Kitchen Planning Guide, Guideline 9, Drawer & Roll Out Shelf Frontage

Guideline 9

Small kitchens - under 150 sq. ft. - allow at least 120" of drawer or roll-out shelf frontage. Large kitchens - over 150 sq. ft. - allow at least 165" of drawer or roll-out shelf frontage. Multiply cabinet width by number of drawers/roll-outs to determine frontage. Drawer/roll-out cabinets must be at least 15" wide and 21" deep to be counted. (Fig. 1)

Guideline 9 Example 1

A 21" wide three drawer base cabinet would count as 63" toward the drawer total. A 21" wide single drawer base cabinet with one drawer and two sliding (roll-out) shelves would also count as 63" toward the total drawer measurement. (Fig. 2)

Guideline 9 Example 2

In This example, drawers flank the range. (Fig. 3)

Guideline 9 Example 3

Drawers can be placed close to the sink so that items used at the sink or stored near the dishwasher are close at hand. (Fig. 4)

Guidelines used by permission from the National Kitchen & Bath Association