StandardRecommended
Refrigerator door clearance
FIX-FRIDGE-DOOR-01Description
Refrigerator door swing must not block the kitchen's primary circulation path. NKBA Guideline 8 calls for ≥15" landing on the handle side or ≤48" across.
Why this exists
The fridge door needs ~3 ft of swing arc clear. Backed up against a wall on the wrong side or blocked by an island makes the kitchen unusable.
Categories
AestheticKitchen
Source
NKBAno manifest entry
Kitchen Planning Guidelines (2024)
Section: Guideline 7 (Refrigerator Landing Area)
Published 2026-05-09 · last verified 2026-05-09
Solver enforcement
The constraint solver runs check function fix-fridge-door-01 as a soft constraint with weight 5.
Plan symbols this applies to
These plan symbols invoke this directive when placed on a floor plan. Click any to see where it's drawn and what other rules apply to it.
Related directives
- Kitchen walkway and work-aisle widths · NKBA Kitchen 6
- Doorway clear width · NKBA Kitchen 1
- Door swing into work zones · NKBA Kitchen 2
- Distance between work zones · NKBA Kitchen 3
- Traffic through the work triangle · NKBA Kitchen 4
Last reviewed 2026-05-09.