What is the standard size of a basic shower stall?

There is no single standard size for a basic shower stall; Ella's Bubbles builds its basic one-piece stalls in four footprints, 42 by 42, 48 by 37, 60 by 33 and 60 by 36 inches, at 77 or 80 inches high, and offers three-piece and five-piece kits for remodels where a one-piece unit cannot reach the bathroom. Which size counts as standard for your project depends on the alcove, on whether the stall must pass through finished doorways, and on whether you want a molded seat. Ella Shower Stalls Compared: One-Piece AcrylX E-Series, Three-Piece 60x33 Molded Seat, and the Legacy ESM Gel Coat Stalls compares the full spec sheets, and this page pulls out the size figures.

Basic Shower Stall Sizes at a Glance

The overall figures describe the alcove the stall fills, so a stall listed as 60 by 33 needs a 60 inch wide opening with 33 inches of depth. The height is the height of the molded unit, not of the ceiling, and the seat figures tell you how much floor is left to stand in. If your rough opening matches one of the four one-piece footprints and the walls are still open, the one-piece stall is the simplest choice. If the bathroom is finished, the three-piece and five-piece kits are the way to reach the same 60 inch alcove size in pieces.

What a Basic Stall Is Made of and What Comes with It

Ella's one-piece stalls are made in the USA from fiberglass reinforced with the AcrylX applied acrylic finish, with Armorcore reinforced walls on all sides so grab bars can be added later. The 48 by 37 by 80 inch New Construction One-Piece Shower, models E-3648LWH and E-3648RWH, is handed by seat, has a 4 inch threshold and a center drain, weighs 160 pounds net and ships at 53 by 42 by 84 inches and 280 pounds. It comes in white only, with an architectural subway tile pattern, a Grip Sure floor texture, molded soap, shampoo and foot ledges, and square corners at the base that accept a framed or frameless door or a curtain. It is offered as a Basic or a Liberty package and carries a Lifetime Limited Residential and 30 Year Commercial warranty on the stall. A basic Ella shower kit includes three things: the stall, the grab bars listed for that kit, and the drain. It does not include a shower head, a hand shower, a mixing valve or valve trim, and the wall arrives solid with no valve cutout, so your plumber selects the valve and the openings are marked and cut on site. What is included in a basic DIY walk-in shower kit? turns that carton list into a shopping checklist.

One-Piece Sizes and the Doorway Rule

Because a one-piece stall is molded as a single unit with an integral base and seamless walls, it does not disassemble, and the product pages carry a clear warning: if you are remodeling, make sure the stall fits through every doorway and hallway into the bathroom before placing your order, and otherwise use the multi-piece line. That rule is why the standard size question has two answers. For new construction, where the stall can be brought in before walls are closed, the one-piece 42 by 42, 48 by 37, 60 by 33 and 60 by 36 inch units are the standard choices, and the 60 by 33 unit is offered both with a left or right molded seat and as a center-drain unit with no seat. For a remodel, the standard size is whichever kit assembles in the room.

Three-Piece and Five-Piece Stalls for Remodels

Three-piece kits ship as a base plus two wall sections that assemble from the front, so each piece passes through finished doorways. The Liberty three-piece low-threshold shower has an interior opening, measured from the threshold, of 55.75 inches wide and 73 inches high, and its square corners above the low threshold accept framed and frameless doors alike. The five-piece stall is a base plus four wall sections that assemble on site. It can be ordered with soap ledges formed into the wall panels, a bench, and grab bars in a 24-inch or 36-inch length, but a molded-in seat is not offered on that unit, so the bench is the seating option. Its molded base includes a foot ledge 17 5/8 inches long, which the unit is not available without, and you state a left-hand or right-hand drain so the base matches your rough plumbing. Ordering the 5-Piece Shower Stall With Soap Ledges, a Bench, or Grab Bars lists those options, which must be chosen at order time because the ledges are built into the panels.

Stall Size Versus Door Opening Size

The nominal size of a stall describes the alcove, not the door opening, and the two are never the same number. Door makers publish a minimum and maximum opening width for each door, so compare those to the interior opening figure on the spec drawing for your exact model: 55.75 inches wide and 73 inches high on the Liberty, while a compact stall can have a much narrower opening, such as 45 inches. If a door's minimum width is a fraction of an inch wider than the opening, do not assume the door can be shortened; ask the door manufacturer whether that model can be trimmed, or choose a door whose range already includes the opening. Ella offers one door of its own for the Liberty opening, the Ella Duo framed sliding door, and does not carry a matching door for every stall size, so ask which door fits the size you are ordering before you plan the enclosure. Choosing a Shower Door for the Ella Liberty Three-Piece Shower covers mounting and sealing. Measure the alcove, the doorways and the door opening before you order, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm which stall matches your figures.

Related Guides

• Will a One-Piece Ella Shower Fit Through My Doorways? The 33-Inch Clearance Rule and New Construction
• Will a Three-Piece Ella Shower Fit Through My Doorway? Piece Dimensions and Turning the Base Sideways

Common Questions