Measure the opening under your counter and pick the maker. You see whether its built-in wine fridge goes in by that maker's own sheet, how six makers' sheets compare, and the room the door needs beside a wall.
Your wine fridge opening
Your 24″ × 34½″ opening takes a 24″ KitchenAid wine fridgeKitchenAid asks at least 24″ wide and 34½″ high · it fits 4 of the 5 makers' sheets read
Quick answer: a built-in 24″ wine fridge needs an opening about 24″ wide, 24″ deep and 34½″ from the floor to the underside of the countertop; a 15″ one, 15–15¾″ wide. The makers differ: KitchenAid asks 24 × 34½″, JennAir and Monogram 34½–35″ high, Sub-Zero 24 × 34½″, and Whirlpool lists a 24⅝ × 35¼″ cutout, 24⅞″ deep. A freestanding-only cooler does not go under a counter at all.
How to use the wine fridge size finder
- Pick the size: a 24″ or a 15″ built-in wine fridge.
- Measure the opening: its width between the cabinets, its height from the floor to the underside of the countertop, and, if you can, its depth from the wall to the cabinet fronts.
- Pick whose sheet: the maker of the wine fridge you have or want. Each sheet is that maker’s own, named in the table below.
- Add the wall beside the hinge if the opening sits next to a wall, a tall cabinet or another appliance: the door needs room to swing past it.
- You get whether it goes in, how six makers’ sheets compare, and the opening drawn to scale.
The rule behind the numbers
Every maker publishes the opening its built-in wine fridge needs: a width, a depth, and a height from the floor to the underside of the countertop. A built-in model breathes through the grille at its toe kick, so it sits with no gap at its sides, top or back: Monogram’s sheet says its reserve is “vented at the front toekick to allow built-in undercounter installation”. Narrower than the fridge or lower than its own height, it does not go in; between the fridge’s size and the opening its maker asks, it goes in, but tight.
The door needs room too. Next to a wall on its hinge side, Monogram asks 2″ for a 90° swing (9⅜″ for its full 110°), Zephyr 2¼″ for its handle, JennAir 3″.
A freestanding-only cooler is a different machine. Danby’s DWC310BLSDD manual says “Allow 12.7 cm (5 inches) of space between the back, sides and top of the appliance and all adjacent walls” and that it it “is not intended to be built into a cabinet or counter” — 27½″ of width for a cooler 17½″ wide.
Each maker’s opening
| Maker | 24″ opening | 15″ opening | Depth | Beside a wall | Read from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KitchenAid | 24″+ × 34½″+ | – | 24″ | – | KUWR314KSS product page |
| JennAir | 24″+ × 34½–35″ | – | 24″ | 3″ | W11356579B Planning Dimensions Guide |
| Monogram | 23¾″+ × 34½–35″ | – | 24″ | 2″ | ZDWR240HBS Product Specification |
| Sub-Zero | 24″+ × 34½″+ | 15″+ × 34½″+ | 24″ | – | Designer Undercounter Design Guide |
| Whirlpool | 24⅝″+ × 35¼″+ | 15¾″+ × 35¼″+ | 24⅞″ | – | WUW55X24HS / WUW55X15HS product pages |
| Zephyr | – | 15⅛″+ × 34″+ | – | 2¼″ | PRW15C01BG Installation Guide |
“+” means at least; a dash means no number in the sheet read. The wine fridges themselves: KitchenAid’s KUWR314KSS is 23⅞″ wide, JennAir’s JUWFR242HX 23⅞″, Monogram’s ZDWR240HBS 23½″, Whirlpool’s WUW55X24HS 23 13⁄16″; the 15″ models are 15″ wide. Sub-Zero’s table is the same for its undercounter refrigerator, beverage center and wine models, and its ADA-height 24″ model asks a 24 × 32½″ opening.
Five worked examples
A standard 24″ × 34½″ opening. KitchenAid, JennAir, Monogram and Sub-Zero go in as their sheets ask: 4 of the 5. Whirlpool’s wine fridge goes in too, tight: its pages list a 24⅝ × 35¼″ cutout.
