Commercial Dishwasher Calculator

Size your commercial dishwasher based on covers per hour, seating capacity, and peak demand to find the right machine type.

Dining Seats

Turns per Meal Period

Meal Periods per Day

Peak Hour % of Daily

Tab to move between fields

Peak Racks/Hour Needed

Total Racks/Day158

Total Covers/Day400

Peak Machine Utilization (%)84

Water Usage (gal/day)135

Energy Usage (kWh/day)19

Dish Labor (hours/day)4.5

Machine TypeDoor-type (Double)

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the total dining seats and the average turns per meal period.
Set the number of meal periods per day (e.g., 2 = lunch and dinner).
Enter the peak hour percentage -- the share of daily covers served in the busiest hour (30-50% is typical).
Review the peak racks/hour needed to identify the correct machine type (under-counter, door-type, or conveyor).
Use the daily water usage and energy estimates to evaluate operating costs.

How the result changes with Dining Seats

Dining Seats: Total seating capacity in the dining room.
Turns per Meal Period: How many times each seat turns over during one meal period (lunch or dinner).
Meal Periods per Day: Number of meal periods (e.g., 2 = lunch + dinner, 3 = breakfast + lunch + dinner).
Peak Hour % of Daily: Percentage of total daily covers served during the busiest hour. Typical: 30-50%.

Peak Racks/Hour Needed: Dish racks per hour needed during peak demand.
Total Racks/Day: Total dish racks washed per day.
Total Covers/Day: Estimated total covers (meals) served per day.
Peak Machine Utilization (%): How much of the recommended machine capacity is used at peak.
Water Usage (gal/day): Estimated daily water consumption.
Energy Usage (kWh/day): Estimated daily electricity consumption.
Dish Labor (hours/day): Estimated dishwasher labor hours needed per day.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Dining Seats = 100, Turns per Meal Period = 2, Meal Periods per Day = 2, Peak Hour % of Daily = 40 = 4 input(s) provided
Calculate Peak Racks/Hour Needed
Peak Racks/Hour Needed = peakHourCovers * racksPerCover
63 = 63
Calculate Total Racks/Day
Total Racks/Day = totalCoversPerDay * racksPerCover
158 = 158
Calculate Total Covers/Day
Total Covers/Day = seatsInDining * turnsPerMealPeriod * mealPeriodsPerDay
400 = 400