How Tall are Bathroom Stalls?

Design Details
June 12, 2023
Bathroom stall photo emphasizing dimensions

How Tall are Bathroom Stalls?

The quick answer to this question is that commercial bathroom stalls have traditionally had 58″ tall panels and doors.

A more accurate answer requires consideration of several factors, including partition materials and room dimensions. This article will explore the heights of doors, panels, and pilasters in a commercial restroom.

Door Height

Traditional Door Height

The traditional door height is 58″ for all materials except solid plastic (HDPE), which is typically 55″ tall. The door height is trending toward taller doors as privacy and all gender become more significant issues in the bathroom space.

Minimum Door Height

The minimum door height is 58″ for all materials except solid plastic (HDPE), which has a minimum of 55″.

Note that there are exceptions to this minimum height, such as children’s partitions, prison partitions, and areas prone to mischief.

Maximum Door Height

The maximum door height depends on the material used and the mounting style of the stall. The material because of differing degrees of how much they warp over length. The mounting style because of limits on the amount of door weight they can support without rigid top and bottom connections.

Combining the material and mounting style limits results in the following table of door height maximums. Note – there are exceptions to the numbers in this table.

*Dimensions in InchesPlastic LaminateCompact Laminate (Phenolic)Wood VeneerSolid PlasticSolid SurfaceStone
Headrail Braced (HRB)10884108729672
Floor To Ceiling (FTC)10884108729672
Floor Mount (FM)58585858**
Ceiling Hung (CH)78727272**
* Solid surface and stone are not available in floor mount or ceiling hung. 

Other Common Door Heights

Other common door heights include 71″, 71.5″, 72, and 84″. The 71″ and 71.5″ heights are commonly used for material yield efficiency. 

ADA Impacts

ADA requirements indirectly affect door heights because the toilet mounting style, partition dimensions, and toe clearance requirements, in combination with the ceiling or pilaster heights, can impose limits on door height.

Panel Height

Traditional Panel Height

Panels are normally the same height as the doors in toilet partitions. Therefore, the traditional panel height is 58″ for all materials except solid plastic (HDPE), which is typically 55″ tall. Like the doors, this panel height is trending toward taller panels as privacy and all gender become more significant issues in the bathroom space.

Minimum Panel Height

The minimum panel height is 58 for all materials except solid plastic (HDPE), which has a minimum of 55″.

Note that children’s bathroom partitions, like in daycare facilities, can be significantly shorter than these minimums.

Maximum Panel Height

The maximum panel height is determined by the restroom dimensions. The ceiling height is an obvious limitation to panel height. In practice, a 1” gap is left at the floor and at the ceiling to allow for construction variance. In addition, consideration should be given to the fact that very large panels may not fit around corners or through constrictions in the travel path (such as doors).

Combining room dimensions and materials results in the following table of panel height maximums: 

*Dimensions in InchesPlastic LaminateCompact Laminate (Phenolic)Wood VeneerSolid PlasticSolid SurfaceStone
Headrail Braced (HRB)12012012072120120
Floor To Ceiling (FTC)12012012072120120
Floor Mount (FM)58585858**
Ceiling Hung (CH)96969672**
* Solid surface and stone are not available in floor mount or ceiling hung.

Other Common Panel Heights

Other common panel heights include 71″, 71.5″, 72, and 84″. The 71″ and 71.5″ heights are commonly used for material yield efficiency.

ADA Impacts

ADA requirements indirectly affect panel heights because the partition dimensions, toe clearance requirements, and restroom ceiling heights, can impose limits on panel height.

Pilaster Height

Pilaster Height Calculations

The pilaster heights are determined by mounting style and restroom dimensions. The heights are given in the table below: 

Mounting StyleCalculation or Value to Use for Pilaster Height
Headrail Braced (HRB)Door Height + AFF + 2″ (minimum 82″)
Floor To Ceiling (FTC)Ceiling Height
Floor Mount (FM)70″
Ceiling Hung (CH)Ceiling Height – AFF (maximum 120”)

Typical Pilaster Heights

Typical pilaster heights are given in the table below: 

Mounting StyleCalculation or Value to Use for Pilaster Height
Headrail Braced (HRB)82″
Floor To Ceiling (FTC)Ceiling Height
Floor Mount (FM)70″
Ceiling Hung (CH)Ceiling Height – 12″

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