1.75 and 1.25 bowl kitchen sinks buying guide
A 1.75 bowl kitchen sink, also written one and three quarter bowl or 1 3/4 bowl, has a large main bowl and a second bowl that is only slightly smaller. This page explains how the layout differs from a 1.5 bowl and a double, what the sinks in this collection measure, how the 1.25 style sink in the collection works, how the sinks are fitted, and what to check before you order. The sensible default is a 1.75 bowl if you want a second bowl that can do real work, and a 1.5 bowl if you want a rinse bowl and a smaller footprint.
What is a 1.75 bowl kitchen sink
A 1 and 3/4 bowl sink is a generously sized main bowl with a slightly smaller second bowl, suited to larger kitchens with frequent, varied meal prep. The layout offers more room for big cleaning jobs and for prep or draining without moving items around much. A 1 and 1/2 bowl is a full-size main bowl plus a smaller half bowl, suited to mid-sized kitchens, and a double is two equal basins. So the 1.75 sits between the 1.5 and the double. For the 1.5, see 1.5 bowl kitchen sinks, and for the full double, double bowl kitchen sinks.
The 1.75 bowl sinks here
The Caroma Urbane II 1.75 is 304 grade stainless steel, 1120 x 490 x 217mm. The main bowl is 340 x 400 x 217mm with a capacity of 21 litres, and the second bowl, a three-quarter bowl, is 340 x 340 x 197mm with a capacity of 18 litres. It comes in a left-hand or a right-hand bowl configuration, with two stainless steel basket wastes and a fixing kit, and it suits inset (drop-in) or undermount fitting. Use only the template in the packaging for an accurate cut-out. The 1.5 bowl in the same range has a 9 litre half bowl, so the 1.75 gives a second bowl twice the volume.
The Clark Vital 1.75 end bowl has a deep main bowl and a generous second bowl, with rounded corners, an embossed drainer that sends water quickly back into the sink, and built-in basket wastes. It is 304 grade stainless steel, so check its sizes on the specification sheet. The Clark Vital 1.5 end bowl is the smaller layout in the same range. See Clark kitchen sinks and Caroma kitchen sinks.
The 1.25 bowl sink in this collection
The collection is tagged for 1.25 to 1.75 bowls. What it holds at the 1.25 end is the ADP Clovelly Universal 4 piece sink set. It is a large universal sink of 820 x 440 x 250mm with a 63 litre capacity, and a smaller removable inner sink of 377 x 377 x 160mm and 17 litres that sits inside the larger bowl. It comes with a roll up dish drainer and a tray drainer of 405 x 438mm, and the drainer can sit on top of the sink or beside it on the benchtop. The sinks and drainers are 304 grade stainless steel, brushed, with two basket wastes, and the sink can be installed as a drop-in or an under counter sink. In practice it is one large bowl with an inner bowl you can lift in and out, which is a different idea from a fixed second bowl. See stainless steel sinks.
Two Seima doubles carry the tag
The collection also holds the Seima Oros 822 and 1160 in black and white. They are double bowl sinks in Arqstone, a natural quartz. The Oros 822 is 820 x 440 x 210mm with no tap hole, an integrated overflow and above-mount or under-mount fitting. The Oros 1160 is a double with a drainer, 1160 x 500mm, 210mm deep in the bowl and 130mm at the drainer, top mount, with 0 or 1 tap hole and a left or right drainer. They belong with the doubles, and they sit here for the buyer comparing wide layouts. See Seima kitchen sinks.
What size cabinet suits a 1.75 bowl sink
A 1.5 bowl is 800 to 900mm wide and 450 to 500mm front to back, with a main bowl depth of about 200mm, a half bowl depth of about 130mm, a minimum cabinet of 800mm and a cut-out of 780 to 880mm. The Urbane II 1.75 is 1120mm wide, which is wider than the 1.5 band. Leave at least 70 to 80mm between the sink and the inside of the cabinet, so the plumbing and hardware fit. By that rule the 1120mm sink needs an internal cabinet width of about 1190 to 1200mm. Leave 50 to 100mm between the back of the sink and the wall if a splashback is going in, and keep at least 50mm between the cut-out and the front edge of the benchtop. Use the cut-out on the specification sheet or the template, and not the outer dimensions.
