The sink measurements are for the sink itself, so it means the actual sink is 10" deep. Then you have to add on the depth of the countertop, so it's probably going to be between 11 and 12 in deep.

EDITED to add that because of this a lot of fabricators encourage using no more than 3 cm material on the sink run, even if you have lavishly thick counters elsewhere in the kitchen.

This post was edited by writersblock on Sat, Sep 28, 13 at 11:41

Writersblock, thanks - we're getting fairly flush front 2 cm counters so that won't be a problem. I always thought I wanted a less deep sink, but the one I was planning to get is 10" deep and it turns out the one I had in my last house was also 10" (and I loved that sink, but come to think of it, I kept a grid in the bottom - I guess I can do that again).

If your counters will be stone and the stone is only 2cm thick, you will need to install a plywood sub top on top of the cabinets b/f the counters are installed. In effect, you will still have a counter a little over 1.5" thick to add to your sink's depth.

* 3cm = 1.18"
* 2cm + 1/2" plywood = 1.29" (I think 1/2" thick is OK - check with the fabricator)

FWIW, our sink is 9" deep + 3cm (10.2" total sink depth) and we're OK with it - and we're a tall family. This is one case where short people have the advantage! Deeper sinks are more of a problem for tall people than for short people - tall people have to lean over/reach down farther to get to the bottom of the sink.

If 10" is too deep by an inch or so, consider getting a grid for the bottom of the sink. Grids "lift" the bottom of a sink by approx 1". Plus, they keep dishes off the bottom so you can rinse the sink easily and when draining pasta there's no backwash into the colander.