I have the same question! We are ordering a custom soapstone sink this week and I have to decide on the depth.

Our last custom soapstone sink was 11" deep (exterior measurement) and I had wall mount faucets at 8" above countertop height. It was great for fitting 5 gallon buckets, but even I admit it was a little uncomfortable on the back, and I am only 5' 2"

Our dish sink had an exterior measurement of 9 and 3/4" and was perfect. But keep in mind that it was fireclay, so the interior dimensions were probably less than if we went with stainless--due to thickness.

I think we will get our soapstone sink in 9 and 3/4, which will be about 8" deep on the inside. My feeling is that you really don't need it to be too deep (and I love big sinks!) unless you specifically need it to hide big pots.

If you get a tall faucet and an 8-10 inch deep sink, you should be highly functional. I would totally steer clear of a 12" deep sink, unless you have some really specific need for it. Seems like it would be hard on your back.

That being said, i think it also matters if you are getting a single or double bowl. Right now we have a double bowl and I find myself resting pots/plates/etc, on the divider and that makes washing up stuff very comfortable.

My advice would be to lessen the dishwashing hunchback.

Check them out in person and see what works for you. My GC suggested getting the deepest I could, a friend advised otherwise. I check some out and found out I like it less deep.

I actually did go to a showroom and tried a couple of depths. It is hard to tell when I stand there for one or two minutes. I thought that asking for opinions of people who might actually have any of these depths could help out. I would appreciate all opinions.

There is a chart on the www.rachiele.com website that advises correct sink depth by a person's height. Don't forget the thickness of the countertop if you're doing an undermount sink.

With your height I wouldn't pick any deeper than 8" if it is undermounted which would put it 9-1/4" deeper than the counter height.

I've heard - don't know that it is true - that deep sinks are more of a problem for tall people since they have to bend down more for deep sinks. But surely that doesn't consider arm length etc. I have one that is 10" deep and I am 5'7". I didn't want one that deep but they all seemed to come that deep in my price range. I've only had it a month or two, but haven't had a problem with the depth. I'm not convinced it matters that much except if you hand wash your dishes.

I'm also 5'5" and mine is about 8" deep. This is actually deeper than some other sinks I've had and used elsewhere. I think of myself as someone who likes a deeper sink that you can fit a lot of things down into and this one seems deep enough to me. I've been using it for five years - no problems - no regrets.

I agree - there is no ideal sink depth. I'm 5 feet tall (and shrinking), and mine is 10" and 9". I wouldn't want a sink any deeper than that though as I think it's unnecessary and could be uncomfortable. I would recommend going to the biggest, widest sink you can fit and go somewhere in the mid-range for the depth.

My Blanco Precision sink is 30" x 18" x 10" deep. It's an undermount, so it ends up being slightly more than 11" deep. I think it's great. My counters are 30" deep (front to back) and 38" high, both deeper and higher than is standard. If I were to do another kitchen, I'd definitely go with the same arrangement. When it comes to the kitchen sink, big and deep works for me.

Be sure to check your plumbing drain lines to make sure they are low enough to work with a deep sink. Trust me...we are in a MAJOR mess right now because our plumbing (ran through the wall parallel to the sink) isn't low enough for our undermounted deep blano sink; not to mention the disposal. We have to run a new line up the bottom of the cabinet and tie into the trunk line (cutting through porcelain tile and joists as we go). Off to Lowes...NOT FUN!!!!!

I'm going to go the opposite route as for the depth. In fact I DID go the opposite route and just love it. I only have a 6" soapstone sink (interior dimension) AND I placed it in a run of countertop an extra 2 inches tall so my sink bottom is at a place that would put it at what would be a 4" depth normally. I am 5'3 and my DH is 6'0. He LOVES the sink depth. He does most of the dishes and while he used to have back aches he doesn't anymore. I like it alot too and wouldn't have had it anyway.

I do totally back everyone else though. You need to find what's right for you. Our sinks are very shallow compared to most people and even possibly a negative selling point in the house.

If my sink is ten inches deep and 23 inches installed in length and 16 inches in width installed how do I know what length and reach my faucet should be so I don't have a lot of splashing? Any thoughts are appreciated.
Marion

My sink is 9 inches deep, undermount, 3/4 inch granite. I sometimes have a grid in the bottom of the sink, and other times don't. I'm 5' 5" and I think the depth is ideal for me and there is no splashing from my high arc faucet. I do a lot of dishes by hand so having a comfortable sink height was important to me. Keep in mind that the sinks in showrooms may be set into display cabinets that are a different height than what you have at home. Use your trusty tape measure and take those differences into consideration. I thought I wanted a really deep sink as it seems to be the trend now, but after a trip to the showroom I realized that 9 inches deep was my maximum.

I had also read that a faucet's water stream should ideally go straight into the drain, but it was nearly impossible to find a sink and faucet that worked together that way. Besides, my sink's drain is towards the back of the sink, but I didn't want my faucet stream to be way back there ... how would I do dishes with the water coming out way back there? So I threw that advice out the window. The faucet stream hits in front of the drain, about in the center of the sink. No splashing. I did consider how high the faucet was, though, at the point where the water comes out because I didn't want a bunch of splashing every time I turned on the faucet. One faucet that I was considering was extra high in this regard, and I ruled it out for that reason. I also ruled out faucets that shot the water stream out at a stong angle towards the front, as I wanted the water to come out more "straight down."

Sheesh ... who knew that choosing a faucet and a sink would be so difficult? It wasn't easy, that's for sure!

Here's an article which was intended to answer the questions and issues.

Here is a link that might be useful: Making Sense of Kitchen Faucets

Thanks for the link, rococogurl. Very useful!

