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Types & Sizes of Fridges: Top Freezer, Bottom Freezer, Side-by-Side & French Door

Looking for a fridge for your kitchen, but don’t know which option is best for you?

There is a wide variety of refrigerator options on the market, from the simplest to the most sophisticated ones, which have several compartments and even allow you to connect the appliance to the Internet and make your shopping list.

This guide will help you choose a fridge that meets your needs and budget.

Types of fridges

Refrigerators are classified according to the number and layout of doors. There are 4 different types:

How to determine the size and capacity for your fridge

An appliance capacity is simply its size.

If you are buying a fridge for an existing kitchen, you can start checking the dimensions of the available space and determining the maximum dimensions for the appliance.

Also check the required offsets to what is around the fridge, to ensure adequate ventilation. You can find this information in the manual that comes with the product and is also available on the manufacturer’s website.

Pick the ideal type considering the available height and width. Top freezer and bottom freezer models fit in narrower gaps, while side-by-side and french door ones need a greater width.

If you are planning a new kitchen and can have the appliances in whatever size suits your family, you can start determining the ideal capacities and then planning all the layout according to their dimensions.

You will find the capacity in liters or cubic feet, depending on the unit system used in your country:

• Compact/small: up to 250 liters or 15 cu.ft. Ideal for 1-2 people or extra storage.
• Midsize: 250 to 300 liters or 15 to 19 cu.ft. Ideal for 3 people.
• Large: 300 to 400 liters or 19 to 27 cu.ft. Ideal for 4-5 people.
• Extralarge: larger than 400 liters or 27 cu.ft. For 6 or more people.

Of course, these are averages, and it is important to adapt them to your lifestyle so you don’t pay more for a larger appliance than you would need. If you rarely cook and have most of your meals out, the smallest size should be enough.

If you cook every meal or usually host dinner parties, a larger fridge will be useful.

Features

Some functions can make your life easier, but be aware of how essential they are for you and how much they add to the price. Let’s see the most common ones:

• Frost free: automatic defrost system. It eliminates ice layers created by cold air, improving the operation and increasing the appliance life span. Models that include this function are more expensive, but otherwise you need to manually defrost, i.e. empty and turn off the fridge every time the ice layers get to a determined thickness.
• Ice maker: it can make cubed or crushed ice.
• Water dispenser: inside the fridge or outside the door. These models can be connected to a water hose so you don’t have to fill the dispenser yourself.
• Door ajar alarm: controls the temperature and other operation conditions and sounds in case the user should be informed that something is wrong.
• Digital display: to control temperature, energy consumption, set up a timer, etc.
• Wifi: you can control the settings from you phone, as well as seeing the inside from it, being informed about items expiring dates and much more.
• Fingerprint resistant.

Finishes

There are several colors available, the most common being white, black, gray, silver, stainless steel and mirrored.

These colors are neutral and can match with any covering you may have in your kitchen. Just try to get all your appliances in similar finishes.

Models in other colors and different looks, like those in a retro style, must be picked with an extra caution to match with other appliances and kitchen coverings, as they draw more attention.

Once you decide on the best type, capacity, features and finish for your fridge, you can go ahead and pick the model you think looks better or has the best price.