Our air conditioner is one of the home appliances we can’t live without. But it also happens to be somewhat expensive.

If you want to stay cool and save money on your energy bill at the end of every month, installing ceiling fans is the way to go. But what size ceiling fan do you need? So get the ceiling fan size guide.

What Size Ceiling Fan?

We’ve put together this guide to help you answer that question, so let’s get started! Here are the factors you should consider.

How Much Space Do You Have?

Before you start shopping for a ceiling fan (regardless of what room you want to put it in), you have to know how much space you have.

Don’t ignore this step!

If you don’t measure your room, you might end up getting a fan that’s too small—or worse, too big. Fans that are too small won’t give you efficient airflow, meaning you’ll be wasting money on a fan that doesn’t really work. Fans that are too big might not even fit inside the room.

So start by figuring out the square footage of your room.

Grab a measuring tape and measure the length and width of the room. Take the two numbers you get and multiply them together. This will give you the square footage of your room.

For example, if your room is 8 feet long by 10 feet wide, the square footage will be 80 square feet.

The Trick to Measuring a Fan

Measuring your room is only half of the battle. You also have to pick the right size fan. Because of this, you should know how to measure a fan.

To do this, you need to figure out the blade span (or the blade diameter) of the fan, and there are a few different methods depending on the type of fan you’re buying.

• Odd Number of Blades

If the fan has an odd number of blades, such as three or five, measure from the center of the ceiling fan to the tip of one of the blades. Then multiple that number by two. This is the amount of space the fan will take up when spinning.

• Even Number of Blades

Measuring a fan with an even number of blades is a bit easier. All you have to do is measure from the tip of one blade all the way across to the tip of the opposite blade.

What Size Ceiling Fan Is Best for Each Room?

It’s hard to pinpoint the best ceiling fan size for each room in the home because the dimensions of every home are different. This means there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

However, we’ve put together this rough, room-by-room guide to show you what fan sizes tend to fit in certain rooms.

Again, these are just estimates. You should still measure your room before you start shopping because it might be smaller or larger than the sizes in this guide.

Bathroom

For rooms that are 144 square feet, or under, you’ll need a small fan. Don’t buy anything that has a blade span wider than 42 inches.

Bedroom

Since bedrooms are larger than most bathrooms, you can go up a few sizes when shopping for these types of fans. Anything with a blade span of 50 inches or under should work for the average bedroom.

However, master bedrooms might need fans that are a little larger than this.

Kitchen/Dining Room

Kitchens and dining rooms are often smaller than living rooms. They’re about the same size as a bedroom.

This means you can shop for the same size ceiling fan for kitchens and dining rooms. Stick with fans that have a blade span of about 50 inches.

Living Room

If you have a large living room, you might need a fan that has a blade span of 62 inches. The average living room, though, will probably be a bit small for this type of fan. Shop for something between 50 inches and 62 inches.

How High Is Your Ceiling?

Once you know what size ceiling fan you need for your room, you have to figure out the best height to hang it. Again, the right hanging height depends on the height of your ceiling.

Low Ceilings

For safety reasons, your ceiling fan must be at least 7 feet above the ground.

If you have a low ceiling (about 8 to 9 feet high), you should hang your fan with a flush mount. This will keep the fan as close to the ceiling as possible so you won’t risk running into the fan while it’s on.

You can shop for a low profile ceiling fan if you know you don’t have a lot of wiggle room in your space.

High Ceilings

If your ceiling is higher than 9 feet, you should install your fan with a downrod. This rod will lower the fan away from the ceiling fan size guide.

For example, you want to keep at least 8 to 12 inches of space between the fan and the ceiling. However, the more space, the better the airflow will be. Because of this, you should hang your ceiling fan as low as you can (without ignoring safety).

Using a flush mount on a high ceiling will make your fan less efficient, so make sure you use a downrod for anything taller than 9 feet.

Is One Fan Enough for Your Space?

Not necessarily what size ceiling fan.

If you have a larger living room or open concept floor plan, you might need to hang two fans in the same room to get the desired airflow.

Picking the Right Ceiling Fans for Each Room in Your Home

If you’re wondering what size ceiling fan will fit in the various rooms in your home, make sure you follow the tips in this ceiling fan size guide. As long as you measure your room and the fan’s blade span, you should be able to find the perfect fit for your space.

Want to learn some other helpful home improvement tips and ceiling fan size guide?

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