Place settings is the unit in which dishwasher capacity is expressed. One place setting is the crockery one person uses for one meal. A 14 place setting dishwasher can therefore handle the washing up of fourteen people in one go, at least on paper.
This article covers what one place setting includes, how many you need, and why that figure often behaves differently in your own kitchen.
What is in one place setting?
It is not a marketing term but a standardised measure, set out in a European standard so brands stay comparable. One place setting consists of eleven pieces:
- a dinner plate, a soup plate and a dessert plate
- a cup and a saucer
- a drinking glass
- a knife, a fork, a soup spoon, a teaspoon and a dessert spoon
On top of that comes a fixed set of serving items per load: dishes, a serving spoon, a sauce ladle. The standard counts those separately from the number of place settings.
How many place settings do you need?
The rule of thumb is the number of people in your household times three, because most people run the dishwasher once a day rather than after every meal.
For a one or two person household, 9 or 10 place settings is ample. You then run a full machine every other day, which is also the most efficient: a half-full dishwasher uses almost as much water and electricity as a full one.
For a family of three or four, 14 place settings is the comfortable size. You can fit breakfast, lunch and dinner from a whole day into one cycle, pans included.
If you cook a lot, have guests often or have a large family, 14 place settings is not a luxury but a necessity. That is also why a 60 cm wide dishwasher almost always offers 12 to 15.
Why the figure disappoints in practice
The number of place settings is measured with standard crockery in the most efficient arrangement. Your washing up looks different.
Pans and dishes do not count towards the place setting figure, but take up the most room. A single casserole can cost the space of three place settings.
Large plates sometimes do not stand upright in the lower basket. Deep pasta plates and anything over 28 centimetres are a known problem; check the stated maximum plate diameter if you favour that kind of crockery.
Tall glasses only fit the upper basket if it is height adjustable. That is a feature listed in the specifications and in practice it matters more than a couple of extra place settings.
45 or 60 cm wide?
The number of place settings follows directly from the width. A 45 cm dishwasher typically offers 9 to 10, a 60 cm model 12 to 15.
The choice is therefore usually made by your kitchen, not by your washing up. If you have 60 cm of space, take that size: the price difference is small and the cost per place setting is lower. If there is only 45 cm, a slim dishwasher is a perfectly good answer for a small household.
Place settings and energy use
The energy label is measured on a full machine running the eco programme. A larger dishwasher you fill uses less water and electricity per place setting than a small one you have to run twice.
Run it half full and that advantage disappears at once. So do not automatically take the largest: the most efficient dishwasher is the one that matches how much you actually wash.
In short
One place setting is eleven pieces of crockery and cutlery for one person. For one or two people 9 or 10 is enough; from three people upwards 14 is more comfortable. Bear in mind that pans and large plates are not included in that figure. See the freestanding dishwashers or the built-in dishwashers.
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What is a place setting in a dishwasher?
One place setting is the crockery one person uses for one meal: a dinner plate, a soup plate, a dessert plate, a cup and saucer, a drinking glass, a knife, a fork, a soup spoon, a teaspoon and a dessert spoon. Eleven pieces in total. It is a standardised measure, which is what lets you compare brands.
How many place settings do I need for two people?
Nine or ten is ample. Most people run the dishwasher roughly every other day rather than after every meal; with ten place settings you then have a full machine, and a full machine is the most efficient. Dishwashers 45 cm wide usually offer exactly this capacity.
Do pans count towards the number of place settings?
No. The place setting figure covers crockery and cutlery; pans, dishes and serving items fall outside it, while they take up the most room. A single casserole can cost the space of three place settings. If you cook a lot, take one size up from what the rule of thumb suggests.
How many place settings does a 45 cm dishwasher have?
Usually 9 or 10. A 60 cm wide model reaches 12 to 15. The width therefore almost entirely determines capacity, which means the choice is usually made by your kitchen rather than your washing up.
Is a larger dishwasher less efficient?
Not if you fill it. The energy label is measured on a full machine running the eco programme, so per place setting a large dishwasher is actually more efficient. Run it half full and that advantage disappears, because a half-full machine uses almost as much as a full one.
