A commercial kitchen is planned along its lines: the run of equipment that stands against a wall or back to back in an island, under one extraction canopy. Getting the line right on paper first saves moving gas pipes and cutting worktops later. This guide works through the decisions in the order a kitchen designer takes them, using the measurements on our own product pages.
1. Start with the menu, then list the equipment
Write down what the kitchen will cook at its busiest service, then the equipment each part of the menu needs: open burners for sauces and pans, a fryer for chips and fried chicken, a wok stove for stir-fries, an oven for roasts and pastry, refrigeration close to the cooks, and bench space to prepare and plate. Equipment that is not on the menu does not go on the line.
2. Add up the widths
Every listing that documents its size gives external dimensions in millimetres as width × depth × height. The width is the number that decides what fits. Here are the cooking pieces on our pages:
| Equipment | Width | Depth | Height | Fuel | Heat input |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-burner gas range with gas oven | 1200 mm | 900 mm | 850 mm | Gas | 28 + 4.8 kW |
| Gas twin-tank fryer, 4 baskets | 800 mm | 900 mm | 850 mm | Gas | 31 kW |
| Wok stove, 2 burners + 1 warmer | 1800 mm | 1000 mm | 800 mm | Gas | Not listed |
A range and a fryer side by side take 2000 mm. Add the wok stove and the line is 3800 mm long. If the wall is 4.2 m, that leaves 400 mm, which is not enough for a useful bench; a shorter wall means choosing between the wok stove and a working table. Write the line out like this before you choose models, and leave room at each end for a bench where cooks can land hot pans.
3. Two worked lines: a 2.4 m wall and a 3.6 m wall
The same three pieces give very different kitchens depending on the wall. These are arithmetic examples with the widths above, not layouts for your room.
| Wall | Line | Equipment width | Left for benches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4 m (2400 mm) | Range + fryer | 2000 mm | 400 mm |
| 2.4 m (2400 mm) | Range only | 1200 mm | 1200 mm |
| 3.6 m (3600 mm) | Range + fryer | 2000 mm | 1600 mm |
| 3.6 m (3600 mm) | Range + wok stove | 3000 mm | 600 mm |
| 3.6 m (3600 mm) | Range + fryer + wok stove | 3800 mm | Does not fit (200 mm short) |
On the 2.4 m wall, the range and fryer fit with 400 mm to spare; whether that is enough depends on how the cooks land pans and plate. If it is not, keep the fryer and plan the bench space on the opposite wall. On the 3.6 m wall, the range and fryer leave 1600 mm, room for a working table at one end. The wok stove only joins them on a longer wall or on a second line, for example back to back in an island under its own canopy.
4. Check the depths and the space in front
The range and fryer above are 900 mm deep and the wok stove is 1000 mm. Depth sets how far the equipment comes into the room, and so how much aisle is left between the line and the bench opposite. Cooks need to pass each other carrying trays and to open oven doors fully, so measure the room with the doors open, not closed. Some listings show a second height in brackets, such as 850 (+120); ask us what it covers before you settle the canopy height.
5. Gas: total heat input and the supply
Gas equipment is listed with its heat input in kW. Add up the kW of every gas appliance on the line: the range and fryer above come to 63.8 kW between them before the wok stove is added, and the wok stove’s heat input is not listed, so ask us for it before the installer sizes anything. Your gas installer uses the total, and the number of appliances, to size the regulator, pipework and the cylinder manifold or supply. LPG from cylinders is common where there is no piped gas, so confirm with us which gas each appliance is set up for, and have the installation done and tested by a qualified gas technician.
6. Electricity: voltage and phase
Electric equipment lists its voltage and, where it matters, its phase. The stainless 2-door refrigerator runs on 220–240 V. The planetary food mixer is listed at 220 / 380 V; ask us which voltage the bowl size you choose needs, because 380 V equipment needs a three-phase supply. Give your electrician the list of equipment with voltages before the walls are closed, so sockets and isolators are in the right places.
7. Extraction over the cooking line
The canopy covers every appliance that produces heat, smoke or steam, and runs past the ends and the front of the line. Its size and the airflow it needs depend on the equipment under it and the heat it gives off, which is why the kW figures matter here too. A ventilation contractor sizes the canopy, filters and fan from your equipment list; follow the building regulations that apply to your premises.
8. Put refrigeration and benches where the work happens
Keep chilled ingredients close to where they are cooked so cooks are not crossing the kitchen during service. The 2-door refrigerator is 760 mm wide and 780 mm deep, so it takes about the same wall space as the fryer; leave the clearance around it that its manufacturer asks for, and allow for the door swing. Stainless working tables fill the gaps in the line and give a landing space beside the range and fryer; send us the width and depth of each gap with your list.
A checklist before you send the line
- The total width of the line, and what is left at each end.
- The depth of each piece, and the aisle measured with oven and refrigerator doors open.
- The total gas heat input in kW, with any figure that is not listed marked “ask”.
- The voltage and phase of each electric piece.
- Which appliances sit under the canopy.
- Where refrigeration and benches go, with the size of each gap.
Send us the line
When the line is on paper, add the equipment to your quote list, or upload your drawing or equipment schedule on the quote page. We reply with a written quotation, including lead times. Browse commercial cooking equipment, refrigeration and all commercial kitchen equipment, and see Gastronorm pan sizes for the pans that move between the line, the oven and the refrigerator.