Most modular kitchens in India are planned around a few working dimensions: a counter height of about 850 to 900 mm, base cabinets about 560 to 600 mm deep, wall cabinets about 300 to 350 mm deep, and a gap of about 500 to 600 mm between the counter and the wall cabinets. These are starting points, not rules. The right numbers for your kitchen depend on who cooks, which appliances you use and how your walls, windows and service points are placed.
Below are the common dimensions in millimetres, what each one affects, and when it makes sense to change it.
Standard Modular Kitchen Dimensions at a Glance
Element | Common range | What it affects |
|---|---|---|
Counter height (floor to countertop surface) | 850–900 mm | Comfort while chopping, cooking and washing |
Base cabinet depth (carcass) | 560–600 mm | Drawer capacity and sink or hob fit |
Countertop depth | About 600–650 mm | Overhang over shutters and working space |
Plinth (toe-kick) height | About 100–150 mm | Standing comfort and floor cleaning |
Wall cabinet depth | 300–350 mm | Storage without hitting your head |
Gap: counter to wall cabinet | 500–600 mm | Room for appliances and a clear working zone |
Gap above a gas hob | As per chimney manual, often 650–750 mm | Safe, effective smoke capture |
Aisle between opposite counters | About 1,000–1,200 mm | Movement and door or drawer opening |
Two numbers matter more than the rest: the counter height, because you feel it every day, and the space above the hob, because the chimney manual fixes it.
Kitchen Counter and Platform Height in mm
The counter height is the total of three parts: the plinth, the base cabinet and the countertop thickness. A common build is a plinth of about 100 to 150 mm, a cabinet of about 720 mm and a countertop of 20 to 40 mm, which lands between about 850 and 900 mm.
A useful check is to stand at a table with your arms relaxed and bent at the elbow. The working surface should sit about 100 to 150 mm below your elbow. A taller main cook may prefer the upper end of the range; a shorter one, the lower end. Some families set the sink counter slightly higher than the hob counter, because washing up is done standing straight while cooking often involves looking into a pan.
Why a builder platform may be the wrong height
Many builder-supplied platforms were cast at a fixed height regardless of who uses the kitchen. If yours feels too low or too high, a new modular kitchen lets you set the height to the person who cooks most. If you are deciding whether to keep an existing platform, see our guide to upgrading a builder kitchen.
Base Cabinet, Countertop and Wall Cabinet Depth
Base cabinets are usually 560 to 600 mm deep so that a standard sink bowl and built-in hob fit comfortably and drawers hold large vessels. The countertop sits slightly deeper, about 600 to 650 mm, so it overhangs the shutters and drips fall clear of the cabinet fronts.
Wall cabinets are shallower, usually 300 to 350 mm, so you can work at the counter without your head meeting the cabinet edge. Going deeper than this rarely adds useful storage and makes the counter feel cramped.
Tall units and lofts
Tall units usually run from the plinth to the underside of the loft or ceiling and match the base cabinet depth. Their height depends on your ceiling. In apartments, check that the tall panels will fit the service lift and staircase before production, as covered in our guide to high-rise installation.
Clearances: Hob, Sink, Refrigerator and Aisle
Above the hob: use the mounting height in your chimney’s installation manual. It decides how high the wall cabinets on either side can start.
Beside the hob: keep usable counter on both sides so pans can be moved off the flame safely, and keep the hob away from the end of a counter where handles can be knocked.
Between hob and sink: leave a stretch of clear counter for preparation rather than placing them side by side.
Refrigerator: measure your actual model and add the ventilation gap its manual asks for at the sides, top and back.
Aisle: about 1,000 to 1,200 mm between opposite counters lets a drawer or dishwasher door open with someone standing behind.
How Dimensions Change With Your Layout
L-shaped kitchens need a corner solution. A blind corner loses depth unless you plan a corner pull-out or leave that space for less-used items.
Parallel kitchens depend on the aisle width. Below about 1,000 mm, opposite drawers and doors start to clash.
U-shaped and island kitchens need clearances on every side that opens, so measure the room, not just the walls.
When to Change the Standard Sizes
Change the numbers when the standard ones do not suit the people or the room:
The main cook is notably taller or shorter than average.
A window sill sits lower than the planned counter or wall cabinet height.
A built-in oven, dishwasher or large sink needs a specific opening.
The ceiling is high enough for taller units, or low enough that a loft is not practical.
An elderly family member or wheelchair user needs lower working surfaces.
Custom sizes are one of the main reasons to choose a factory-made modular kitchen. The cabinets are cut to your drawing, so a change of a few millimetres is simple to plan, as long as it is decided before production.
Measure Your Kitchen Before You Plan
Measure each wall at floor level, counter height and ceiling height, because walls are rarely perfectly straight.
Mark doors, windows, sills, beams and columns with their heights.
Mark every socket, water inlet, drain and gas point.
Note the ceiling height and any false ceiling plan.
Photograph each wall with the tape measure visible.
Your own measurements are useful for early planning. The production drawing should always be based on the manufacturer’s final site measurement, taken once plastering and service points are complete.
How Reedify Uses Your Measurements
Reedify Modulars manufactures every kitchen at its own factory in Rohtak. Our team measures your site, prepares a 3D design with the working dimensions, and only after you approve it do the panels go into production. For the board that carries these dimensions, read our modular kitchen materials guide. To plan dimensions around your own kitchen, contact the factory with your floor plan.
