French-door refrigerators compared by fit and door clearance

Buying guide: french-door refrigerators compared by fit and door clearance

French-door refrigerators split the fresh-food compartment behind two narrower doors and put the freezer in a pull-out drawer below. The narrower doors swing out less far than one wide door, which helps in tight walkways, but each door still needs room to open past 90 degrees before the crisper drawers and shelves can slide fully out.

The hinge-side wall clearance matters most when the refrigerator stands beside a wall or a tall pantry cabinet. The freezer drawer adds a second depth to check: when it is pulled fully open it can reach further into the room than the doors do at 90 degrees.

Many French-door models share a nominal 36-inch class, yet their actual widths and required side gaps differ. The reviewed opening width below accounts for the side clearance each manufacturer specifies, so it is a safer comparison with your opening than the nominal class.

What the verified measurements show

These 398 reviewed models come from 23 brands; the most represented are Samsung (82), Whirlpool (59), LG (35). The opening width they need ranges from 27 3/4 in for the Haier QJS15HYRFS to 48 in for the Thermador T48IT100NP, with half needing 36 in or less. The cabinet-only depth runs from 22 1/8 in (Cafe CIP36NP2VS1) to 31 in (LG LRMXS3006S). The depth with the doors closed, handles included runs from 24 in (KitchenAid KBFN536TPA) to 38 1/8 in (LG LRMXS3006S). The height including the hinges runs from 66 5/8 in (Frigidaire FRFN1801AF) to 84 in (Sub-Zero PRO4850G). With a door open at 90 degrees, 398 of these models have a verified depth; the typical one needs 44 1/4 in from the back wall, and the deepest, the Miele KF2982SFSS, needs 62 11/16 in. 370 models have a verified hinge-side wall clearance for the door to open 90 degrees: from 1/8 in to 6 3/4 in, typically 3 3/4 in.