What Is the Smallest Shower Pan Size You Can Buy?

The smallest shower pan Ella's Bubbles makes is a custom acrylic base measuring 30 by 30 inches, and that minimum applies to both three-wall alcove bases and corner bases. The smallest pan in the standard lineup is 30 by 60 inches, so any square or short footprint is a custom request instead of a stock size. The complete range is laid out in What sizes do shower pans come in, from smallest to largest?, and this page stays at the small end of that range: how small a pan can go, what sets the limit, and how to plan a compact shower around it.

The Two Smallest Sizes: Custom and Standard

There are two honest answers to this question, and the one that applies to you depends on whether you want a pan made to order or a pan from the standard lineup. The custom shower base page lists a minimum of 30 by 30 inches, and that floor is the same whether the base goes into a three-wall alcove or a two-wall corner. There is no stock pan smaller than the 30 by 60 inch standard. The three standard shower pan sizes are 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inches. All three share the 60 inch length and differ only in width, so a space shorter than 60 inches always points to a custom base.

The encouraging part is that short and square pans are routine work. Sizes such as 46 by 46, 50 by 30 and 36 by 44 inches have all been handled as custom builds, and a 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain has been produced. A custom base is made to your length and width in the same finished acrylic as the standard pans, so it is ready to use once it is installed and does not need to be tiled over. Your contractor sets the base, connects the drain and finishes the walls around it.

One more pan family is worth knowing about. Complete multi-piece shower kits use their own pans, such as the 60 by 33 inch three-piece low-threshold kit with a molded seat, so a kit is sized as a whole unit and not pan by pan.

Small Pan Options Side by Side

What the table means for your bathroom is simple. If you have a 60 inch alcove, a standard pan is the easiest choice, because the drain sits in a set position for each size and you only confirm the left or right side so it lines up with the drain line already in your floor. If your space is shorter than 60 inches, or closer to a square, you are in custom territory, and the trade is a pleasant one: you give up the stock size and gain the freedom to place the drain left, right or center. Alcove and corner bases share the same 30 by 30 inch minimum and only part ways at the large end, where an alcove base can reach 44 by 80 inches and a corner base tops out at 42 by 60 inches. Tell your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 which layout you have, because the drain and the finished edges are placed differently for each.

What Sets the Limit on a Small Pan

The first limit is the drain rule. On a custom base the drain can be placed left, right or center, but it must sit at least 9 inches from each wall. A drain only 7 inches from the threshold edge is not possible, even on a custom pan. On a compact base this is the rule to check first, because the existing drain line in your floor has to land where the rule allows it.

The second limit is shape. Only rectangular sizes are made. Bases with angled or curved edges are not offered, so a neo-angle corner, a curved front or any other non-rectangular footprint is not a fit for an Ella base. The first question for a tight or odd room is whether a rectangle of at least 30 by 30 inches can be drawn into it. On a custom three-wall base the threshold goes on the longer side, which is worth knowing when you sketch where the entry will be.

The third choice, not so much a limit, is the threshold. A custom shower base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches. For a barrier-free entry, zero threshold bases sit flush with the surrounding floor instead. Wheelchair accessible roll-in bases come in the three standard sizes with the drain position specified at order time, they ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that keeps water in while a wheelchair rolls over it, and sizes outside those three can be made to order. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm which threshold style suits your bathroom and how it meets your plumbing rough-in.

How to Measure a Small Space for a Pan

A small shower leaves very little room for a measuring mistake, so take these five notes before you ask for a base. The full walk-through is in How Do You Measure a Shower Base, Including a Corner Base?.

1. Width. Measure across the opening the base will fill.
2. Length. Measure along the back wall. Anything under 60 inches means a custom base.
3. Drain position. Find the existing drain line in the floor and measure from its center to each wall, then check it against the 9 inch rule.
4. Layout. Note whether the base is enclosed by three walls or sits in a corner against two walls.
5. Entry. Note which side is the entry and whether you want a curb-less roll-in edge, a 3 inch step-in threshold or a zero threshold flush with the floor.

Measure the finished opening, not the framing, and order the pan in that size. An Ella pan is built to size at the factory, with its length, width and drain position fixed when it is made, so the answer to a tight space is a custom order and never a saw. That point is covered in Can shower pans be cut to size or ordered custom?. Any on-site fitting happens in the walls above the pan: Ella's cultured marble travertine wall panels have factory finished edges that can be trimmed and cut for a custom fit, and Ella's acrylic wall panels come 98 inches high in a plain white finish.

The installation video on this page follows a low-threshold 3-piece shower kit, not a custom pan, but the habit it teaches applies to any small shower. It shows the installer dry assembling the unit in a clean, open space before it goes into the bathroom, to confirm that the correct panels and the correct drain location arrived and that the pan is free from damage. It also recommends delaying demolition of the existing bathtub area until you are confident the new unit is the correct size and condition, and checking the framing pocket for square, plumb and level. As the video puts it, slow is fast.

The Other End of the Range, and Small Tubs

People who search for the smallest pan often ask about the biggest one in the same breath. The largest custom base is 44 inches wide by 80 inches long, in a rectangle only, and corner bases top out at 42 by 60 inches. A 38 by 80 inch base with a left drain is within the limits, while a request such as 53 by 76 inches cannot be produced.

If the room is small enough that you are also weighing a compact tub against a compact shower, the smallest bathtub in the Ella's Bubbles line is the Mobile walk-in tub, which measures 26 inches wide by 45 inches long. The compact tub models are compared in What is the smallest bathtub size you can buy for a bathroom?. Whichever way you lean, send your five measurements to your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support, and they will match the base to your space.

Watch: Step-by-Step Low-Threshold Shower Installation for Remodeling | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One
• How do you build a custom shower pan or base?
• How Close to the Wall Can the Drain Be on a Custom Shower Base, and Can It Be Centered?

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