Standard laundry size in Australia
The NCC requires space for a washing machine and a washtub in the same room. Here is what that means dimensionally, and what separates a laundry from a cupboard with a machine in it.
The laundry is the room most often shrunk to make something else bigger, and the one whose minimum is actually set by the building code rather than by convention.
The numbers
| Minimum width | 1,500mm |
| Minimum floor area | 2.7m² |
| Comfortable width | 1,800mm |
| Comfortable floor area | 4.3m² |
| Maximum proportions | 3:1 before it reads as a corridor |
| Wet area | Yes: waterproofing requirements apply |
Where the minimum comes from: 600-deep appliance plus 900 clear to work in front of it; NCC requires a washtub and machine space in one room.
Source: NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Part 10.4.1 Facilities (last checked 4 August 2026)
These are the figures Draftie's layout review measures your plan against, generated from the same table the checker uses, so this guide and the tool cannot disagree. Minimums are the point below which a room stops working, not a legal floor: outside ceiling heights, ventilation, sanitary facilities and egress, the NCC does not mandate most room dimensions.
What the code requires
The NCC requires a dwelling to have space for a washing machine and a washtub in the same room. That is what makes a laundry a room rather than a cupboard, and it is the reason the minimum is what it is.
Dimensionally: a 600mm-deep appliance plus 900mm of clear space to work in front of it gives 1,500mm. That is the minimum width, and it assumes appliances along one wall only.
What each configuration needs
| Configuration | Width needed |
|---|---|
| Machines side by side, one wall | 1,500mm (1,800mm comfortable) |
| Stacked washer/dryer + tub + bench | 1,500mm |
| Machines one side, bench opposite | 2,400mm+ (600 + 1,200 walkway + 600) |
| European laundry (in a cupboard) | 900mm wide, 600mm deep, stacked only |
Add a washtub at 600mm and a bench to fold on: the bench being the difference between a laundry you use and a laundry you dump things in.
The things a laundry actually needs
Beyond the machines:
- A tub, required, and genuinely useful for the things you do not put in a machine.
- Bench space. 900mm minimum to fold on. Over the machines is fine if they are front-loaders.
- Hanging space for drip-drying, even if it is a rail over the tub.
- A door to outside, if you can. The line and the bins are outside, and a laundry that opens to the drying area saves you carrying wet washing through the house.
- Storage for the cleaning things that otherwise live under the kitchen sink.
Where it goes
Next to the bathroom or ensuite, sharing the plumbing wall: this is the cheapest thing you can do for the plumbing bill. Near the bedrooms is convenient, since that is where the washing comes from and goes back to. Off the garage or the back entry works well too, because it becomes the place wet and dirty things stop before entering the house.
What to avoid: a laundry that opens directly off the kitchen or the main living area, where the noise and the sight of it are in the room you entertain in.
The European laundry
A stacked washer/dryer behind bifold doors in a 900mm cupboard. It is genuinely space-efficient and standard in apartments. In a house it is a compromise you notice weekly: no tub, no bench, nowhere to hang, nowhere to put the basket. Fine as a second laundry, tight as the only one, and you still need the code's washtub somewhere.
Checking your own plan
Draw the room, put the furniture in it, and see what is left. Draftie flags every room that falls under the figures above and tells you the shortfall in millimetres, so you find out on the drawing rather than after a builder prices it.
Related: standard room sizes across the whole house, and how to read a floor plan.
FAQ
What is the minimum laundry size in Australia?
About 1,500mm wide and 2.7m²: a 600mm-deep appliance with 900mm of clear space to work in front of it. The NCC requires space for both a washing machine and a washtub in the same room.
Does a house need a separate laundry in Australia?
The NCC requires space for a washing machine and a washtub in the same room, but that room does not have to be a dedicated laundry. A European-style laundry in a cupboard is common in apartments; in a house, a proper laundry with a bench is far more usable.
How wide should a laundry be with a bench opposite the machines?
About 2,400mm: 600mm of appliances, a 1,200mm walkway, and a 600mm bench. Below that, the appliance doors and the bench compete for the same floor.
Related guides
Standard bathroom size in Australia
Standard study and home office size in Australia
Standard living room size in Australia
Check these numbers against your own plan
Draw your layout in Draftie and every room reports its real dimensions as you move a wall, so a room that is 200mm too narrow shows up before a builder finds it.
Check your plan, freeGeneral information for Australian residential projects, not professional advice. Product specifications and prices change, confirm current details with the manufacturer or supplier before you rely on them. Draftie produces concept plans, not construction documents.