A lot of people wonder, “are washing machines a standard size and if so, how big is a standard washing machine?”
In the UK, most washing machines are front-loaders, which have a different shape to the top-loading machines that are more popular in America.
Read on to find out if there is a standard size of washing machine in the UK.
Are UK Washing Machines a Standard Size?
Most washing machines in the UK are roughly the same size, give or take a few millimetres.
Washing machines are designed to fit in a space that measures 85 cm high by 60 cm wide and 60 cm deep, so they are usually slightly smaller than this so that they can fit in the gap easily.
Instead of being an exact standard size, there is a rough standard size of washing machine. A standard washing machine in the UK measures 84-85 cm high, 59.5-60 cm wide and 50-60 cm deep.
As you can see, there is a small amount of variation. The depth is where you will see the most variation. While medium-capacity washers tend to have a depth of less than 60 cm, on larger-capacity machines (11 and 12 kg) it can be as much as 68 cm.
The height and width measurements are usually the most important, as it doesn’t matter if a washing machine sticks out a bit into the room as long as it fits width and height ways.
Are Higher Capacity Washing Machines Bigger?
Washing machine capacities are usually given in kilogrammes rather than in centimetres, for example 8 kg. This refers to the capacity of the drum (the part that holds your washing). An 8 kg washing machine can hold 8 kg worth of dry washing.
On average , washing machines do tend to get slightly bigger as the capacity gets larger. The extra room comes in the depth rather than the width or height.
We looked at the most popular washing machines in the UK and found that their average dimensions are as follows:
- 8-9 kg capacity: 84 cm high x 60 cm wide x 55 cm deep
- 10-11 kg capacity: 85 cm high x 60 cm wide x 61 cm deep
- 12 kg capacity: 85 cm high x 60 cm wide x 66 cm deep
As you can see, washing machines get slightly deeper as the capacity increases, but the width and height usually stay the same.
It might seem logical to assume that a 10 kg washing machine would always be bigger than a 7 kg washing machine, since it can hold more clothes.
However, this isn’t always the case. For example, the Bosch Series 6 WGG25401GB is a 10 kg machine that measures 84.5 cm high x 59.7 cm wide x 58.8 cm deep.
The Bosch Series 4 WAN28081GB is a 7 kg machine that measures 84.8 cm high x 59.8 cm wide x 59 cm deep.
Despite having a smaller capacity, the Bosch Series 4 WAN28081GB is slightly larger in size.
So, whether or not a larger capacity machine is bigger than a smaller capacity machine comes down to the particular brand and model, though on average bigger capacity machines are a bit deeper.
Can You Get Smaller Washing Machines?
It can be hard to find smaller washing machines, for example machines less than 85 cm in height or with a 55 cm width.
Can you get a washing machine under 85 cm in height?
Most washing machines are slightly less than 85 cm in height, but we couldn’t find any substantially shorter than this when researching this article. The shortest we could find were 82 cm in height.
Unlike with tumble dryers, mini washing machines don’t seem to exist. You can get small portable washing machines, but they are very different to regular washing machines and you probably wouldn’t want to do all of your laundry in one!
Can you get a washing machines with a width of 55 cm or less?
Slimline front-loading washing machines that measure 55 cm or less in width are quite hard to find. If you want a washing machine this narrow, you will usually have to choose a top loader instead. For example, the Hotpoint WMTF722UUKN is a 7 kg top loader that is just 40 cm wide.
In The Wash is your guide to the best laundry and cleaning products, tips and tricks. Our mission is to solve the UK’s cleaning and laundry dilemmas!
