The numbers
| Measure | Target | What goes wrong outside it |
|---|---|---|
| Each leg | 1.2–2.7 m | Under 1.2 m the zones collide; over 2.7 m you walk too far |
| Total perimeter | 4.0–7.9 m | Above 8 m, cooking becomes a commute |
| Traffic through the triangle | None | A doorway crossing it interrupts every task |
| Sink to hob (the busiest leg) | 1.2–1.8 m | This is where 70% of movement happens |
| Counter beside the hob | ≥ 400 mm | Nowhere to set down a hot vessel |
How Indian cooking changes it
The classic triangle assumes a Western pattern: fridge, prep, cook. Indian cooking adds three things the model ignores — a dedicated prep zone for chopping and grinding, a large dry-goods store, and a wet zone where vessels soak. In practice we plan a triangle and then check four zones: store, prep, cook and wash. The commonest Mumbai failure is a prep counter too small to hold a chopping board and a mixer at once, in a kitchen whose triangle measures perfectly.
Where the triangle does not apply
- Island kitchens with two cooks: plan two overlapping triangles or a zone model instead.
- Single-wall kitchens: there is no triangle, only a line, and the sequence store → prep → cook → serve is what matters.
- Very small kitchens under 40 sq ft, where everything is within reach anyway and the constraint is counter length.
- Kitchens with a separate utility, where the wash zone has moved out of the room entirely.
Using it as a test, not a rule
Walk the plan. Trace the path for making tea, then for a full meal, then for putting shopping away. If any of those paths crosses itself or passes a doorway twice, the layout needs work regardless of what the triangle measures. This is a five-minute exercise on a 2D layout that prevents a decade of irritation. Compare the layouts in kitchen layouts explained, or test yours in the kitchen layout planner.
Frequently asked questions
Is the work triangle still relevant?+
As a diagnostic, yes. As a rule, no. Modern kitchens with two cooks, an island and a separate utility are better planned by zones — store, prep, cook, wash — but the triangle still catches the worst layouts in thirty seconds.
What is the ideal distance between sink and hob?+
1.2–1.8 m, with at least 400 mm of clear counter on each side of the hob. That leg carries most of the movement in an Indian kitchen and is the one worth optimising if you can only fix one.
Does a work triangle apply to a parallel kitchen?+
Yes, and it usually works well — sink and prep on one run, hob on the other, with the fridge at one end. Keep the corridor between 1.05 and 1.2 m so the triangle legs stay short without the two runs colliding.
Can a kitchen island break the triangle?+
It can help or hurt. An island carrying the hob or the sink becomes a triangle point and usually shortens the legs. An island that only adds seating can block a leg and add several metres of walking per meal.