
When considering buying a toilet for your house or office, you must understand the dimension before going to the purchase store to avoid getting a toilet you cannot install. Not knowing the dimension can also make you get a toilet that won’t serve the purpose you want it to for. One of the easiest ways to know a toilet’s dimensions is by researching the model or name of the toilet from the manufacturer’s website. The website will reveal the specification sheet, which will let you know the toilet’s dimensions.
You should know the toilet’s dimensions, especially if you have a small bathroom. Because in this scenario, what you will need to do is to buy a small toilet size. Generally, the dimension of a standard height toilet is 27 to 32 inches, a width of 20 inches, 27 to 32 inches in height, and a rough-in of 18 inches. However, some toilets like chair height toilets possess a preferred convenient height over standard toilets while the elongated toilet is longer than a round toilet seat.
In this blog post, you will learn everything you need to know about toilet dimensions, which range from the types of toilet designs to all toilet dimensions. You need to know this to be able to make the right decision.
Contents
Different Types of Toilet Designs
In a toilet store, there are different types of toilets that sit alongside one another. Today, there are tons of toilet designs, and the amazing thing is that if you already know the dimension you want, you will have a lot of options that will meet your needs.

1. One-Piece Toilets
A one-piece toilet is a type of toilet where the bowl is stuck together with the tank. However, a one-piece toilet is more expensive but is a comfortable height toilet with both a round toilet seat and an elongated toilet seat. One-piece toilets can help you save space and also have enough space, which makes them easy to clean. More than other types of toilet designs, one-piece toilet installation is more effortless.
2. Two-Piece Toilets
Another dimension of toilet design is a two-piece toilet. This is a type of toilet that falls under the standard toilets category. A two-piece toilet is not connected like that a one-piece. Instead, it has a separate tank and bowl. This type of design is beneficial because it helps to increase your water storage capacity and also has high longevity. However, if your bathroom has limited space, a two-piece may not be the best option for you.
3. Compact Toilets
A compact toilet is a type of toilet common in tiny apartments and boats. It has a portable toilet bowl. This type of toilet doesn’t have a water tank, making it a perfect option for you if you want to save space or you don’t have enough space. This type of toilet dimension and design is mainly used in school hostels.
4. Corner Toilets
A corner toilet is a type of toilet that is different from other types of toilet designs. The water tank has a triangle shape. The manufacturer does this to fit into the dimension you want because this can occupy any space. While it can be a great design choice, it can negatively affect your bathroom’s finished wall and floor by taking up a corner.
5. Wall Mounted Toilets
Wall-mounted toilets are a type of toilet that looks compact because they don’t have a water tank. It is a toilet dimension that can help you save space because it doesn’t have a base below the round bowl. In most cases, the tank is installed in a wall. Due to this, you will be able to clean the toilet very well. But the installation process can be challenging because it must be done in a way it can hold any weight on it.
6. Square Toilets
A square toilet is a toilet dimension with a convenient height, but it is not popular because it gives low comfort when sitting on it. The fantastic thing about this toilet dimension is that it can help you hold more waste products. It is a dimension that has a very tremendous and standard size toilet bowl.
7. Tankless Toilets
A tankless toilet is a type of toilet dimension that is connected straight to a pipe in the wall and is connected straight to an electric pump to flush the toilet powerfully. This is the best toilet dimension to choose if you want to save a large amount in a small bathroom. The negative side of a tankless toilet is that you will need to use a lot of water to flush successfully. And in cases where the battery is dead, you won’t be able to flush, which is the most significant disadvantage any toilet can have.
8. Compost Toilets
Compost toilets are old toilets because the material used for them is wood chips and sawdust to absorb waste. It is a social toilet dimension that will save you on the amount of water you use.
The Toilet Dimensions You Need to Know
Toilet Rough-In

Toilet rough-in is one of the most critical dimensions you need to know. The rough-in of a toilet is the distance between the center of a drainpipe and the finished wall. So, if you want to know the dimension of your toilet, you will need to measure the finished wall and not the baseboard. You need to know this because when you measure from the rough-in, your final result will be half of the inch, but if you measure from the finished wall, the final measurement will be more than half.
If you already have your toilet installed and you want to know the rough-in, you can start the measurement from the finish till it reaches the two bolts when you raise the toilet seat. If you can’t find these bolts, look for the plastic caps because they may be covered with them. The rough-in of a standard toilet in modern style is 12 inches. However, some toilets, like round and elongated toilets, have a rough-in of 10 or 14 inches.
You can also replace a toilet dimension with the same rough-in but not a rough-in bigger than it. So, for example, you can replace a 14-inch of toilet rough-in with a rough-in of that of 14-inch, but you can’t replace that of 12 inches with that of 14 inches.
Toilet Bowl Height

