Finding the perfect fit: A guide to various refrigerator sizes

Most of us probably have the same early memories of our early refrigerators, back when scouring for snacks was not a health concern. Skip years later to 2023 and refrigerators come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. This includes everything from compact mini-fridges to large three-doored refrigerators and all that lies in between.

While the abundance of choices is great for customers, choosing the right refrigerator for your home can be a tedious and confusing task if you don’t know what you are looking for. In today’s article, we shall be looking at the various sizes of refrigerators one can choose when buying a new one, and also how to find out the right size for you.

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Types of refrigerators

While there will always be fancy exceptions, most refrigerators you come across will fall into one of the following categories. Here’s what they all mean:

1. Single, double and triple door refrigerators

As the name suggests, these are refrigerators with single, two or three doors. Refrigerators with more doors often have more storage space as well, but one of the primary benefits of having a multi-door refrigerator is more efficient cooling. In such refrigerators, one can repeatedly open one of the doors without affecting the consistent cooling of the other doors.

However, multi-door refrigerators are large and expensive, and may simply be overkill for those living alone or for smaller families. In such cases, single door refrigerators are still great, offering compact cooling and numerous features at a lesser price.

2. French door

French door refrigerators are double door refrigerators that open outwards from the middle. These are large refrigerators that get their name from the French Renaissance when symmetry was a defining trait of art and architecture.

French door refrigerators are very popular today not just because of their aesthetics but also functionality. Being double door refrigerators, they also offer more efficient cooling by leaving half the refrigerator unaffected every time you open a side.

3. Top freezer, bottom freezer

The next big differentiator in refrigerators is the freezer configuration. There are models with a top freezer and ones with a bottom freezer. As the name suggests, configurations of the freezer, which is the dedicated part of your refrigerator that can freeze water and other items, can be a part of your refrigerator either on the top or the bottom.

Top-mount freezer refrigerators generally have more room for your ice cubes, ice cream or even green peas. These are also more common and less expensive models. On the other hand, bottom freezer refrigerators are popular choices among users who reach for the rest of the refrigerator including the crispers more frequently than the freezer. By placing the freezer below, the other elements of the freezer are placed higher, with the top levels coming at eye level for many.

4. Side-by-side door refrigerator

In side-by-side door refrigerators, the refrigerator half and the freezer half are placed side-by-side in a double door configuration. This allows users to see the contents of both the refrigerator and the freezer at eye level. With multiple doors, users can also leave one half of the refrigerator untouched when they need something from the other.

Side-by-side freezer refrigerators will often also have dispensers for ice and/or water, which allow users access to cold water or ice cubes without opening the fridge door at all.

Selecting the right refrigerator for you

Take a look around your kitchen or apartment and decide where your new refrigerator will be placed. Remember that a refrigerator should ideally be placed away from areas affected by direct sunlight as well as away from other appliances that may generate heat.

Once you have decided on the spot, it’s time to get measured. Bring out a measuring tape and measure the area you have available at your disposal in the selected spot. Measure the length, breadth and height of this space. From the numbers you get, subtract at least another two inches from the back, 1-inch from the sides and 1.5-inches from the top if you have a cabinet above. Also, measure the space in front of the area to get an idea of how much space will be left to walk around when your refrigerator door is open.

Once you have the measurements, your choices between how many doors you can opt for should also be narrowed down. If the space you have left is compact, you can skip double door, triple door and French door refrigerators. If you have the space, analyse your storage needs to decide how big a refrigerator you will need. Do not buy a bigger refrigerator if there’s no need, as overkill will lead to bigger energy bills, whether you use the entire refrigerator or not.

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Analyse your needs to choose between freezer configurations. If you use the freezer regularly for placing things like ice cream and desserts, you should be looking at top-mount freezer configurations like most people. However, if you need a freezer but will not be using it very often, you may want to consider a bottom-mount freezer configuration. As mentioned above, these will let you get a better view of the refrigerator contents which are placed higher in such refrigerators.

You can now look at the other features on offer and take into consideration factors like brand and colour preference as well as energy star ratings.