Refrigerator sizes

Refrigerator dimensions by type

From makers’ spec sheets and dimension guides read on 20 October 2026: GE (top-freezer, bottom-freezer, side-by-side and French door models), Whirlpool, Samsung, Sub-Zero (built-ins and columns), Monogram and Thermador; each source is listed at the end of the page. They are representative models, not a shopping list: some, such as GE’s GYE22GYNFS, are no longer made, so check the spec sheet of a model you can buy. Heights are to the top of the hinge; some Samsung 4-door models reach 73 in with the hinge. Depths include doors and handles.

Refrigerator width

Fridges are sold by the opening they fit: 24 in, 28 in, 30 in, 33 in or 36 in, and 42 in or 48 in for built-ins. The box itself is a little narrower: a 36 in French door model measures 35⅝ to 35⅞ in, a 30 in top-freezer 29⅝ to 29¾ in. That gap is part of the clearance the maker asks for at the sides. Built-ins go the other way: their openings are about ½ in narrower than the name, 35½ in for a 36 in Sub-Zero.

Refrigerator height

Most full-size fridges stand 66 to 70 in tall; small top-freezers 60 to 62 in, and some 4-door French door models up to 73 in with their hinges. Wall cabinets hung at the standard 54 in end at 84 in when they are 30 in tall, which leaves 14 to 18 in above most fridges for a short cabinet; built-ins fill the full 84 in. See kitchen cabinet sizes for the 24 in deep cabinets made to go over a fridge.

Refrigerator depth

• Standard depth: the case is about 28 to 30½ in deep, and 30 to 37½ in with doors and handles. Samsung’s sheets put standard depth at 30 to 35 in.
• Counter-depth: the case is about 24 to 24½ in, so it lines up with 24 in base cabinets; 28¾ to 31¾ in with doors and handles. More in counter-depth refrigerator dimensions.
• Built-in: 24 in deep without panels or handles, flush with the cabinets, in a 24 in deep opening.

With the doors open 90°, a standard 36 in French door model needs about 48 to 48½ in from the back of the case, a counter-depth one about 43 in. Plan the work aisle from the closed door: NKBA asks for 42 in for one cook.

Clearance around a refrigerator

Every maker asks for a little air around the case, and the numbers differ, so check your model’s guide:

• Top: about 1 in for most models (GE, Whirlpool); up to 3 to 4 in for some top-freezers.
• Back: 1 to 2 in for most models, 3 in for some small top-freezers.
• Sides: ⅛ to ½ in for most models (GE, Samsung, Whirlpool, KitchenAid), up to 1 in for some small top-freezers.
• Hinge side against a wall: 2 to 3¾ in so the door opens 90° (Whirlpool, Samsung, GE). To open French doors all the way, for example to take the bins out, GE asks for about 16 in from the side of the case to a wall.
• Side-by-side against a wall: Whirlpool’s minimum opening is 36 in, or 54 in if the fridge stands against a wall that juts out and you want the crisper bins to come out.

What size refrigerator you need

Samsung’s rule of thumb is 4 to 6 cu ft per person. Compare with the capacities in the chart above.

Apartment and compact refrigerators

• Apartment size, 24 in wide: 59⅞ to 61⅝ in tall as a top-freezer, 71¼ in as a bottom-freezer, about 28 in deep; 11.6 cu ft for the top-freezers (GE, Whirlpool). They suit a small kitchen that needs counter more than fridge space.
• Compact: a 1.6 cu ft cube is about 17¾ in wide and 18½ in deep (Danby); a 4.4 cu ft fridge 19¾ × 33⅞ in and 21¼ in deep (GE). Danby asks for 5 in of air around its cube.

How to measure for a refrigerator

1. The opening: width, height and depth in several places. LG’s rule of thumb for shopping: take 1 in off the smallest height, 2 in off the smallest width and 1 in off the smallest depth. Other makers set their own clearances, so check them in the guide of the model you choose.
2. Height from the finished floor to the cabinet above, and width at the countertop’s overhang if it narrows the opening (Samsung).
3. The door swing: make sure the doors open past 90° without hitting a wall or cabinet, using the hinge-side clearance above.
4. The way in: measure hallways, doorways and stairs; the fridge’s depth or width has to pass the narrowest one (GE, Samsung).

The kitchen layout planner places 24, 30, 33 and 36 in fridges, standard or counter-depth, and checks the counter beside the handle and the aisle in front of the doors.

Questions people ask