How Many Kitchen Units Do I Need? A Planning Guide

Planning a new kitchen and staring at a blank floor plan? This guide is for anyone trying to work out how many base, wall and tall units their space actually needs, without over-ordering or leaving awkward gaps. By the end you’ll be able to sketch a rough unit count from your wall measurements, allow for the sink, hob and appliances, and shop with a clear shopping list rather than a guess.

1. Start with your run length, not a wish list

The single most useful number in kitchen planning is your total run length: the combined width of every wall that will carry units, in centimetres. Run a tape along each wall at worktop height (roughly 90cm off the floor) and note the figures. Measure into corners and out to any doorway or window reveal, because those openings eat into the space you can fill.

Now subtract anything fixed that can’t take a unit, such as a doorway, a radiator you’re keeping, or a chimney breast. What remains is your workable run. As a rough rule of thumb, every 60cm of workable run equals one full-width unit, so a 3.6m wall gives room for about six units before you account for appliances. It’s worth reading our guide on how to measure furniture before buying so your numbers are right first time.

2. Understanding standard unit widths

Kitchen units in the UK come in a predictable set of widths, which makes counting far easier once you know them. Cabinets are built on a modular grid, so you’re really just deciding how many of each width you can fit along your run. The most common sizes are shown below.

The 60cm base unit is the workhorse of almost every kitchen, and standard worktop height sits around 90cm. Narrower 30cm and 40cm units are handy fillers for the ends of runs or a slim pull-out. Keeping to these standard widths means your worktop, splashback and appliances will all line up cleanly.

3. Working out your base units

Base units are the cabinets that sit on the floor and carry your worktop. To count them, take your workable run, subtract the widths of your appliances and sink cabinet, then divide what’s left by 60cm for the number of full-width base units. Any remainder can usually be absorbed by a 30cm or 40cm unit, or by an end filler panel.

A useful sanity check: a small galley kitchen typically needs four to six base units, a medium kitchen six to nine, and a large or open-plan kitchen ten or more. Remember that your sink, hob, dishwasher and undercounter fridge each occupy a base-unit slot even though they aren’t storage. Drawer packs are simply base units fitted with drawers instead of a door, and are worth planning near your hob for pans and utensils.