You Need This Much Space For A Toilet – Find Out!

Last Updated on September 21, 2022 by Alex Cubias

When building or remodeling a bathroom, it is important that you know the requirements for where you put all of the important fixtures. You want to make sure that you have the right amount of space set aside for each. What is the required amount of space that you need for a toilet?

A toilet should have approximately 50 inches by 30 inches of floor space at the minimum. A toilet is required to have 21 inches of space in front of it, though the recommendation is 30 inches of space. The center of the toilet must be 15 inches away from walls or appliances to the sides.

The actual dimensions of a toilet and the requirements for the space around the toilet both factor into the complete space that is necessary for a toilet.

Dimensions of a Toilet

Toilets can come in a few different sizes, but they all tend to be close to the same size. The depth of a toilet (the measurement from the front of the toilet to the back) is typically between 28 and 30 inches. This can vary depending on whether the toilet has a rounded or elongated seat. Elongated toilets tend to have a greater depth than rounded ones.

The width (measurement from side to side) of a standard toilet is about 20 inches. The width is measured at the tank, which is the widest part of the toilet. The height of a toilet is usually from 27 to 32 inches.

If you have purchased a toilet already or have one in mind, it is best that you measure the toilet before determining the amount of space to give it. This way you won’t find that your toilet is too large for the space or that it was smaller than you thought and you could have given it less space.

If you only have a specific amount of space to work with, you’ll need to find a toilet that fits into the space that you have available. If you want to determine the space you will give for the toilet first, you should measure the toilets that you are considering and see if they will fit in the space.

Required and Recommended Clearance Space

The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) has certain regulations about the space that should be given for toilets and other fixtures (sinks, showers, etc.) in a bathroom. These guidelines can help you to know how much space you need to give in addition to the size of the toilet itself.

Width

There needs to be a certain amount of space between the sides of the toilet and any walls or other fixtures around it. The width requirements, rather than being measured from the sides of the toilet, are measured from the middle of it. The distance from the center of the toilet to a wall next to it or the outer edge of a fixture next to it needs to be at least 15 inches.

The center of the toilet also needs to be at least 30 inches from the center of any other fixture. Both of these requirements must be fulfilled, not one or the other.

Depth

In order to be up to code, a toilet must have at least 21 inches in front of it. The NKBA recommends that there be at least 30 inches in that space, even if that is higher than the code. This measurement starts at the very front of the toilet and goes to the front of the opposite wall or fixture.

It is important to have enough space in front of the toilet so that people can sit on the toilet and have their knees in front of them with a comfortable amount of space. You don’t want anyone using the bathroom to feel too cramped and uncomfortable.

The toilet also needs to be a certain distance from the wall behind it. The measurement is taken from the toilet flange to the wall. The toilet flange is where the drain pipe in the toilet empties out. It is a circular hole in the floor ringed with plastic. The center of the toilet flange needs to be about 12 inches away from the back wall.

This usually puts the back of the toilet almost touching the back wall, so it doesn’t really need to factor into the amount of necessary space. It is just important to know where to put the toilet flange. This measurement is called a rough-in.

Height

There aren’t very many requirements for the height that is needed above a toilet. The minimum ceiling height in a bathroom is 80 inches high, but it can go lower than that as long as each fixture can be used correctly. Since using the bathroom happens sitting down, the ceiling above the toilet can be less than 80 inches.

You must leave enough space for the height of a toilet in that area. Sometimes, people put shelves or hang towels above toilets. Make sure that those are higher than the back of the toilet will be if they are already there. Also, make sure that anything above the toilet won’t accidentally hit the heads of anyone who uses the toilet.

Related Article: TOP BEST TALL TOILET BOWLS: BY HEIGHT

Total Amount of Necessary Space

The total amount of necessary space for a toilet can be calculated using the dimensions of a standard toilet and the required clearance space.

The total depth of a toilet is between 28 and 30 inches, and it must be at least 21 inches away from the wall or fixture in front of it. This adds up to 49 to 51 inches of depth total, with an average of 50 inches. The recommended distance is 58 to 60 inches in depth, with an average of 59 inches.

The width is easy to figure out because, no matter what the width of the toilet is, the center needs to be 15 inches away from the wall or other fixture. This means that you should give at least 30 inches of clearance. This may end up being bigger if you have another fixture which, if the centers are closer than 30 inches based on the other measurement, needs to be farther away. However, most of the time, 30 inches is the minimum.

The height of the toilet itself is the only height measurement that matters.

The total area of floor space required for a toilet is approximately 49 to 60 inches by 30 inches or 1,470 to 1,800 square inches. The total volume of space that the toilet should have is 35,280 to 57,600 inches cubed.