Decorating
Kitchen Cabinet Layout Planner
Plan base and wall cabinet linear footage for your kitchen wall length and estimate cabinet box counts.
Your answer
Widths shown use standard 3-in cabinet increments. Filler strips (1-3 in) usually close small gaps.
Why cabinets are planned in standard increments
Kitchen cabinets are manufactured, not custom-built for most homeowners, so layout planning is a puzzle of fitting standard-width boxes into a wall run rather than freely dividing the space. Base cabinets typically come in 3-inch increments — 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 30, and 36 inches wide are the most common stock sizes — and layouts are built by combining these to fill the available run, with small filler strips closing any leftover gap.
Fixed points like the sink and range anchor the layout first, because their widths are set by the sink basin and appliance you have chosen, not by cabinet-width flexibility. Everything else fills in around them.
Standard cabinet dimensions
| Cabinet type | Standard depth | Standard height | Width range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base cabinet | 24 in | 34.5 in (36 in with counter) | 9-48 in, 3-in increments |
| Upper (wall) cabinet | 12-13 in | 30, 36, or 42 in | 9-48 in, 3-in increments |
| Tall/pantry cabinet | 24 in | 84-96 in | 18-36 in |
| Island base | 24 in (or deeper w/ seating) | 34.5 in | Varies by design |
Clearances that make a kitchen work
- 18 inches between countertop and bottom of upper cabinets — enough for appliances and comfortable reach.
- 36 inches of clear floor space in front of cabinets and appliances for one person to work.
- 42-48 inches of aisle width if two people cook together or the kitchen has an island.
- At least 15 inches of counter space on the handle side of the refrigerator for unloading groceries.
- 24 inches of counter space on at least one side of the sink and stove for prep and landing hot pans.
The kitchen work triangle
The classic sink-stove-refrigerator triangle remains a useful sanity check even in open-plan kitchens with islands. Each leg of the triangle — sink to stove, stove to fridge, fridge to sink — should ideally measure between 4 and 9 feet, with the sum of all three legs staying under about 26 feet. Triangles that are too small feel cramped with multiple cooks; triangles that are too large mean unnecessary walking on every meal.
Steps to lay out your own run
- Measure the total wall run in inches, corner to corner or corner to appliance opening.
- Place fixed elements first — sink base and range/appliance widths are usually set by the fixtures you already own or plan to buy.
- Fill the remaining run with standard cabinet widths, favoring wider cabinets first to minimize the number of seams.
- Plan for a filler strip of 1-3 inches wherever cabinets meet a wall or appliance at an angle.
- Repeat the same width logic for the upper cabinet run, skipping the space above the range.
What is a standard base cabinet width increment?
Base cabinets are typically manufactured in 3-inch increments from 9 to 48 inches wide (9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 30, 36, 48), so layouts are planned by combining these standard widths rather than custom-cutting every run.
How wide should the gap between counter and upper cabinets be?
Standard spacing is 18 inches between the countertop and the bottom of upper cabinets, giving enough clearance for countertop appliances and comfortable working height.
What is the kitchen work triangle?
It's the layout distance between the sink, stove, and refrigerator. Each leg should ideally be 4-9 feet, and the total of all three legs should stay under about 26 feet for an efficient, low-walking layout.
How many linear feet of cabinets does a typical kitchen need?
Small kitchens often use 10-15 linear feet of base cabinets, while larger kitchens with islands can use 25 feet or more. This planner estimates cabinet counts from your available wall run.
Last reviewed February 2026