A shower mixer is generally fitted 1.10 m above the finished floor, or the bottom of the shower tray, and the overhead shower between 2.00 m and 2.20 m. The handset holder goes between 1.20 m and 1.50 m, and the two water supplies are 15 cm apart: that is the standard centre distance in France. These guidelines do not depend on the model of shower head you choose.
These measurements are comfort guidelines, not an obligation: DTU 60.1, which governs sanitary plumbing, sets no height. They are decided before the tiling, because it is the position of the water supply outlets that fixes the height of your shower mixer. For a bath tap, a basin, a sink or a toilet, the room-by-room guidelines are lower.
The height table: tap, shower head, handset
| Item | Guideline height | Adjust according to |
|---|---|---|
| Exposed shower mixer | 1.10 m | the height of the users: from 1.00 m to 1.30 m |
| Overhead shower, fixed head or rain shower | 2.00 m to 2.20 m | the height of the tallest person, and the ceiling height |
| Handheld shower holder | 1.20 m to 1.50 m | a sliding rail lets you adjust it |
| Control of a shower that can be used seated | 0.90 m to 1.30 m | the seat height |
| Centre distance between the two water supplies | 15 cm | eccentric fittings make up a small difference |
All these heights are measured from the finished floor, tiles laid, in a walk-in shower, and from the bottom of the tray in a standard shower. A tray or screed added after the plumbing reduces the real height: measure once the final floor is known.
What height to fit the shower mixer
The usual guideline is 1.10 m. At this height, an average-sized person adjusts the water without bending down and without raising their arm. For a tall household, go up to about 1.15 m to 1.30 m; for a smaller household, or a child's shower, come down to about 1.00 m to 1.05 m.
The mixer screws onto the two hot and cold water supplies, using eccentric fittings. So it is the height of these outlets, planned at the plumbing stage, that decides everything. Most of our shower mixers state a 1/2″ connection on their product page, the usual thread for French water supplies. To replace an old model without touching the wall, follow our guide on changing the mixer on its eccentric fittings.
Once these outlets are in place, you still have to choose the tapware: our shower taps and diverters also include shower columns and bath-shower mixers.
Concealed or thermostatic mixer
A concealed mixer is often fitted slightly higher than an exposed one, at about 1.15 m to 1.20 m, because its control hardly protrudes from the wall. A thermostatic mixer is fitted at the same height as a standard mixer: only the cartridge changes, not the position.
What height for the shower head and overhead shower
The overhead shower, also called a fixed head or rain shower, goes between 2.00 m and 2.20 m, with 2.10 m the most quoted guideline. It must clear the head of the tallest person in the household, with enough margin for the water to open out into a rain before reaching the shoulders.
To choose one, our shower heads and handsets range from the square head on a curved arm to flat or ring-shaped models.
On a shower column, this height depends on the length of the rail fitted above the mixer. Fitting and adjustment are detailed in our guide on the height and installation of a shower column.
What height for the handheld shower
The handset holder is fixed between 1.20 m and 1.50 m, above the mixer, so that the rinsed handset stays within hand's reach. A sliding shower rail avoids having to pick a single height: everyone raises or lowers the holder. The chrome wall-mounted shower mixer with handset and sliding rail (€253.90) combines all three elements.
If you keep a fixed holder, choose a wall bracket for the shower head and check that the hose stays flexible when the handset is stored. Shower heads, hoses and holders mostly screw on in 1/2″: the point is detailed in our article that answers the question is a shower head standard.
The centre distance: 15 cm between the two water supplies
The centre distance is the distance between the centre of the hot water supply and that of the cold water supply. In France, it is almost always 15 cm, as several of our shower column product pages point out. The eccentric fittings, screwed into the wall, turn to make up a small difference and level the mixer again.
Before drilling or ordering, measure this centre distance and the height of the two outlets. If they are not at the same height, the mixer will tilt: it is the eccentric that corrects this, not tightening.
And the toilet bidet sprayer?
The search for "sprayer height" sometimes means the toilet bidet sprayer. There, the guideline is not the floor: the holder goes within hand's reach when seated, most often on the side wall or near the cistern. Fitting is explained step by step in our guide on fitting a toilet bidet sprayer to the water supply.
To equip this water point, our toilet bidet sprayers include models on a 3-way tap, with wall mixer or on a no-drill holder.
Bath tap, basin, kitchen, toilet: the height room by room
Outside the shower too, no rule sets a height: DTU 60.1 does not fix one. What decides is what the tap has to reach, and the measurement to check changes from one room to another.
What height for a bath tap?
A wall-mounted bath tap goes above the rim and is measured from that rim, not from the floor: the spout must pour into the bath without touching the rim, and the lever must stay within reach when you are in the bath. The length of the spout matters as much as the height: our wall-mounted bath shower mixer, for example, has a 20 cm spout. As in the shower, the two water supplies are 15 cm apart: 17 of the 31 active taps in our bath range state it on their product page, and 15 specify a 1/2 connection.
For the bath as for the basin, our basin and bath taps come in a bronze finish, as a waterfall mixer or with a handset for the bath.
What height for a basin tap?
On a basin, the height that counts is that of the tap itself: the height under the spout, between the water outlet and the basin surface. Two of our basin mixer taps product pages give it: 95 mm for the Classic Noir model, 185 mm high overall, and 225 mm for the Classic basin mixer, 312 mm overall. A tall model suits a countertop basin, a low model a built-in basin: the detail, including drilling and depth, is in our article on the height and size of a mixer tap.
To find the right tap for your basin, our basin taps range from the slim single-hole to the traditional wall-mounted, in chrome or matt black.
What height for a kitchen tap?
At the sink, same logic: the height under the spout tells you what will fit underneath, a saucepan or a stockpot. Four of the 188 product pages in our kitchen taps give it: from 245 to 315 mm, for an overall height of 349 to 420 mm. In front of a window, also check the height under the window, as 74 product pages in the range point out.
What height for the toilet tap?
The tap that feeds the toilet cistern has no set height either: it goes on the water supply, where the hose reaches the cistern without being stretched and where your hand can reach it to shut off the water. When changing it, it is the thread that counts: 13 of the 26 product pages in our toilet tap range state a 1/2 connection. A 3-way tap adds an outlet to connect a bidet sprayer to the same supply.
The questions we get asked most
What height for the water supplies of a shower?
The water supplies come out at the height where you want the mixer, around 1.10 m above the finished floor, with a 15 cm centre distance. They are positioned before the tiling: moving them afterwards means opening the wall.
Where should you put the mixer in a shower?
On the wall with the water supplies. If you have a choice during the works, put it where you can turn on the water and adjust the temperature without standing under the overhead shower's spray.
What height for a shower that can be used seated?
For someone who showers seated, the control goes between 0.90 m and 1.30 m, within hand's reach from the seat. A handset on an adjustable rail, lowered as far as it goes, completes the installation.
Does the height change with a bath mixer?
Yes: above a bath, the mixer goes lower, above the rim, to fill the bath. The heights in this guide apply to a shower.
