How Much Water Does a Bathtub Hold?

Whether you are remodelling your bathroom or building it from scratch, there's something that matters more than the style and outlook of your bathroom. While the design and appearance of the tub make your bathroom look more attractive, it doesn't promise the functionality or longevity you'd want from a bathroom fixture.

Knowing the amount of water your bathtub can hold may not be as important for most homeowners. It is fundamental for every bathroom build and renovation. Bathtubs can be heavy, especially when they are filled to the brim adding extensive pressure on the flooring. A standard bathtub with a 100-gallon capacity will exert a load of 800 pounds on the floor, excluding your own and the bathtub's weight.

What makes the information even more vital is the environmental aspect. Bathing in a bathtub usually requires more water than taking a shower, thus hurting the natural water reservoirs underground. As we move toward environmentally friendly living, people are getting more conscious about excessive water usage through a bathtub. Many prefer installing a relatively smaller bathtub in their rooms to ensure a good layout in a limited space.

If you share a similar ideology and preferences, you might be wondering how much water a bathtub holds. And that leaves us with four common types of bathtubs and their water capacity.

Probably the most commonly installed straight bathtubs bring a touch of modernity and sleekness to the bathroom. Featuring a sleek and compact design statement, these bathtubs are suitable for both family and en-suite bathrooms. With their simplistic design construction, they are as easy to install and maintain compared to other tubs. Like many other baths, these also need bath waste to efficiently remove the waste from the bathtub.

Straight baths come in single and double-ended types with both sharp and smooth styles featuring a standard length of 1400mm or 55 inches. Similarly, with a compact 700mm or 32-inch width coupled with a 450mm or 18-inch depth, the tubs are perfect for small bathrooms. Besides, the tub can hold between 41 and 98 gallons of water, depending on your physique. If you are a big guy, better keep the water level lower, so it doesn't pop out when you hop in.

Take a step towards luxury with the shower as well as drop-in bathtubs – a sensation in the bathroom interior design. Embedded in the floor, the bathtubs allow you to enjoy both showers and baths in a single fixture, while drop baths are designed for a spa-like experience. Considering different designs and style shapes, you can find one that matches the style of your bathroom. You can enhance the ambience further by adding a bath accessory set to complete the luxurious experience.

Our comprehensive bathroom accessories guide can provide valuable insight into selecting the perfect accessories as per your requirements.

The acrylic construction makes it comparable to a jacuzzi at a fraction of the cost. These usually come in compact shapes and sizes, measuring 1500mm in length  and approx. 750 mm in width, the tub suits a wide small body shape. Drop-in bathtubs can carry up to 50 gallons of water on average. However, bigger sizes offer better capacity.

• Length 1800– 2000mm
• Width 700 – 1000 mm
• Height 500– 800mm

Given the dimensions, freestanding bathtubs carry up to 90 – 100 gallons of water on average or, in other terms, 340 – 380 litres. The water carrying capacity is usually less than the described capacity as it should have enough room for a person to bathe in.

A true depiction of class, opulence, and vintage in a single bathtub accessory – Clawfoot tubs lead the way when it comes to ageless bathtubs. Unlike freestanding bathtubs, Clawfoot tubs stand on four brass feet that hold the tub in place. If installed in a bathroom, it captures your attention as soon as you enter the room. Due to its grand design, the bathtub is meant for bigger bathrooms. Let's examine the dimensions before determining its water-holding capacity.

The length of clawfoot tubs ranges between 1300mm -1500mm. Whereas the width measures somewhere around 700mm -1000mm. Given their opulent design and stylish outlook, the clawfoot tub has a lower water-carrying capacity than freestanding ones. The tub carries up to 40 – 60 gallons of water, making it an appropriate choice for environmentally conscious users. 

How much water a bathtub may hold depends on both its width and length. The standard 5ft bath in the UK holds around 80 gallons or 300 litres of water. The water capacity reduces with the size of the bath.

The use of water during the shower depends on the length of the shower. While a standard bath in the UK is designed to hold around 80 gallons of water, the average five-minute shower will use between 10 to 25 gallons of water.

The depth of the bathtub may vary depending on the type of bath you choose. However, when we discuss a standard bath in the UK, it can be around 350mm to 450mm. In other countries like Japan and other countries, baths usually have more depth in the bath. Additionally, certain types of freestanding baths may have greater depth than the standard bath.

The 5 Gallons of water is roughly a small bucket that, with an average shower speed, will last for around 2 minutes. You may prolong it by slowing down the shower which may add a minute or so into it. Whether it's enough or not depends entirely on you, but it will potentially save around 10 to 20 gallons of water.

Soaking bathtubs are particularly designed for a long, highly relaxing, and comfortable bath experience. They are deeper than the standard bath and hold more water into it. The purpose is to offer you a full-body soaking experience. Where a standard bath in the UK has an average depth of 300mm, the soaking tub comes with 350mm or more depth.

Soaking tubs are designed for long, comfortable soaking, so they're deeper than the typical tub. Standard tub depths allow for approximately 12" of water; soaking tubs should offer at least 14" or more so that the water covers the majority of the bather's body.