Drop-in kitchen sinks buying guide
A drop-in sink is lowered into a cut-out in the benchtop from above, and its rim rests on the surface. This page answers the questions people ask before they buy one: whether drop-in sinks are good, how visible the rim is, what they are called, and what holds them in place. It then goes through the sinks in this collection by material and maker, with the steel thickness, sizes and box contents. The practical call for most renovations, and for any laminate or timber benchtop, is a drop-in sink, because the rim covers the cut edge and the sink is easier to replace than an undermount.
Are drop-in sinks good
A drop-in sink is easy to install, including as a DIY job, and it suits every benchtop material: solid surface, laminate, stone and timber. It also suits porous benchtops and butcher block, which may need extra protection. The reason is simple. The rim supports the weight of the sink when it is full of water, and the lip covers the edge of the cut-out, which keeps moisture from reaching the benchtop material. That edge is the weak point on laminate and timber.
What is a drop-in sink called
The same sink goes by several names: drop-in, inset, topmount, overmount and top-mount. They are interchangeable, and our guide to inset sinks explains how the fitting method works step by step. Searches for a raised kitchen sink or an over mount kitchen sink land on this page for the same reason.
What holds a drop-in sink in place
Two things: the rim and the fixings. The rim carries the weight, and the fixings pull the sink down onto the benchtop so it stays put and seals. The Phoenix and Meir sinks include a sink fixing kit. The Oliveri topmount sinks include a topmount clip kit, and the Ultraform includes an adjustable clip kit. The silicone along the rim can peel and let water in, and the caulking needs replacing every three to five years. Check the clips and the sealant when you clean under the sink.
The Meir sinks are 1.5mm thick 304 stainless steel against an industry standard of 1.2mm, with a brushed PVD finish, sound absorbing technology and a matching coloured waste. They can be installed as an undermount or top-mounted sink. The Oliveri Sonetto and Spectra are 1.2mm, and the Seima Kubic is 1.0mm. The Phoenix 4000 Series is hand welded and the 2000 Series is machine pressed, and a well-made pressed sink can beat a poorly welded handmade one, so grade, thickness, finish and drainage together are the comparison.
Coloured and brushed finishes
The Meir sinks come in Brushed Nickel, Gunmetal Black, Tiger Bronze and Brushed Bronze Gold. The sizes include a 450mm single bowl, a 760mm large single, 760mm and 860mm doubles, a 670mm 1.5 bowl, an 840mm single with a drainer, and a Mini single of 272 x 382mm and 150mm deep. The PVD finish is not recommended in a laundry because of chemicals that may be present there, which matters if you plan to use the same sink in a laundry. The Meir kitchen sinks page has the full range.
Quartz resin sinks
The Phoenix 5000 Series is quartz and resin in matte white or matte black, with a built-in overflow, a centre rear waste, and a stainless steel basket waste with cover. It can be fitted as an undermount or an overmount sink, and the large single is 220mm deep. The sizes are a 418 x 468mm single, a 593 x 466mm large single, 713 to 715 x 466 to 468mm 1-3/4 bowls and an 804 x 468mm double. The centre rear waste leaves space in the cabinet below. Granite composite sinks are hard, scratch resistant and quieter than stainless, but heavier, so the cabinet may need reinforcing. See granite and stone composite sinks and Phoenix kitchen sinks.
The Seima Oros sinks in black and white are Arqstone, a natural quartz, with an integrated overflow, and they are made in Europe. See Seima kitchen sinks for the sizes.
Fireclay drop-in sinks
The Turner Hastings Cuisine sinks are fine fireclay, inset or undermount, in gloss white, matte white and matte black. The sizes include 300 x 460mm, 460 x 460mm, 600 x 460mm, 680 x 480mm, 810 x 480mm and a round 470mm bowl, plus an 850 x 460mm double, a 930 x 480mm 1.5 bowl and a 1160 x 500mm double with a drainer. The 680 x 480mm sink is 254mm high overall with a 220mm internal depth and a 46L bowl, and it weighs 27kg. A chrome basket waste comes with it, and an optional stainless steel protective grid keeps pots off the base. See Turner Hastings sinks and ceramic kitchen sinks.