The toilet bowl height is also another essential toilet dimension. It is the distance between the top of your toilet rim and the toilet base. There are only two types of toilet bowl height which include comfort bowl height and standard bowl height. Generally, you’d find two types of toilet bowl heights: the comfort bowl height and the standard bowl height. Typically, a standard toilet has a toilet height of about 15 inches, which makes it an excellent option for short people.
Comfort height toilets, also called universal height toilets, have a general toilet bowl height of about 18 inches. This type of toilet is great because it is excellent for tall people and people who have limited mobility.
It is also essential that public bathrooms have a comfortable height toilet bowl. This type of toilet is an excellent option for people who are in wheelchairs because it has the same height as a wheelchair which makes it comfortable to use. And if you have a standard height toilet that you would love to transform into a comfortable height toilet, then it would be best if you use a toilet seat riser. Most toilet seats have a height of 2 to 7 inches. The toilet seat riser is something portable that is good for safety. It is a seat that is good for anyone with a knee problem or just recovering from surgery.
Toilet Bowl Shape

The toilet bowl always comes in two shapes: an elongated toilet seat and a round toilet seat. An elongated bowl toilet is a new toilet that is oval, while a round toilet has a circular toilet bowl. To know the length of your toilet bowl, you first need to measure the distance from the front of the toilet bowl to the center of the toilet seat. To get this done, you need to remove the toilet seat.
In most cases, a round toilet bowl has a length of about 17 inches, while an elongated toilet bowl has a length of about 18.5 inches. This is because an elongated toilet takes up more space and is more comfortable than a round toilet.
Toilet Height

Toilet height is another toilet dimension you need to know. It is the distance between the top of the toilet tank to the base of the toilet. And most toilets don’t exceed 32 inches. You also need to know your toilet height because it will help you to have an over-the-toilet storage facility. Also, another way to know your toilet height is by using toilet drawings. You need to know how to do this because most dimensions online can mislead you because they can only give shipping dimensions, not toilet dimensions.
Toilet Depth
The depth of a toilet is another critical dimension of a toilet. It is the distance between the front of the toilet rim to the back of the toilet. It is an important dimension you need to know, especially if you have a small bathroom. Unfortunately, depending on your toilet type, the depth of a toilet is challenging to measure. But if you want to get a toilet dimension, check the drawing on the manufacturer’s website.
Toilet Width
The width of your toilet is essential because it is the widest part of a toilet. And the widest part is the toilet tank. But some people need to include the flushing handle in the measurement. The flushing handle is not meaningless. The handle can be found beside the toilet tank and will be accounted for. However, some uniform plumbing codes require that the toilet handle is installed at the front side of the toilet to save up space.
Public Toilet Dimensions
Public toilet dimensions are different from private bathrooms. Private bathrooms can be designed as you wish, but the public toilet dimension is directed and regulated by law. The law was regulated after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was established.
Although in today’s world, all public bathrooms don’t comply with the ADA. Here below are some of the standard dimensions of this type of toilet:
- The comfort height for a public toilet dimension is between 18 to 19 inches.
- The sink of a public toilet should have a knee clearance of 28 inches, 11-25 inches depth, and 30 inches width.
- The public toilet always has enough space for someone in a wheelchair to turn. The standard dimension is a radius of 28 inches from the rear wall and 30 inches from the sidewall.
- The sidewall of a public toilet should be between 17 to 18 inches away from the toilet center line.
- The side wall should be 42 inches with a mount 33 inches above the ground, while grab bars should be 36 inches.
How to Measure Any Toilet Dimension?

Always measure the maximum.
The first to know if you want to measure a toilet’s dimension is to measure the maximum. This means you must take measurements from the toilet bowl’s longest and widest parts. This is the principle you need to apply on all sides aside from the bolt measurement, which you will have to take from the center.
Check it twice
Another essential thing to do is to ensure you double-check all measurements before you order a toilet bowl or a whole toilet. Because it won’t be nice if you order a toilet that won’t work for you.
Keep safety in mind.
When measuring your toilet dimensions, you must ensure that you are safe because some toilet bowls are slippery and can make you fall. So when measuring, don’t stand on the squat of your toilet.
Conclusion
We hope you have a better understanding of the things you need to consider when you want to measure your toilet room size and toilet dimensions. But it would be best if you also kept the spacing recommendations and your fixture size in mind to make your toilet comfortable and functional. So, we wish you the best of luck as you embark on the journey of knowing your toilet dimensions.
