How to Measure a Toilet Seat for Replacement

Published August 3, 2022 | By paulhirko

If you are looking to replace the toilet seat, it is important to know how to measure your current seat. This will ensure that the new toilet seat fits properly and does not hang over the edge of the bowl or get stuck when you lower it.

How to measure your toilet seat?

* HINGES: To measure the hinges, take a piece of string and tie it around the middle of the toilet seat. Make sure that the string is completely tight and hold on to both ends with one hand. Do not let go of either end until you have taken measurements from both sides.
* ELONGATED TOILET SEAT: Measurements are taken from top to bottom and side-to-side of your elongated toilet seat in order to determine if it will fit into your existing toilet opening without any modifications being required.
* ROUND TOILET SEAT: Measurements are taken from top to bottom and side-to-side of your round toilet seat in order to determine if it will fit into your existing toilet opening without any modifications being required.

Measuring your toilet seat is a relatively simple task.

You have a couple of options when it comes to measuring your toilet seat.

* YOU CAN USE A TAPE MEASURE: This is probably the most straightforward option, although measuring with a ruler or protractor will give you more accurate results. To do this, start by placing your tape measure on the top of your toilet seat and pull it down until it meets the floor. Then take note of where the end of your tape measure comes in contact with each side of the seat; this distance is known as “toilet seat width.”

* ALTERNATIVELY, YOU COULD USE A PROTRACTOR: Place one endpoint at an edge corner of the toilet bowl (usually bottom left) and stretch across until it hits another edge corner (typically bottom right). Make sure that both lines are parallel—this helps ensure accuracy! Once these are drawn out accurately enough for accuracy’s sake (*fist pumps again), use them as guidelines while tracing around an actual toilet seat in order not to lose track during the measuring process.

You need only a few tools to do this as well.

You will need the following tools:

* Measuring tape
* Hammer
* Screwdriver or wrench, depending on your toilet seat bolt size
* Pliers if you have a stubborn seat that won’t budge. This may be an option if you’ve never removed a toilet seat before, but I personally don’t find them necessary. A little brute force and patience should do the trick!

Measuring the toilet seat hinges

To measure the toilet seat hinges, you will need to use a ruler.

The first step is to measure from the top of the seat to where it meets the tank. This should be done with your ruler and pencil.

The second step is to put down your measuring tape and look at both sides of the toilet seat hinge. Now, add those two measurements together for an accurate measurement of how long your new toilet seat will need to be when you purchase it at a hardware store or online retailer like Amazon.

* NOTE: IT’S IMPORTANT THAT YOU TAKE YOUR TIME WHEN MEASURING THIS PART BECAUSE IF ANY MISTAKES HAPPEN HERE THEN IT COULD MEAN TROUBLE DOWN THE ROAD; SO DON’T RUSH YOURSELF!

How to measure toilet seat for replacement explained in easy steps:

* The first thing you need to do is to measure the bowl of your toilet. The bowl is the part of the toilet that holds water and waste. It is usually made of porcelain. To measure the bowl, you will need to remove the lid of the toilet and measure from the back of the bowl to the front. The measurement should be taken at the widest point of the bowl.
* Next, you need to measure the distance between the bolts that hold the seat in place. These bolts are usually located at the back of the toilet. To measure this distance, you will need to remove the seat from the toilet and measure from one bolt to the other.
* Finally, you need to measure the width of the seat. The width is measured from one side of the seat to the other. To do this, you will need to remove the seat from the toilet and measure from one side to the other.
* Once you have these measurements, you can then purchase a replacement seat that is similar in size to your old one.

If you are looking for a round toilet seat, you can measure the seat from one hinge bolt to the other.

To do this, place a ruler on top of the bowl and align it with one bolt. Move your ruler left and right until both sides are touching the bolts.

Then, mark your measurement at each end of your ruler using chalk or another non-permanent marker. If your measurement is within 3/8th inch (1 cm) then chances are that this is a standard size seat and it will fit on your toilet perfectly!

The overall length is about 16 inches for a standard-size round toilet.

The overall length is about 16 inches for a standard-size round toilet. The measurement includes the seat and lid but does not include any hardware or water supply lines. To measure the distance between the wall behind your toilet and the tank, place a level on top of the lid and check that it’s not leaning to one side or another. To get an accurate measurement, make sure it isn’t leaning forward over the bowl at all, as this would skew your results.

If your toilet seat measures more than 16 inches long (or less), you will need to purchase another type of replacement part in order to fit it onto your existing toilet because they are sold only by their dimensions alone rather than their brand name or style.

Measuring an elongated toilet seat

You’ll first have to measure the overall length of your toilet seat, from the front of the lid to where it meets the back of the toilet bowl. For example, if your existing seat measures 12 inches long, you would need a replacement that is about 13 inches long.

Then measure the distance between each set of hinges on your old seat. This measurement should be between 1 inch and 2inches in order for it to fit properly onto your elongated bowl (which measures between 30 and 31 inches). If not, find one with a hinge spacing closer to this range.

The measurement from one bolt to another is about 18 1/2 inches for an elongated toilet seat.

Measurements are approximate and can vary depending on the brand of toilet seat you are replacing, but they are based on a standard-size toilet. The measurements below will work with most standard-sized toilets and seats.

It’s easy to measure your old toilet seat for replacement