Compact stainless drop-in sinks
The Clark sinks here suit small spaces. The Cellini single bowl has a shallow bowl, which leaves more under-bench storage. The Monaco single bowl comes with a bamboo chopping board, a stainless steel colander and a basket waste. The Horizon end bowl sinks are large and deep, with a drainer pattern designed to send water back into the bowl. The round overmount, with or without a tap landing, suits a wet bar, an alfresco area or a butler's pantry. See Clark kitchen sinks.
The Oliveri Sonetto, Nu-Petite, Petite and Ultraform topmount sinks add drainers, bamboo boards and colanders, and the Solitaire is a round bowl 490mm across with a tap landing version. The Caroma Luna single bowl uses the same product number for over mount and under mount fitting. See Oliveri kitchen sinks and Caroma kitchen sinks.
Which benchtops suit a drop-in sink
A drop-in sink is the flexible choice. It works with almost all benchtop materials, including laminate and stone, and is well suited to renovations and retrofits. The rim protects absorbent laminate or timber from water by covering the cut edge. An undermount sink needs a waterproof solid benchtop such as engineered stone, granite, marble or concrete, and is not suited to laminate or timber, which can swell or warp when exposed to water. That is the practical dividing line. If the benchtop is laminate or timber, choose a sink for inset or overmount fitting, and if it is stone, you can choose either.
The fitting method matters too. It runs from the Phoenix 1000 Series, which is overmount only, to the sinks that suit overmount or undermount. Read the product page for the fitting method before you plan the cut-out, because a sink that is overmount only cannot be turned into an undermount.
Choosing a bowl layout
A single bowl is one uninterrupted basin with room for trays and large pots. Single suits a household that runs a dishwasher and rarely hand-washes full loads, fills large pots or trays often, or has a benchtop run under 600mm. A double lets you wash on one side and rinse or prep on the other. Choose a double if you hand-wash often, prep vegetables or have children who need a separate hand-washing bowl, and if the benchtop run is 900mm or more. The 1.5 and 1.75 layouts, which the Phoenix, Meir and Turner Hastings ranges here include, give you a main bowl plus a smaller prep or rinse bowl. See double bowl kitchen sinks for the full range of double layouts.
The rim sits over the cut-out, but the cut-out must still match the sink. A cutting error can mean replacing the benchtop, so use the template or the specification sheet for the exact sink, and have the sink on site before the benchtop is cut. For a comparison with the other mounting methods, see undermount kitchen sinks.
Drop-in or undermount: the quick decision
Ask three questions. What is the benchtop made of? Laminate and timber point to drop-in, and stone leaves both open. Who will fit it? A drop-in sink can be a careful owner's job when the cut-out is simple, and an undermount belongs with a professional because it is held by clips and adhesive. Will the sink need replacing in a few years? A drop-in is the easier swap, because the rim hides the old opening. If all three answers lean toward drop-in, the remaining choice is bowl layout, material and finish, which the sections above set out by maker.
A drop-in sink also leaves the stone edge covered, so the benchtop fabricator does not have to polish the cut-out the way an undermount requires. That can reduce the fabrication step, though the cut-out still has to be made to the sink's template.
How deep the bowls are
Bowls run 150 to 250mm deep. The drop-in sinks here range from the 150mm Meir mini and the shallow 154mm Oliveri Endeavour to the 235mm Phoenix 4000 Series, with the Cuisine at 220mm and most stainless sinks near 200mm. A bowl that is too shallow splashes, and one that is too deep makes you lean forward, so match depth to the pots you wash.
Taps and wastes
Many drop-in sinks here have no tap hole, so the tap goes on the benchtop beside the sink. Others have one hole, and some Clark and Oliveri sinks have a tap landing. Check the hole count against the tap you plan to use before you order, and choose the tap position with the cabinet maker before the benchtop is cut. The kitchen taps collection covers the options, and sink wastes has replacements.
Installing a drop-in sink
Connecting the water supply and tapware needs a licensed plumber in every Australian state and territory. Cutting the opening is a job for a professional too when the benchtop is stone or when the sink is heavy. For a replacement, measure the existing cut-out, compare it with the new sink's dimensions, and allow for the width of the rim, which can cover the old opening if the new sink is slightly larger.
Related pages
This page covers sinks that are fitted from above the benchtop. If you have not settled on the type, the main kitchen sinks page lists every range, and stainless steel sinks compares the steel grades and thicknesses in more detail. A kitchen sink is used 20 to 30 times a day, so the rim, the thickness and the size are worth getting right before you order.
