Guides / Kitchen · Published 2026-10-27

Kitchen work triangle: legs 4–9 ft, 26 ft max

No triangle leg over 9 feet.

The NKBA work triangle connects the centre front of the fridge, the sink and the cooktop. Each leg should be 4–9 ft (1.2–2.7 m), all three together 26 ft (7.9 m) at most. No major traffic path should cross it, and no island or tall cabinet should cut into a leg by more than 12″. A long one-wall run fails fast: put the range at the far end and one leg hits 14 ft.

Kitchen work triangle: legs 4–9 ft, 26 ft max, drawing
Kitchen work triangle: legs 4–9 ft, 26 ft max, cheat sheet

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