Countertop microwaves run from about 17¼ in wide (0.7 cu ft) to 24½ in (2.2 cu ft), 10 to 14 in tall and 12¾ to 21 in deep. Over-the-range models are 29⅞ in wide, about 16 to 17 in tall and 15 to 16 in deep, for a 30 in space between wall cabinets. GE’s installation instructions for its over-the-range models put the microwave’s top at least 66 in above the floor and the cabinet above at least 30 in over the cooktop; your own model’s instructions, and the range’s, set the final height. Microwave drawers are 24 in or 30 in wide.
Microwave sizes by type
| Type | Width | Height | Depth | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countertop, compact | 17¼ to 19 in | 10¼ to 11½ in | 12¾ to 14½ in | 0.7–0.9 cu ft |
| Countertop, mid-size | 20¼ to 21⅞ in | 12 to 13 in | 15⅝ to 19½ in | 1.1–1.6 cu ft |
| Countertop, family size | 23⅞ to 24½ in | 13½ to 14 in | 19½ to 21 in | 2.0–2.2 cu ft |
| Over-the-range | 29⅞ in | 16⅛ to 17⅛ in | 15⅛ to 15¾ in | 1.6–2.1 cu ft |
| Low-profile over-the-range | 29⅞ in | 10¼ to 10¾ in | 18 to 19⅛ in | 1.1 cu ft |
| Built-in, with a trim kit | 27 in or 30 in frame | 16½ to 19⅛ in frame | 19½ to 23½ in cutout | 1.1–2.2 cu ft |
| Drawer | 24 in or 30 in | 15⅛ to 16¼ in | 21⅞ to 23⅜ in | 1.2 cu ft |
Countertop: GE GCST07N1, GCST09N1, GCST11N1, GCST16S1 and GCSH22U1, LG LMC0975, LMC1575 and LMC2075, Panasonic NN-SN766S and NN-SN966S, Whirlpool WMC30516H. Over-the-range: GE JVM3160, JVM6175 and PVM9005, Samsung ME16A4021, Whirlpool WMH31017H. Low-profile: Whirlpool WML55011H, Samsung ME11A7710. Built-in: GE and Panasonic trim kits, Wolf. Drawers: Sharp SMD2470, Wolf MD24 and MD30, Bosch and Thermador. Sizes are outside dimensions; depths don’t include the handle.
Countertop microwave dimensions
Width follows capacity: about 17 to 19 in for 0.7 to 0.9 cu ft, 20 to 22 in for 1.1 to 1.6 cu ft, and 24 in for 2.0 to 2.2 cu ft. The turntable grows with it, from about 10½ in to 16½ in across. Leave room around it: GE’s manuals ask for 3 in at each side, 3 in on top and 1 in behind, and both GE and Panasonic want the door front at least 3 in back from the counter edge. A 1.6 cu ft GE model 21¾ in wide therefore takes about 27¾ in of counter (our arithmetic), which is counter the sink or range can’t use as landing space.
Over-the-range microwave dimensions
Over-the-range (OTR) microwaves double as the range hood. They are 29⅞ in wide and about 16 to 17 in tall. GE’s installation instructions for its OTR models (31-7000091) set these rules; other makers’ instructions set their own:
- The space: 30 in wide between the wall cabinets, over a range up to 36 in wide.
- The cabinet above: its bottom at least 30 in above the cooking surface, and no more than 13 in deep (a bump-out kit allows a 15 in cabinet).
- Height: at least 66 in from the floor to the top of the microwave.
- The range below: electric or gas, up to 63,000 BTU combined.
- Not on an island or peninsula: it mounts to a wall and the cabinet above.
With the microwave’s top at GE’s 66 in and the cooktop at 36 in, a 16½ in tall microwave leaves about 13½ in between its bottom and the cooktop. The range’s own instructions have to allow that too: some gas and pro-style ranges ask for more room above them than standard ones (see stove dimensions). The 2021 IRC allows a listed microwave over a listed cooking appliance to sit closer than the usual 30 in to combustibles when it is installed to the microwave’s own instructions. With 30 in wall cabinets ending 84 in up, the cabinet over the microwave can be up to 18 in tall (our arithmetic); see kitchen cabinet height.
Low-profile models are only 10¼ to 10¾ in tall and 18 to 19⅛ in deep, made for a cabinet about 24 in above the cooktop, the space an under-cabinet hood takes (Samsung, Whirlpool).
Built-in microwaves and trim kits
Some countertop microwaves can be built into a cabinet with a trim kit, a frame 27 in or 30 in wide that hides the gaps. Treat the microwave and its kit as one matched installation: each kit is made for particular models (GE’s JX827 and JX830 kits, for example, are for its PEM31, ZEM115 and PCHK11S1), and the cutout comes from that pair. If no kit is listed for your microwave, don’t enclose it: keep the open space around it that its manual asks for (above).
- GE’s 2.2 cu ft model: its 27 in and 30 in kits share one cutout, 25½ × 16¾ in and 19½ in deep, or 22 in deep if the outlet is inside the cabinet.