Urbane II 1.75 or Vital 1.75
The two stainless 1.75 sinks suit different benches. The Urbane II 1.75 is a clean-lined sink with a 21 litre main bowl and an 18 litre three-quarter bowl, no built-in drainer and a left or right hand bowl, so it suits a kitchen where dishes go to a rack, a dishwasher or a drainer cut into the stone. The Vital 1.75 is an end bowl sink with the drainer built in, so it keeps wet dishes beside the bowls and suits a bench that has no room for a separate rack. Choose the Urbane II when the benchtop will carry its own drainer, and the Vital when it will not.
The ADP set in detail
The ADP Clovelly Universal set is the flexible answer. The 820 x 440 x 250mm universal sink holds 63 litres, so it takes a roasting tray flat. The removable inner sink, 377 x 377 x 160mm and 17 litres, lifts in for rinsing and out for a clear bowl. The roll up dish drainer and the 405 x 438mm tray drainer give two ways to dry dishes, and both can sit on the sink or beside it. Because the pieces are brushed 304 stainless steel, they match each other, and the two basket wastes make the set ready to plumb in as a drop-in or an under counter sink.
Planning the bench around a long sink
A 1.75 bowl sink is a long fitting, so plan the bench around it. Measure the free run between the end of the bench and the nearest appliance, then subtract the clearance either side of the cut-out. Decide which side the dishwasher and the bin sit on, and choose the hand so the small bowl faces the working area. Check that the cabinet below has no drawer or rail in the way of the second bowl, because the second bowl is nearly as deep as the first. Leave room for the tap beside the bowls, and set the cut-out so the main bowl sits centred in front of the window or the work zone, since that is where most of the washing happens.
How a 1.75 bowl sink is fitted
The Urbane II is inset (drop-in) or undermount, the ADP set is drop-in or under counter, the Seima Oros 822 is above-mount or under-mount, and the Oros 1160 is top mount. A topmount sink suits almost all benchtops, laminate included, because its rim hides the cut edge. With an undermount sink, the fixing is underneath the benchtop. Engineered stone or granite suits it, while laminate and timber are not recommended. Crumbs sweep straight into an undermount bowl, while the join can collect grime, and caulking on both types needs replacing every three to five years. A 1.75 bowl sink is no harder to fit than a double. The difference is the cut-out, which follows the shape of the sink, and the two wastes, which are included. inset sinks and undermount kitchen sinks cover the two methods.
Material and thickness
The stainless sinks here are 304 grade, which contains about 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel and resists corrosion without making it completely rust-proof. Sheets at the thin end are 0.8mm, which dents more easily and is noisier, while a more substantial sink uses 1.2mm, about 18 gauge. The Caroma, Clark and ADP sinks do not state a thickness, so check the specification sheet. The Seima Oros sinks are Arqstone, a natural quartz material, and composite sinks are heavier than stainless ones, so the cabinet may need reinforcing, and a heavy dropped pot can cause hairline cracks.
Bowl depth and the second bowl
The second bowl is shallower than the main bowl on the Urbane II, 197mm against 217mm, and on the ADP set, where the inner bowl is 160mm deep inside a 250mm main bowl. The Oros 1160 is 210mm deep in the bowl and 130mm at the drainer. A standard bowl depth is 180 to 200mm and a deep bowl 220 to 250mm, and a deep bowl needs a tall or pull-down mixer to reach the base. A bowl that is too shallow splashes while one that is too deep strains your posture. The 250mm ADP main bowl is at the deep end. Check the depths against the tap and the people who use the sink.
1.5, 1.75 or a double
The choice follows how you wash. Choose a double if you hand-wash often, prep vegetables or have children who need a separate bowl, and if the benchtop run is 900mm or more. Choose a single if you use a dishwasher and rarely wash full loads by hand, or if the benchtop run is under 600mm. A 1.5 bowl gives a rinse bowl for less width, and the 1.75 gives more room for prep or draining without moving items around much. The 1.75 costs width: the Urbane II 1.75 is 1120mm against 1020mm for the Urbane II 1.5 in the same range. A double adds the most width and the biggest second bowl.
Where to go next
This page covers 1.25 to 1.75 bowl sinks. If you have not settled on a layout, the main kitchen sinks page lists every range, and single bowl kitchen sinks covers the single layouts. A kitchen sink is used 20 to 30 times a day, so the layout and the size are worth getting right before you order.
