Commercial Sink Layouts: Bowl Size, Washing Tasks and Workflow
Understand preparation, pot and combination sinks through the work they support, with bowl-fit examples, layout guidance and clear explanations of installation dimensions.
Basterfield EngineeringUpdated
Start with what you need to wash
A commercial sink is a working station within a larger route. Items arrive, are handled and washed, then leave for draining, drying or the next task. Bowl fit and the surrounding landing space determine how comfortably that sequence can happen.
List the food, pots, trays or utensils that will pass through the sink, then measure the largest items, including handles. Bowl dimensions, room to move an item and a place to set it down matter as much as the overall sink length.
Decide which tasks need separate equipment or separate washing stages under your kitchen procedure. Two bowls do not automatically make one sink suitable for every preparation and wash-up task. Keep the handwashing provision separate in your layout.
Different washing tasks need different bowl geometry
These examples show why the product family and the selected bowl dimensions both matter. Dimensions below are length x width x depth and apply to the named ranges.
- Preparation sink: E22126(DC-112) has two centrally positioned bowls, each 500 x 500 x 250 mm. Start here for preparation and washing tasks where these bowl dimensions suit the work.
- Pot sink: E22128(DC-112) has two centrally positioned bowls, each 600 x 500 x 300 mm. The larger, deeper bowls provide a different fit for cookware; check your largest pot or tray before selecting.
- Combination sink: E22129(DC) combines a 500 x 500 x 300 mm left-hand bowl with a 600 x 500 x 500 mm right-hand bowl. Consider it where the work calls for different bowl sizes at one station.
- Check usable clearance, tap position and the space needed to turn or lift an item. A deeper bowl can accommodate a taller item, but also changes the reach required during washing.
Read the bowl and drainer layout in the direction of work
Sketch the route from incoming items through washing to the clean landing area. Mark the bowl positions and the drainer on the drawing, with the operator standing at the front of the sink. This avoids confusing a left-hand bowl with a left-hand drainer.
Picture the station in use with an incoming tray, an item in the bowl and a cleaned item waiting to leave. If the same small landing area is expected to serve all three stages, the difficulty comes from the sequence as well as the sink size. The layout should make the intended separation and movement clear.
- A single-bowl arrangement can suit a dedicated task where the surrounding worktops provide the required landing space.
- Double bowls can provide separate working stages when used in accordance with the site procedure. Check the drainer space remaining at the chosen overall length.
- Compare E22128(SL-112), with a single left-hand bowl, and E22128(SR-112), with a single right-hand bowl, against the direction of work in your room.
- For a replacement, photograph the current sink and mark the supply, waste and adjacent equipment positions.
Working height and overall height describe different measurements
Record overall length, width, working height and splashback height separately. Working height is floor to worktop; overall height includes the splashback. Measure the delivery route as well as the final position.
- The standard E22126(DC-112) and E22128(DC-112) ranges are 650 mm wide, with a 900 mm working height and a 150 mm rear splashback, giving 1050 mm overall height.
- E22128(DC-112) also offers a 700 mm width through advanced customisation. Request a quotation for that configuration; prices for standard 650 mm models do not establish its price.
- Allow space for the operator, open doors, nearby equipment and access to the underside of the sink.
- Check windowsills, wall fittings and taps against the splashback. Use the selected model drawing to confirm the final fit.
Specify the splashback and undershelf
Choose the splashback for the wall layout and washing task. E22126(DC-E) provides an extended splashback: 300 mm is standard, with 400, 500 and 600 mm options. Specify the required height explicitly.
Select an undershelf only after deciding what it will hold and how staff will clean underneath the sink. Shelf availability, material and thickness depend on the selected configuration; the sink-body specification does not define the shelf specification.
- No undershelf leaves the area beneath the bowls open.
- A solid undershelf provides a continuous storage surface; check clearance for stored items and plumbing.
- A tubular rack provides open storage; check whether the items to be stored will sit securely on it.
- For E22128(DC-112), shelf and rack options are available at selected lengths. Use the product configurator to check the combination you need.
Confirm connections and what is included
Match the selected sink to the water supply, tap arrangement and waste connection before ordering. A waste outlet hole is not the same as a complete waste fitting and trap. Confirm each required fitting in the quotation.
- Specify tap mounting, tap reach and any pre-rinse equipment required.
- Record waste-hole requirements, trap position and the available connection below the bowls.
- List the selected sink-body material and thickness separately from the undershelf specification.
- Identify delivery, positioning, plumbing and installation work that needs to be included in the project scope.
Walk through the washing task before finalising the layout
Use the largest representative item and a dimensioned layout to test the sequence. Check how it approaches the bowl, clears the tap, moves during washing and reaches the clean landing area. A bowl can contain an item while leaving too little room to handle it comfortably.
Include the person doing the work and the person responsible for cleaning the station. Their view of reaching, lifting, clearing waste and accessing the underside helps turn a list of dimensions into a usable working arrangement.
Retain the selected configuration and connection details with the room plan. This gives later replacement and maintenance work a clear record of the station that was actually installed.