- Panasonic’s 2.2 cu ft NN-SN966S: the cutout changes with the kit, 25½ in wide for the 27 in kit (NN-TK922S) and 28½ in for the 30 in kit (NN-TK932S), both 17⅜ in high and 21 in deep.
- Room around the frame: 1 in clear on all sides (GE).
- Height: GE’s kit drawings put the bottom of the trim at least 36 in above the floor.
- Not by the stove: GE says not within 2 ft of a range, cooktop or gas oven; alone, or above a single electric wall oven.
Microwave drawer dimensions
Drawer microwaves slide out like a drawer below the counter. They come 24 in or 30 in wide, about 15 to 16¼ in tall and 22 to 23½ in deep, all 1.2 cu ft in the models we read. Sharp’s SMD2470 goes under a 36 in counter in a base cabinet at least 24 in wide; the standard cutout is about 22⅛ in wide, 14¾ to 15⅝ in high and 22 to 23½ in deep. Thermador asks for at least 2 in between the top of its drawer and a wall oven above it. NKBA wants a below-counter microwave at least 15 in above the floor.
How high to put a microwave
- NKBA: the bottom of the microwave ideally 3 in below the main cook’s shoulder and no more than 54 in above the floor; a below-counter microwave at least 15 in up. An over-the-range model at 66 in ends about 49½ in above the floor, inside that limit.
- Landing area: 15 in of counter above, below or beside the handle side, so hot dishes have somewhere to go (NKBA).
- Within reach: for a wheelchair user, or for children, a drawer below the counter or a countertop model is easier to reach than an over-the-range one. GE’s accessible trim kit goes no higher than 36¼ in.
To see where a microwave and its landing area fit in your layout, try the kitchen layout planner.
Questions people ask
What are standard microwave dimensions?
About 20 to 22 in wide, 12 to 13 in tall and 16 to 19½ in deep for a mid-size 1.1 to 1.6 cu ft countertop model; 29⅞ × 16½ in and 15 to 16 in deep for an over-the-range one.
How big is an over-the-range microwave?
29⅞ in wide, about 16 to 17 in tall and 15⅛ to 15¾ in deep, for a 30 in space between cabinets.
How high should an over-the-range microwave be?
GE’s installation instructions for its over-the-range models ask for at least 66 in from the floor to the top of the microwave, with the cabinet above at least 30 in over the cooking surface; a 16½ in GE model then sits about 13½ in above a 36 in cooktop. Other makers set their own numbers, and the range’s instructions must allow a microwave above it.
How much space does a countertop microwave need?
Its own width plus about 3 in on each side and on top, 1 in behind, and the door at least 3 in back from the counter edge (GE).
What size microwave fits a 30 inch opening?
An over-the-range model, 29⅞ in wide, or a countertop model with the 30 in trim kit its maker lists for that model, in the cutout that kit calls for.
Final Takeaway
Pick the type first: a countertop model needs its own width plus a few inches of open space, an over-the-range model a 30 in space between wall cabinets, and a built-in one a cabinet cutout. For an over-the-range model, follow its own installation instructions for the height, 66 in to its top and 30 in from the cooktop to the cabinet in GE’s case, and check that the range’s instructions allow a microwave above it. Build a microwave into a cabinet only with the trim kit listed for that model, and cut the opening that kit calls for.
Main Sources
- GE Appliances: countertop models GCST07N1WSS, GCST16S1WSS and GCSH22U1WSS with their use and care manuals (clearances); over-the-range JVM3160RFSS and installation instructions 31-7000091 (Rev. 4, December 2023); built-in PCWK22U1WBB and trim kit instructions (31-7000345, 31-7000307)
- LG spec sheets: LMC0975, LMC1575, LMC2075; Panasonic NN-SN766S and NN-SN966S owner’s manual (sizes, trim kit cutouts, clearances)
- Whirlpool WMH31017H installation dimensions (2017) and WML55011H low-profile spec sheet; Samsung ME16A4021AS and ME11A7710DG spec sheets
- Drawers: Sharp SMD2470ASY (October 2025), Wolf MD24TE/S and MD30TE/S, Bosch HMD8451UC, and the Thermador Design Guide (August 2024)
- 2021 IRC G2447.5 (30 in above a gas cooktop to combustible material, 24 in with listed protection) and M1901.1, read on UpCodes
- NKBA’s free Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards: work aisles (42 in for one cook, 48 in for two), walkways (36 in), the work triangle (each leg 4 to 9 ft, 26 ft in all), landing areas beside the sink, cooktop and fridge, the dishwasher’s place and standing room, and seating clearances. This is the older free edition; the paid 5th edition (June 2026) may change some numbers. Microwaves: the bottom no more than 54 in up and ideally 3 in below the cook’s shoulder, at least 15 in up below a counter, and a 15 in landing area.
Checked 19 and 20 October 2026; GE’s over-the-range and trim kit instructions and Panasonic’s trim kit table 28 October 2026. Metric values are converted from inches. Models change often; use the installation instructions of the one you buy.