Kitchen Island Size Calculator: Will an Island Fit?

Measure the open floor in the middle of your kitchen and this calculator works out the largest island that fits, how many stools it can take, and how much room the island you have in mind would leave to walk around. The island is rarely the problem. The gangways are: you need at least 90 cm clear on every side, and more on any side where people sit or where an oven or dishwasher door opens.

How the calculator works

It takes your chosen walkway off both ends and both long sides of the floor space, then rounds what is left down to the nearest 5 cm. That is the biggest island that fits. A side with stools gets a wider allowance than the walkway you pick (100 cm at the minimum setting, 110 cm at standard, 120 cm at generous) so people can push a stool back without hitting the units behind.

The suggested depth stops at 120 cm, which is two standard 60 cm base units back to back. Anything deeper is hard to reach across and wipe down. With seating the island needs at least 90 cm of depth: 60 cm of units plus about 30 cm of worktop overhang for knees. Without seating, the smallest top worth calling an island is roughly 100 x 60 cm. Stools are counted along the long side at the spacing you choose.

If you enter a planned island, the tool works out the gaps it would leave and flags any below 90 cm. When there are stools, it gives the seated side its stool allowance first, then shows what is left for the working side.

Before you commit to an island

• Check the appliance doors. An open dishwasher or oven door sits right across the gangway. If one faces the island, use the standard or generous setting on that side so you can still get past it.
• Mark it out on the floor. Masking tape at full size for a few days tells you more than any drawing. Walk the route from the fridge to the hob to the sink.
• Plan services early. A sink or hob in the island needs water, waste, power or extraction run under the floor, which is far easier before the floor goes down. Our kitchen island ideas guide covers the options.
• If it does not fit, do not squeeze it. A peninsula needs a walkway on only one side, so it often works where an island cannot. See our small kitchen design ideas.