Standard Height of Toilet Paper Holders | Hunker

Standard height of a toilet paper holder

Nothing ruins a bathroom user’s experience more than an out-of-reach toilet paper dispenser. Industry associations publish bathroom design standards, including fixture heights, to ensure that dispensers are easily accessible in typical bathrooms, while government standards are intended to ensure that dispensers are accessible to users with special needs.

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Standard Height Of A Toilet Paper Holder | Recommended Toilet Paper Holder Heights

Toilet paper dispensers should be 26 inches above the finished floor of a bathroom’s toilet area, measured from the floor to the vertical center of the dispenser, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA). This height allows for easy access from either a standard-height toilet (less than 17 inches tall at the seat level) or a chair-height toilet (between 17 and 19 inches tall). Chair-height toilets are also known as “Comfort Height,” which is a registered trademark of Kohler for toilets of this size.

The taller chair-height toilet is intended to make it easier for elderly or tall people to get on and off a toilet, and it is made even easier when a grab bar is securely installed to the wall beside the toilet.

ADA Toilet Paper Holder Requirements

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has different requirements for toilet paper dispenser locations than the NKBA. The dispenser in bathrooms intended for disabled users should be at an appropriate height that is easily reachable from the model of toilet installed, but it should be no lower than 18 inches from the floor and no higher than 48 inches from the floor, according to the ADA.

Other Toilet Paper Holder Guidelines

Both the NKBA and the ADA specify the horizontal placement as well as the height of the toilet paper dispenser. The NKBA suggests that the dispenser be 8 to 12 inches from the front of the toilet, measured from the front edge of the toilet bowl to the dispenser’s horizontal center.

According to the ADA, the dispenser should be 7 to 9 inches away from the toilet. Because a toilet paper dispenser is located beneath the grab bar, the ADA requires a minimum clearance of 1.5 inches between the top of the toilet paper dispenser and the bottom of the grab bar, which may not accommodate large rolls of toilet paper.

Alternative Locations for TP Holders

If a toilet paper dispenser cannot be installed in the recommended location, homeowners can store rolls in a basket beside the toilet, on a floor-mounted toilet paper dispenser, or in a cabinet above and behind the toilet.

However, these locations aren’t ideal because they typically necessitate more bending, reaching, and twisting on the part of the user than an appropriately mounted wall dispenser. They are also likely to fall outside of the ADA’s maximum reach ranges, rendering these solutions noncompliant with the act’s requirements.

You should keep at least one extra roll of toilet paper within reach of the toilet, regardless of the type of toilet paper dispenser you use, rather than storing all extra rolls out of reach.

Height Placement

The NKBA recommends installing a wall-mounted toilet paper holder 26 inches above the floor, on center. “On center” means that the holder’s center, rather than the bottom or top, is 26 inches above the floor. This installation height is suitable for both standard and comfort height toilets, as well as handicapped toilets.

Distance From Toilet

Another critical measurement is that it should be eight to twelve inches on center, from the toilet to the facing wall. Take your measurements from the very front of the toilet bowl. Consider the average height of household members and place it eight to ten inches from the front of the bowl for shorter users and households with children; place it ten to twelve inches in front of the bowl for taller households.

Distance From Toilet

Another critical measurement is that it should be eight to twelve inches on center from the toilet to the facing wall. Measure from the very front of the toilet bowl. To optimize this measurement, consider the average height of household members and place it eight to ten inches from the front of the bowl for shorter users and households with children; place it ten to twelve inches in front of the bowl for taller households.