Most fridge deliveries that fail do not fail in the kitchen. They fail at a lift door, a corridor turn, or a main door with a frame narrower than anyone assumed. By that point the crew is standing in your lobby with a box and a delivery slot they cannot extend.
Five minutes of measuring the route avoids it entirely, and hardly anyone does it.
The fridge and the box are different sizes
Every fridge we list carries both a product dimension and a carton dimension, and the gap between them is bigger than people expect. Four real examples:
- Bosch KGN76CI30U: 750 x 1860 x 800 mm as an appliance. Boxed: 810 x 1920 x 900 mm.
- Bosch KFN96PX91I: 906 x 1830 x 710 mm. Boxed: 998 x 1975 x 804 mm.
- Bosch KGN56LB41Q: 700 x 1930 x 800 mm. Boxed: 760 x 1990 x 880 mm.
- Bosch KGD86AI31U: 860 x 1860 x 810 mm. Boxed: 915 x 1925 x 880 mm.
So a fridge you think of as 906 mm wide arrives as a 998 mm object. A metre, near enough. And the KGN56LB41Q at 1990 mm in its carton is taller than most lift car doors, which is why crews often stand tall units on a trolley at an angle and need diagonal clearance rather than straight height.
Some crews will unbox at the lobby to gain those 60 to 90 mm. Some will not, because an unboxed fridge damages easily in a corridor. Ask rather than assume.
The five points to measure
- Main door clear width. Open the door fully and measure between the frame and the door edge, not the frame to frame. A door that does not fold back flat costs you 40 to 50 mm.
- The narrowest corridor point. Usually a fire hose reel, a meter box or a neighbour's shoe rack. Measure it as it actually is on a normal day.
- Every turn. A 90 degree turn needs more space than the corridor width. The rough check is whether the corridor is at least as wide as the carton is deep at the point where it turns.
- The lift. Three numbers: the door opening width, the internal depth, and the internal ceiling height. A tall fridge that fits the door may not stand up inside the car.
- The final position. Width of the recess, plus the door swing.
If any of the first four is under the carton dimension, say so when you order. That is not a problem, it is information the crew needs.
Door swing is the measurement people forget
A fridge does not just need to stand in the gap. Its door has to open past 90 degrees for the drawers and shelves to come out, and the hinge side swings into the space beside it.
French door and multi-door models help here because each door is roughly half the width. The Bosch KFN96PX91I and KFN96AXEA are around 905 mm wide but split across two upper doors, so each one sweeps far less than a single-door unit of the same width.
Measure the clear space on the hinge side. In a galley kitchen with a run of cabinets opposite, a wide single door can stop at 70 degrees and jam the crisper drawers permanently shut.
Cabinet-fit models are a different exercise
Most fridges are freestanding, so the route is the constraint. A few are built in and have a published cutout. The Electrolux EUM0500BD-SG mini fridge is one: it needs a 445 x 500 x 418 mm recess and the unit itself is 445 x 500 x 468 mm. For anything with a cutout figure, the recess measurement matters as much as the route.
Capacity, and where it goes
Once the route is settled, capacity is the real decision. Our refrigerators run from a 44 litre Electrolux mini through to the 619 litre Bosch KGD86AI31U. In between: the Mayer MMFT350MG at 334 litres in a 605 x 1705 x 670 mm body, the Bosch KGN56LB41Q at 505 litres, and the KGN76CI30U at 521 litres.
The pattern worth noticing is that capacity climbs faster than footprint. The KGD86AI31U is 619 litres in a body 110 mm wider than the 521 litre KGN76CI30U. If you have the width, the extra volume is close to free in floor-space terms.
Energy rating
Efficiency labelling is listed on the product page for each model. The Bosch fridges in our range carry a Star Rating 4, the Mayer MMFT350MG and MMMF90 are marked 3 ticks, and the Electrolux EUM0500BD-SG is 3 ticks. A fridge runs continuously for a decade or more, so the rating is one of the few specs with a real running cost attached.
Wine chillers have the same problem in miniature
Tall wine cabinets are narrow but heavy and awkward on stairs. The Mayer MMWC165GM is 595 x 1802 x 699 mm and ships in a 650 x 775 x 1970 mm carton, so it has the same lift ceiling problem as a full-height fridge. The MMWC94GM at 595 x 1602 x 550 mm is easier. Both are in wine coolers and chillers.
Common questions
How much bigger is the box than the fridge?
In our range, roughly 55 to 95 mm wider, 60 to 145 mm taller and 70 to 100 mm deeper. The Bosch KFN96PX91I is the largest gap: 906 mm wide as an appliance, 998 mm boxed.
Can the crew unbox the fridge downstairs?
Sometimes, and it buys you the packaging thickness. It also exposes the finish to a corridor full of corners. If you know a doorway is marginal, raise it at the point of ordering so the crew can plan for it rather than improvise on the day.
My lift is too short for the carton. What now?
Tall units are often carried at an angle, so diagonal clearance inside the car matters more than the straight ceiling height. Measure the internal depth as well as the height, and tell us both. If the lift genuinely cannot take it, a stair carry is sometimes possible but needs to be arranged in advance, not discovered on the day.
How much gap does a fridge need around it?
Manufacturers specify minimum air space at the sides, rear and top, and it varies by model. Electrolux publishes it as a minimum air space figure on their fridge listings. Check the specific model rather than using a rule of thumb, because a fridge packed too tightly runs hotter and works harder.
Does the door swing side matter?
Yes, more than most people expect. Measure the clear space on the hinge side and check the door can open past 90 degrees, otherwise the internal drawers cannot be pulled out. Some models have reversible doors, which is listed on the product page where it applies.