Ella Shower Dimensions: Nominal Size Versus Usable Interior Floor

An Ella shower is listed by its nominal outside footprint, for example 60 inches wide by 36 inches deep, and that nominal size is the one to use when you check whether the base will fit your alcove. The flat floor inside the shower is smaller than the nominal size. Front to back, the threshold and the slope down from the threshold to the floor take up part of the depth, and the molded soap and foot ledges on the back wall take up more at their own height. When two different depth figures appear for the same shower, the larger one is the nominal size to use for fit, and the smaller one describes the interior floor.

Why the Nominal Size and the Floor Differ

The base is an acrylic shell. Its outside edges define the nominal size, but the inside includes a raised threshold along the entry side, a short slope where the threshold meets the floor, and molded ledges along the back wall. On one published example, the shower measures 37 inches front to back. Subtracting a 2 3/4-inch threshold and a 1 7/8-inch slope leaves 33 5/8 inches of flat floor front to back. That floor figure does not account for the soap and foot ledges, which project 3 inches from the back wall, so a shower chair or transfer bench pushed all the way back will meet the ledges before it reaches the wall.

How to Work Out Your Usable Floor

1. Open the Specification drawing for your model. It shows the nominal footprint, the threshold, the slope and the position of the seat, ledges and drain.
2. Start with the nominal front-to-back depth of the base.
3. Subtract the threshold width shown on the drawing.
4. Subtract the slope where the threshold drops to the floor. The result is the flat floor depth.
5. Note the soap and foot ledges on the back wall and any molded seat. They reduce the clear space at their own height even though the floor continues beneath them.
6. Read the side-to-side interior width directly from the drawing rather than assuming it equals the nominal width.

Which Number to Use for Which Decision

Use the nominal size to confirm the base fits between the walls of the alcove and to plan the drain rough-in with your installer. Use the flat floor figure to decide whether a shower chair, rolling shower wheelchair or transfer bench will fit with room to maneuver, and to plan where a caregiver stands. Use the seat and ledge positions on the drawing to place grab bars and the hand shower so they are reachable from a seated position.

Comparing with a Walk-In Tub

Walk-in tubs are described in the same two ways, an exterior size and an interior seating and footwell space. The article on walk-in tub dimensions by model lists exterior sizes, and the table of interior length and soaking depth by model shows how much of that exterior becomes usable space inside. If you are choosing between a shower and a tub, compare the interior figures for each rather than the nominal sizes.

Related Guides

• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed
• Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One
• Shower Base Sizes and Thresholds Compared: AcrylX Barrier-Free, SMC Linear-Drain, Molded-Seat and Cultured Marble Bases

Common Questions

Still Need Help?

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and have your model and serial number ready.