ rows no grout line falls inside 36–48″; the nearest is ¼″ above it.
Schluter niche sizes
| KERDI-BOARD-SN | Holds |
|---|---|
| 12 × 6″ | a bar of soap (Redblock’s soap shelf: about 3½″) |
| 12 × 12″ | one shelf of bottles |
| 12 × 20″ | tall bottles, or a soap shelf over the shampoo |
| 12 × 28″ | two shelves of bottles |
Three worked examples
12 × 24″ tile laid level, a 1/8″ joint. Rows of 12⅛″: the base goes on the 3rd grout line, 36⅜″ up, and one row makes it 12⅛″ tall, a Schluter 12 × 12.
3 × 6″ subway tile, a 1/16″ joint, two shelves. The base at 42⅞″, on the 14th line, and 8 rows make it 24½″ tall: two shelves of 12″.
Over a tub with a 15″ rim, 4 × 12″ tile. The base at 23¼″ from the floor, 8¼″ over the rim, and 3 rows make it 12⅜″ tall.
Common shower niche mistakes
- A niche on an outside wall. Its bay is full of insulation. Choose an inside wall.
- Above the valve. The pipe to the shower head runs up there. Keep it to the side or on another wall.
- Ignoring the grout lines. A base an inch off a line leaves a thin strip of tile that shows.
- A flat bottom. Slope the sill slightly toward the shower so water runs out.
Tiling the shower? Work out how many tiles to buy with the free tile calculator, set the valve and grab bars with the bathroom accessory height calculator, plan the room in the bathroom layout planner, and draw it to scale in the free 2D room planner.
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Shower niche questions
How high should a shower niche be?
Its base 36–48″ from the floor in a walk-in shower (Redblock: 36–40″; the NKBA keeps everyday storage under 48″), or 5–12″ over a tub’s rim. Set it on the grout line nearest that height.
What is the standard shower niche size?
12″ wide and 12″ tall a shelf, 3½″ deep: it fits between studs 16″ apart (14½″ between them) and within a 2×4 wall. Schluter’s prefab niches are 12 × 6, 12 × 12, 12 × 20 and 12 × 28″.
How deep is a shower niche?
3½″, the depth of a 2×4 stud wall, less the backer board and tile. Deeper needs a thicker wall.
What sizes do Schluter niches come in?
KERDI-BOARD-SN: 12 × 6, 12 × 12, 12 × 20 and 12 × 28″, width by height.
Should a shower niche line up with the grout lines?
Yes: with its base and top on grout lines, no thin strip of tile is cut above or below it. The calculator finds those lines for your tile.
Can a shower niche go on an outside wall?
Best not: that wall’s bay holds the insulation, and a niche leaves less of it. Choose an inside wall.