A 34″ opening, where a new floor went in under the old counter. KitchenAid’s and JennAir’s fridges stand 34⅜″ and Whirlpool’s at least 34 1⁄16″, so they do not go in; Monogram’s 33⅞″ reserve goes in, tight; Sub-Zero’s ADA-height model asks only 32½″.
A 35½″ opening under a thick or raised counter. KitchenAid and Sub-Zero print no top height; JennAir and Monogram stop at 35″ and leave ½″ under the counter.
Beside a wall, 2½″ from it on the hinge side. Enough for Monogram’s 2″; tight for a JennAir, whose guide asks 3″ for the door to swing.
A 15″ × 34½″ opening. Sub-Zero’s 15″ asks no more. Zephyr’s 15″ fridge goes in, tight: its guide asks 15⅛″. Whirlpool’s page gives its 15″ one a height of 34⅝″, too tall, and a 15¾ × 35¼″ cutout.
Common mistakes
- Building in a freestanding cooler. One that breathes out of its back and sides overheats in a cabinet; Danby’s manual says building one in “can cause it to malfunction”.
- Measuring the height to the top of the counter. The opening is from the floor to the underside of the countertop.
- Trusting “24 inches” for the fridge too. The 24″ models read are 23½–24″ wide; the opening is what is 24″ or more.
- Forgetting the wall beside the hinge. A door hinged against a wall cannot open far enough to pull its racks out.
- Laying a new floor into the opening. A thicker floor lowers the opening, and a 34″ one already stops most 24″ models.
Size the dishwasher beside it with the dishwasher size finder, the fridge with the refrigerator size finder, and draw the room to scale in the free 2D planner.
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Wine fridge size questions
What size is an undercounter wine fridge?
Built-in undercounter wine fridges are sold 24″ or 15″ wide and stand about 34–34⅝″ high. The 24″ models read are 23½–24″ wide; the opening is about 24″ wide, 24″ deep and 34½″ to the underside of the countertop.
What are the dimensions of a 24 inch wine fridge?
KitchenAid’s KUWR314KSS is 23⅞″ wide and 34⅜″ to the top of its hinge; Monogram’s ZDWR240HBS 23½″ wide and 33⅞″ high; Whirlpool’s WUW55X24HS 23 13⁄16″ wide and 34 1⁄16–34⅝″ high.
What are the dimensions of a 15 inch wine fridge?
15″ wide. Zephyr’s PRW15C01BG stands 33⅞–34⅞″ and asks a cabinet at least 15⅛″ wide and 34″ high; Sub-Zero’s DEU1550W asks a 15 × 34½″ opening; Whirlpool’s WUW55X15HS lists a 15¾ × 35¼″ cutout.
What size opening does a built-in wine fridge need?
By each maker’s own sheet: KitchenAid 24 × 34½″, JennAir 24″ wide and 34½–35″ high, Monogram 23¾″ wide and 34½–35″ high, Sub-Zero 24 × 34½″, Whirlpool 24⅝ × 35¼″; all at least 24″ deep (Whirlpool 24⅞″).
Can you put a freestanding wine fridge under the counter?
Not a freestanding-only one. Danby’s DWC310BLSDD asks 5″ at its back, sides and top and says it “is not intended to be built into a cabinet or counter”. A model sold as built-in or freestanding, vented at the front, can go under the counter.
How much clearance does a built-in wine fridge need?
None at its sides, top or back: it is vented at the front. Beside a wall on its hinge side, the door needs 2″ by Monogram’s sheet (9⅜″ for its full 110°), 2¼″ by Zephyr’s and 3″ by JennAir’s; Zephyr asks 1″ behind it for the plug.
How tall is an undercounter refrigerator?
Made to fit under a 34½″ countertop’s underside: Sub-Zero’s undercounter refrigerator, beverage and wine models share one opening, 24 × 34½″ (15 × 34½″ for its 15″), and its ADA-height 24″ model 32½″.