Australian kitchen dimensions unpacked
let’s talk Australian kitchen dimensions and what you should consider for your next renovation
Let’s break down everything you need to know about Australian kitchen dimensions, to ensure you’re not only meeting standard regulations but designing a functional space as well! There are always a million questions when it comes to planning a kitchen, especially when kitchen standards can vary depending on location! We’ve chatted through the most important considerations with our kitchen specialist to give you a helpful guide, including:
We recommend leaving a space of 1200mm between cabinetry in a u-shape or galley kitchen. This allows enough room for a person to pass whilst you have a large cabinet door or appliance door open. For small spaces you may have to reduce this space, but don’t go below 900mm as this will not allow enough room for a functional space. When planning we also recommend to factor in how far your appliance doors come out to ensure it’s a safe distance.
Stoves are a major appliance in any kitchen and they have strict regulations. It is recommended that opening windows are positioned away from your stove as a strong wind blowing in could cause a potential hazard.
When planning, you must also consider the distance you allocate around your cooktop. Australian standards state that there needs to be a 50mm clearance to non-combustible surfaces (heat rated splashbacks) or a 200mm clearance to combustible surfaces.
To the left and right of your stove, kaboodle recommends 300mm so you have space for the handles on your pots and pans. This ensures they don’t hang into the kitchen and become a potential hazard (eg. kids grabbing a hot pot).
650mm for gas cooktops and 600mm for electric cooktops between the cooktop and the rangehood. However, if the clearance is too high/big, you risk your rangehood being ineffective. Please check your stove and rangehood manual for the manufacturer’s specifications and recommendation.
A standard oven width is 600mm or 900mm and if you have an underbench oven you will require a heat delector and adequate ventilation. The heat deflector shields the surrounding cabinets or panels from the initial burst of heat when the oven is opened during cooking and prevents any heat damage to the surrounding cabinetry.
All sinks should be at least 300mm away from any benchtop joins and all cut outs should be sealed! This is going to prevent any water damage to the benchtop and the joins over time that can lead to irreversible swelling.
Kickboard height is a standard 145mm and these may need to be trimmed if you have uneven floors.
Standard dishwashers take up the entire width of a standard 600mm base cabinet. There are compact dishwashers that suit small apartments, these normally have a width of 600mm but you can get them as small as 450mm. When planning your kitchen layout you should consider the space the dishwasher door will take up when open, this can be between 600mm and 700mm.
The standard size for an island bench is 900mm deep, this allows for 600mm deep cabinetry and a 300mm over hang for seating. If the overhang is more than 300mm it does require additional support! Ideally, we would also allow a 600mm width per person for maximum comfort. If you are using material such as natural timber for your benchtops, you’ll need to remember to maintain them. They need to be resealed every 1-2 years to prevent damage.
There are many options when choosing a new fridge, firstly consider the sizing of the fridge cavity! This is going to determine if you can fit in a one or two door fridge and more importantly if your fridge is going to function with the rest of your space. If you’ve selected single door fridge it’s a good idea to keep in mind which direction the door opens as the majority of new fridges will give you the choice of left or right opening.
We hope these tips have been useful and will help guide some of the decision you are making when planning your kitchen renovation! Ready to start planning your space? Bring your space to life with our 3D kaboodle planner. For more inspiration and ideas, visit our design blog or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
please note: this advice is general in nature, please always remember to refer to your specific appliance regulations and requirements