A 36 inch (915 mm) wide minimum entry shall be provided at one end of the long side of the compartment.
The good news is that most people have at least that much space for a shower in their bathroom! The International Residential Code deems 30” by 30” as the smallest permissible footprint for a walk-in shower. The National Kitchen and Bath Association recommends a larger size; 36” by 36”, to be exact.
Shower opening minimum 22” wide. Shower door must be able to open outward (inward is optional) Shower controls should be accessible without stepping into the shower spray.
Space may be limited but if your shower has a door make sure you can still fit through it! I would aim for 550mm at an absolute minimum, but just make sure it's designed with the main user in mind. You don't want to walk sideways into your shower everyday.
The minimum allowable shower door width is 22 inches wide: Anything narrower than that may not be up to code.
Fixed glass shower doors come in a variety of widths, from 22 inches to 36 inches. The width of your fixed glass shower door will depend on the size of your shower opening. A 22-inch fixed glass shower door is a good option if you have a small shower opening, perhaps in a guest bathroom.
2️⃣ 30-inch width for a shower: A minimum width of 30 inches ensures that the shower is usable and safe. It provides enough space to enter, turn, and move without restriction, essential for a practical design.
The shower compartment access and egress opening shall have a clear and unobstructed finished width of not less than 22 inches (559 mm).
With a low-threshold shower, there is only a small raised ledge, offering easy access to your shower space. A barrier along the base prevents water from escaping onto the bathroom floor.
The realistic minimum shower door width tends to be 550mm, when the space is perhaps tighter, but when the customer still wants to make the most of the opening into the shower space. Normally with smaller single frameless shower doors, the glass thickness is 8mm, this keeps both the weight and cost down.
How Big Should a Doorless Shower Be? A doorless shower layout requires a larger footprint than a standard tub or shower stall. Building codes may specify that a standard shower stall must be a minimum of 36 inches by 36 inches while the average doorless shower is about seven feet by four feet with many much larger.
Being able to comfortably access your shower is the first important point, who wants to have to awkwardly side-step into their new luxury shower because the doorway is too narrow? I would recommend a minimum opening of 550mm, depending on the person's stature and mobility, I may increase the dimension.
The smallest possible shower size is 32 inches by 32 inches. This is pretty tiny and can be rather uncomfortable for longer showers. It might also not be suitable for those who are tall or carry extra weight. A compromise is a bit larger standard shower size of 36 inches by 36 inches, or even 42 inches by 42 inches.
Thus, the recommended opening of a walk-in shower is 30” to 32”.
Frequently Asked Questions. What is the smallest recommended size for a shower? A shower should be 36 inches square (36 inches x 36 inches). For tiny spaces, 30 inches square (30 inches x 30 inches) is the smallest space that can be used for a shower.
IRC. The minimum interior shower size is 30" x 30" or 900 square inches, in which a disk of 30" in diameter must fit. (In most places, the shower head must also be inside this imaginary disk.)
A Low Level Access shower, as the name suggests, has a lower lip or step than most traditional showers, typically around 40mm or less. This feature allows those with some mobility issues to enter and exit the shower with greater ease. On the other hand, a Level Access shower goes a step further.
For a shower, to be installed, at least 30-36 square feet is required. For a full bath consisting of both a shower and a bathtub, you will need at least 40 square feet.
A 30-inch x 48-inch clear floor space must be provided at shower stalls, parallel to the fixture and flush with the control wall. In 36-inch x 36-inch showers, the clear floor space must be positioned exactly as shown in the upper right diagram, with 12 inches offset behind the wall opposite the control wall.
Without a door, water is going to end up splashing outside of the shower. Generally, a six-foot buffer zone around the shower is recommended. Assume that anything in that “splash zone” may get wet at some point.
Typically, the smallest shower size is 32 inches wide by 32 inches deep. However, the International Residential Code (which regulates houses, duplexes, and townhouses) allows for showers as small as 30 inches x 30 inches. Measurements go up incrementally from there, usually to about 36 inches by 60 inches.
The smallest size for a walk in shower is recommended to be 36 inches by 36 inches, inclusive of a bench attached to a wall within the space. By sticking to the suggested minimum sizing of 36 by 36 inches, you'll create a walk-in shower area that offers adequate room for comfortable, easy showering.
If you have a small shower the sideways entry may be required but in general the most common straight in entry for people walking in is 24” wide.