A galley is a single aisle between two runs of counters, or beside one. The aisle sets the width. The NKBA asks for 42 in where one person cooks and 48 in for two (Guideline 6). With 25½ in counters on both walls, that makes the room 7 ft 9 in wall to wall for one cook and 8 ft 3 in for two. With counters on one wall, 5 ft 7½ in. Below 7 ft 3 in with two runs, the aisle is under 36 in, the least for any walkway (Guideline 7).
Galley width checker
Enter the room’s width from wall to wall and whether the counters are on one wall or both. The checker takes off the counters and tells you what the aisle is wide enough for.
How wide should a galley kitchen be?
| Wall to wall | Two runs: aisle | Allows |
|---|---|---|
| 7 ft | 33 in | Too tight |
| 7 ft 3 in | 36 in | A walkway only |
| 7 ft 6 in | 39 in | A walkway only |
| 7 ft 9 in | 42 in | One cook |
| 8 ft | 45 in | One cook |
| 8 ft 3 in | 48 in | Two cooks |
| 9 ft | 57 in | Two cooks |
Aisle = width − two 25½ in counters. With counters on one wall only, take off 25½ in: 5 ft 1½ in leaves a 36 in walkway, 5 ft 7½ in a 42 in aisle, and 6 ft 1½ in a 48 in aisle. Our arithmetic from NKBA Guidelines 6 and 7.
Where the sink, range and fridge go
Along each run, the NKBA’s landing areas decide what fits where:
- Sink: 24 in of counter on one side and 18 in on the other (Guideline 11), and 36 in of continuous prep counter right beside it (Guideline 12).
- Range or cooktop: 12 in on one side and 15 in on the other (Guideline 17).
- Fridge: 15 in on the handle side, or 15 in of counter no more than 48 in across from its front. In a galley, that can be the counter opposite (Guideline 16).
- Two landing areas side by side: the longer one plus 12 in (Guideline 24).
- Dishwasher: within 36 in of the sink (Guideline 13). See dishwasher dimensions.
Worked through, a run with a 30 in fridge and a 33 in sink needs about 9 ft 9 in: 30 in fridge, 36 in between (the prep counter, which also covers both landing areas), the sink, then 18 in. A run with a 30 in range needs 4 ft 9 in: 12 + 30 + 15 in. Our arithmetic.
The work triangle in a galley
A leg of the work triangle that crosses the aisle is as long as the aisle is wide when the sink and range face each other straight on: 3 ft 6 in across a 42 in aisle, under the NKBA’s 4 ft minimum. Offset them along their runs by about 2 ft and the leg reaches 4 ft. See the kitchen work triangle for the numbers and a galley plan drawn to scale.
Questions people ask
What is the minimum width for a galley kitchen?
With 25½ in counters on both walls, 7 ft 9 in wall to wall for the NKBA’s 42 in aisle for one cook. At 7 ft 3 in the aisle is 36 in, a walkway only.
How wide should the aisle be in a galley kitchen?
At least 42 in for one cook and 48 in for two or more, between the countertop edges (NKBA Guideline 6).
How long should a galley kitchen be?
Long enough for the appliances and their landing areas: about 9 ft 9 in for a run with the fridge and sink, and 4 ft 9 in for the range’s run, by our arithmetic from the NKBA guidelines.
Is a one-wall kitchen a galley?
Some guides call it a single-row galley: one run of counters with the aisle beside it. With 25½ in counters, it needs 5 ft 7½ in to the opposite wall for a 42 in aisle.
Sources
- National Kitchen & Bath Association, Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards: Guidelines 3 (work triangle), 6 (work aisles), 7 (walkways), 11 to 13 (sink, prep area, dishwasher), 16 (fridge landing area), 17 (cooktop landing area) and 24 (combining landing areas)
- Remodel Fit, standard cabinet depth: 25½ in countertops over 24 in base cabinets, from KraftMaid and Home Depot
Checked October 11, 2026. Metric values are converted from feet and inches. Widths, aisles and run lengths are our arithmetic.