My sink is a Blanco Microedge and is 10 inches deep. I love it because you can't see all the dirty dishes in it unless you walk right up to it!

Someone put a link to my website regarding ideal depths of kitchen sinks. I need to clarify that information. The shallower depths are only appropriate with rear corner drain sinks. If you have a double bowl sink or a rear or center drain, you might consider a deeper sink. Height of the user is also key. A tall or shorter person should consider a shallower sink. I hope that helps a bit.

The kind of faucet greatly impacts the sink depth. We have a 10 inch deep sink with a grid and an articulating Kohler Karbon faucet. The faucet moves all over the sink, and does so easily. So I don't have to strain forward to wash dishes-the faucet comes to me. And in our new house, I will do another Karbon and the same Krauss sink with the 10 inch depth and grid. No backaches-its been great.

I have been a kitchen designer since 1977 and I recently learned something that impacts this discussion. Faucet reach is a huge impact with regard to user comfort. All too often a faucet is selected with a short reach. That choice causes the user to lean and reach forward in order to work under the water. Ergonomically speaking, a faucet should allow the user to stand straight up and access the water flow without leaning forward. This little considered fact can be the difference between comfort and a back ache every time the faucet is used for an extended period. I hope this helps some of you!

I agree with you! Can you comment on bathroom sink depth? I want to maximize under sink space since I'm doing drawers under my double vanity but I don't want to be splashed whenever I brush my teeth and wash my face. What is the minimum depth you would recommend?

Thanks!

My opinion is that water pressure has as much to do with it as sink depth. Because you're not washing dishes in the bathroom sink, the depth can be shallow. However, high water pressure can make any sink depth splash. Try using a restrictor in the faucet inlets to lower the water pressure exiting from the faucet. (An aerator may also work.) It's not as if you need a big volume of water.

The biggest problem I've seen with bathroom sinks is that after you wash your hands, water drips on the counter when shutting off the faucet. Only the most obsessive people wipe them up every time, but if you don't the minerals adhere to the sink and look ugly. It's very hard to clean them off, though a plumber can do it with strong acid. The faucet handles should be over the bowl so that the drips go in the sink.

@Rachiele Custom Sinks any major difference between 9" or 10" undermount?

nkkp’s advice is really to the point. knowing that I would be remodeling soon I asked my plumber ( who had been called in on another matter) to look at the kitchen sink area and tell me if there were any gotchas to bear in mind when I got around to shopping for a sink and disposal. He told me an external depth of 10” was the max I could go to make sure the pluming would work and to fit a standard disposal. It was lucky I asked, since I thought at the time that I might like the deepest sink possible. Our assumption, btw, that the proper ergonomic depth is super important is partly based on the idea that we will spend hours at the sink, like our mothers or grandmothers did. These days dishwashers take up a lot of the, hmm, load. But if you enjoy washing dishes by hand, have back problems, or maybe do textile dyeing regularly then a perfect depth becomes more of a thing. I would start with whether you find your current sink comfortable.

@jad2design good points, thanks. We don't spend hours - but we sure want efficiency when we are there. Busy family of 5. Mornings and suppertime. My husband works from home and is actually "at the sink" more than any of us. I figure we get a big single and he can use a dishpan for the odds and ends during the day.

@kel_kat5 There are many ergonomic factors that need to be considered when determining sink depth. Double bowl sinks need to be deeper because large items, such as cookie sheets, trays, and other large items will not fit flat down in the bowl. They are generally washed by putting them half in and half out of the bowl at an angle while washing the bottom half, then flipping it around to wash the other half. These sinks should be 9 or 10" deep depending on your height. If you are shorter than 5'4" or taller than 6'0", I would suggest a 9" deep bowl. A shorter person and taller person will find it uncomfortable to reach down to the bottom of a 10" deep bowl. The best scenario, in my opinion, is a single bowl sink with a rear corner drain. That allows the user to lay large items flat down inside the sink to wash them without covering the drain. In this case, the sink should be 8" deep for most users, however, the same situation is true with shorter or very tall users. The bowl should be just a tad shallower. The reasoning here is that the user will be working at the bottom of the bowl all the time and reaching below 8" is ergonomically uncomfortable. The drain location should be placed in the right rear corner for right-handed users and in the left rear corner for left-handed users. The reasoning here is simple. A right-handed person will always hold a dish in their left hand and scrape debris into the disposal with their right hand. If you follow the motion of the right hand it leads to the right rear of the sink. There is another reason that is often overlooked. If the drain is in the right rear, the dish will be slightly turned toward the drain instead of perpendicular to the user. When a spray is used on the dish, the water will reflect away from you with the rear corner drain instead of potentially at you when the dish is perpendicular to your body. I have studied ergonomics for 40 years, the first 20 years, as a professional kitchen designer and the last 20 years as a sink designer. It has been my passion all of those years to provide ergonomically comfortable kitchens and sinks as well as to design kitchens and sinks that save time. As they say, "you can't make time" - however, you can save time! Best of luck in your search for a sink. Dino Rachiele

If you use full size baking sheets (as I do) you're going to be angling them in a large single sink as well, however, you wouldn't even get them into a double sink. When I had a double sink, only the one side was ever used, so for practical purposes I just had a really small sink. And Dino's right, A properly thought out sink will save a lot of time and make cooking fun.

I'm 5'9" and have a 9 inch deep under mount sink and my countertop is about 1 1/2" and I my back is killing me when I do dishes. Hate it.

@linda_rohrick12 I feel your pain. I had to change my sink out years ago for the same reason. I find shallow sinks with a faucet that does not splatter is a great combination for ease on the back.