How to choose a commercial stainless steel sink

A commercial stainless steel sink goes wrong in one of two ways: it's too small for your biggest pot, or it doesn't match the plumbing in the room. Both are easy to avoid. Work through this checklist in order, before you look at prices.

Start with what your commercial stainless steel sink will do

A sink for washing utensils is not a sink for washing produce, and neither is a hand-wash sink. Define the job first:

• Warewashing (pots, pans, utensils). Depth matters most, so large items sit below the rim.
• Food preparation and produce washing. Bowl size and drainage matter most.
• Utility and janitorial use. Durability and capacity come before refinement.

A sink used only for hand washing is a separate product with its own rules. In Quebec, the Règlement sur les aliments (art. 2.1.3) requires any preparation area to have a sink with running hot and cold potable water, a liquid or powder soap dispenser, individual disposable towels and a wastewater drainage system. The hot water must reach at least 60 °C. Under art. 2.2.3, staff wash their hands and forearms with hot water and soap from a dispenser before starting work, after the washroom, after handling raw food and whenever there is a risk of contamination.

Outside Quebec, check your provincial rules. Many are modelled on the Canadian Food Retail and Food Services Code.

Choose the bowl size and the number of compartments

Compare the compartment size with the overall size. They are not the same number. The compartment holds your work, and the overall size is what your floor plan has to absorb. Take our 24" x 24" x 14" single-compartment sink: the bowl is 24" x 24" x 14", but the unit measures 27.5" x 27.5" x 35" overall. The bowl has to suit your tasks, and the footprint has to suit your room.

Here is where we'd start for each job:

If the sink is for washing dishes by hand, plan for three compartments before you commit to a single bowl. Quebec's cleaning and sanitizing guidance sets out the steps: wash in detergent water at 43 °C, rinse in clean water at 43 °C kept separate from the wash water, then sanitize in 77 °C water for 30 seconds. Utensils then air-dry, with no dish towel. Each step needs its own water, which is why a three-compartment sink is the usual setup. If you sanitize with a chemical product instead, use an approved sanitizer exactly as its label says.

Depth counts too. Fourteen inches is a common commercial depth, and it's what our sinks use. It keeps large items and splashes inside the bowl. Browse our single-, double- and triple-compartment sinks to compare.

Check drainboards, backsplash and drain position

These three details don't show in a photo, but they decide whether the sink works in your room:

• Drainboards. Left, right or both. They give you landing space for dirty and clean items and keep water off the floor. If you have the length, take the drainboard.
• Backsplash. Our single-compartment sinks have a 6" backsplash with a 1.75" trim, which protects the wall joint and makes cleaning simpler. Confirm the height against your wall.
• Drain position. It changes with the size. On our single-compartment sinks, it sits in the right corner on the 18", 24" and 30" units, at the centre back on the 36" and at the centre on the 48". It has to line up with your plumbing, so check before you order, not after delivery.

Faucet holes, legs and casters

Count the faucet holes and match them to the faucet the task needs: a single gooseneck for wash-up, or a wall-mounted or pre-rinse unit where the work demands it. Our single-compartment sinks have one faucet hole. Check the reach over the bowl as well. A faucet that can't reach the centre of the compartment is a daily frustration.

Our single-compartment sinks stand on four legs. Ask whether the feet adjust for level, which matters on the uneven floors of older buildings. Casters instead of legs are worth considering if the sink has to move for cleaning or flexible layouts, but confirm they are rated for the loaded weight.

Questions to settle before you order

• Where does the drain sit in the room, and does the sink's drain position match it?
• Is there enough clearance around the sink for the person using it, plus a second person passing behind?
• Who connects it: your plumber, the supplier or a coordinated install?
• Does your food-safety authority require anything specific for this sink's use?
• Has each supplier stated the stainless steel grade and gauge in writing?

That last question matters more than it looks. Under art. 2.1.4, food-contact surfaces must be non-corrodable, non-absorbent and easy to wash, and the material specification is one of the hidden differences between quotes. We cover it in how to compare commercial equipment quotes. To check the footprint against your floor plan, follow our guide to measuring your space before ordering. If the sink will sit next to prep surfaces, see our guide to choosing stainless steel prep tables and cabinets.

Quick answers

What sink size do I need?

Start from the largest item you'll wash. If your biggest pot doesn't fit below the rim, the sink is too small, and no spec sheet will fix that. Then check the overall footprint against your floor plan.

One compartment or two?

If you wash and rinse in sequence, or need to separate tasks, two compartments pay for themselves every day. If the sink does one dedicated job in a compact space, one is usually right. For washing dishes by hand, plan for three.

Does the stainless steel grade matter?

Yes. Ask each supplier to confirm the material specification in writing for every unit you compare. It's one of the quiet differences between two quotes that look identical on the total line.

Next step

Tell us what you wash, how many people use the sink and where the drain sits, and we'll specify the right unit with you. Request a quote, or browse our sink collection first.

Sources

• MAPAQ, Aide-mémoire for food establishment operators (Règlement sur les aliments)
• Gouvernement du Québec, Cleaning and sanitizing in food establishments
• Canadian Food Retail and Food Services Code