The work triangle joins the sink, the cooktop and the fridge. The NKBA keeps each leg 4 to 9 ft and the three legs at 26 ft or less, measured from the center front of each one. It also says no leg should cut through an island by more than 12 in (Guideline 3). A tall cabinet or fridge shouldn’t stand between two of them (Guideline 4), and no main traffic route should run through the triangle (Guideline 5).
Work triangle checker
Measure the three legs from the center front of each, as below, and enter them. The checker draws your triangle to scale and marks any leg outside the NKBA’s range.
The rule, in full
- Each leg at least 4 ft and at most 9 ft; all three 26 ft or less. With more than three main work centers, such as a second sink, each extra distance is also 4 to 9 ft (Guideline 3).
- Measured from the center front of the appliance or sink (Guideline 3).
- Islands: no leg should cross an island or peninsula by more than 12 in (Guideline 3).
- Tall obstacles: a full-height, full-depth unit such as a tall oven or pantry cabinet, or a fridge, shouldn’t separate two of the three. A properly recessed tall corner unit is acceptable (Guideline 4).
- Traffic: no major traffic route should cross through the triangle (Guideline 5).
The 26 ft cap only bites when the legs average more than 8 ft 8 in: three legs of 9 ft would make 27 ft. In small kitchens, the 4 ft minimum is the one to watch.
Measuring across an aisle
When the sink faces the cooktop across an aisle, both fronts sit on a counter edge, so a leg straight across is exactly as long as the aisle is wide. Slide one of them along its counter and the leg grows: it’s the hypotenuse of the aisle and the slide.
| Slide along the run | 36 in aisle | 42 in aisle | 48 in aisle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight across | 3 ft | 3 ft 6 in | 4 ft |
| 12 in | 3 ft 2 in | 3 ft 7¾ in | 4 ft 1½ in |
| 24 in | 3 ft 7¼ in | 4 ft ¼ in | 4 ft 5¾ in |
| 36 in | 4 ft 3 in | 4 ft 7¼ in | 5 ft |
| 48 in | 5 ft | 5 ft 3¾ in | 5 ft 8 in |
| Slide for a 4 ft leg | 31.7 in | 23.2 in | none needed |
Leg = √(aisle² + slide²), rounded to ¼ in. Our arithmetic. The NKBA’s aisles: 42 in for one cook, 48 in for two (Guideline 6); see space between island and counter.
One-wall kitchens
In a one-wall kitchen the sink, cooktop and fridge sit in a line, so the outer leg is the other two added together. In our one-wall plan with every NKBA landing area, the fridge-to-sink leg is 5 ft 1½ in and sink to range is 5 ft 7½ in, so fridge to range is 10 ft 9 in: over 9 ft. With a 30 in fridge and range and a 33 in sink, we found no order along one wall that keeps every landing area, the 36 in prep counter and the 9 ft limit; see kitchen dimensions for the plan.
Questions people ask
What is the kitchen work triangle rule?
Each leg between the sink, cooktop and fridge 4 to 9 ft, all three 26 ft or less, measured from the center front of each, and no leg through an island by more than 12 in (NKBA Guideline 3).
How do you measure a kitchen work triangle?
From the center of the front of the sink, the cooktop and the fridge, in straight lines between them.
What is the minimum distance between the sink and the stove?
For the work triangle, 4 ft from center front to center front. The NKBA also asks for counter on both sides of each: 24 and 18 in at the sink, 12 and 15 in at the cooktop (Guidelines 11 and 17).
Can a leg of the triangle cross an island?
By up to 12 in, under Guideline 3. More than that and the island is in the way.
Does the work triangle still apply?
It is still Guideline 3 of the NKBA’s current Kitchen Planning Guidelines, for kitchens with three main work centers.
Sources
- National Kitchen & Bath Association, Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards: Guidelines 3 (distance between work centers), 4 (separating work centers), 5 (traffic), 6 (work aisles), 11 (sink landing areas) and 17 (cooktop landing areas)
Checked October 11, 2026. Metric values are converted from feet and inches. Leg lengths across an aisle, and the one-wall and galley plans, are our arithmetic.