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Free tool

Outdoor Kitchen Counter Length Planner

Reviewed for 2026, updated September 8, 2026.

Turns your grill, side burner, sink, refrigeration, prep space, and bar seating into the linear feet of counter your outdoor kitchen really needs, for anyone sketching a layout before the stonework starts.

Your numbers

Results update as you type.

Your estimate

Appliance and prep run...
Bar seating run...
Total counter for a straight or L layout...
Island length with seating behind the appliances...

Estimates only. Assumptions are listed below, and you can change every input.

The most common regret in a finished outdoor kitchen is not the grill, it is the counter. Owners fall in love with a 42 inch grill, add a side burner and a sink, and discover on the first cookout that there is nowhere to set down a platter. Every appliance needs its cutout plus room to land hot pans beside it, and every bar stool needs enough width for an adult to sit comfortably without elbowing the neighbor.

This planner adds up the cutout widths of the appliances you choose, the landing counter on either side of the grill, the dedicated prep space you want, and the width each bar seat requires. It reports the appliance run and the seating run separately, because on an island with a raised back bar the two can overlap, and then gives you both the straight-run total and the island length to hand to a designer. It is a starting point for a layout, not a substitute for a scaled drawing.

How to use this tool

  1. Enter the cutout width of the grill you are considering and pick the side burner and sink you intend to install.
  2. Count your undercounter refrigeration units, set how much clear prep counter you want, and enter the number of bar stools.
  3. Read the appliance run and seating run, then use the straight-run total for a single line or L, or the island length if guests will sit behind the cook.

What the math assumes

  • The grill gets 24 inches of landing counter in total, 12 inches on each side, whenever a grill width above zero is entered; this is a design assumption, not a code requirement.
  • Cutout widths are fixed at 15 inches for a single side burner, 24 inches for a double burner, 18 inches for a bar sink, 24 inches for a prep sink, and 24 inches for each undercounter refrigeration unit; check your appliance specification sheets, as real cutouts vary.
  • Each bar seat is allotted 24 inches of counter width so adults can sit side by side without crowding.
  • The island length assumes the seating run sits on the back side of the same island as the appliance run, so it takes the longer of the two rather than adding them.
  • Nothing here accounts for corner losses in an L or U layout, counter depth, aisle clearances, or the combustible clearances your grill manufacturer specifies.

Frequently asked questions

How much landing space does a built-in grill really need?

The planner assumes 12 inches on each side, which is enough to set down a tray or a pair of tongs. Many designers prefer more on the side where platters come off the grate, so treat the result as a floor rather than a ceiling.

Can the bar seating share the same counter as the appliances?

Yes, on an island with a raised bar the stools sit on the back side facing the cook. That is why the planner reports the island length as the longer of the two runs instead of adding them together.

Why does the total feel longer than the kitchens I see in photos?

Photographs rarely show the corners where an L layout loses usable counter or the clearances the grill manufacturer requires from walls and combustibles. Add those, and a modest looking kitchen often needs more linear feet than expected.

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The design guide to luxury outdoor kitchens and grills.

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