Quick answer
A U-shaped kitchen needs about 2400mm between the two facing runs to work properly, which means a room roughly 3600mm wide once you allow 600mm of bench on each side. Below about 2100mm internal width the two corners start fighting each other and drawers on opposite runs cannot open at once.
Key points
- Internal clearance of 2400mm is the comfortable target. 1800mm is the practical floor.
- Room width needed is internal clearance plus 1200mm for the two benches.
- You have two corners, and both are dead space unless you spend money on them.
- Keep the sink on the base of the U and the cooktop on a side run, or the reverse. Not both on the same run.
- A U with the third run under a window is usually a better kitchen than a U with three walls of cabinets.
The U gives you more bench and more storage per square metre than any other shape, and it puts everything within a step or two. The cost is corners. You have two of them, and a corner is the least efficient cubic metre in any kitchen.
The clearance that matters
| Between facing runs | Room width needed | In use |
|---|---|---|
| 2700mm+ | 3900mm+ | Generous. Room for an island or a table in the middle if depth allows |
| 2400mm | 3600mm | The comfortable standard. Two people work, all doors and drawers open freely |
| 2100mm | 3300mm | Works for one cook plus a helper. Opposing drawers start to conflict |
| 1800mm | 3000mm | Tight. One cook only, and you will not open the dishwasher and the opposite drawer together |
| Under 1800mm | Under 3000mm | An L-shape with a tall bank will almost certainly serve you better |
The two corners
This is where U-shapes are won or lost. Every U has two internal corners, and if you do nothing about them you have paid for two cabinets you cannot reach into.
| Approach | What it is | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Blind corner | A standard cabinet running into the corner, reached through the adjacent door | Cheapest. Honest dead space at the back. Fine for things you use twice a year |
| Corner pull-out | Kidney or arc mechanism that swings the shelf out | Recovers most of the space. Costs real money and takes maintenance |
| Corner drawers | Angled drawers that use the corner as a single unit | Excellent access, higher cost, needs the run planned around it |
| Open the corner | Leave the corner as bench only with no cabinet under | Loses storage, gains legroom. Works where you want a stool |
Where the sink and cooktop go
The classic and still the best arrangement is the sink on the base of the U, usually under a window, with the cooktop on one of the side runs and the fridge at the open end of the other. That gives you a genuine triangle without long walks, and it keeps the two heat and water zones apart.
The arrangement to avoid is sink and cooktop on the same run with the third run doing nothing but storage. That turns a U into a single-wall kitchen with two very expensive storage walls.
Bench and cabinet dimensions
The standard numbers do not change because the shape does. Benches are 600mm deep at about 900mm high, wall cabinets 350mm deep sitting about 500mm above the bench, toe kick 100mm. What changes in a U is that the corner benchtop needs a join, and where that join lands matters. Keep it out of the sink cut-out and away from the cooktop, because a benchtop join under a wet or hot zone is the first place a laminate top fails.
Frequently asked questions
What size room do I need for a U-shaped kitchen?
About 3600mm wide gives the comfortable 2400mm between facing runs. You can go down to about 3000mm, which leaves 1800mm internally and works for one cook.
How do I stop the corners being wasted?
Put a pull-out or corner drawers in the corner nearest the sink and cooktop, and accept a blind corner in the far one. Doing both is expensive for space you rarely reach.
Is a U-shape better than an L-shape?
It gives more bench and storage in the same footprint, but only if the room is wide enough. In a narrow room an L-shape with a tall pantry bank beats a cramped U every time.
Where should the sink go in a U?
On the base of the U, ideally under a window, with the cooktop on a side run. That keeps the water and heat zones apart and gives a short triangle.
Can I put an island in a U-shaped kitchen?
Only if the internal clearance is 2700mm or more, and even then the island has to be shallow. Otherwise you are turning a workable U into a blocked one.