Kitchen cabinet and countertop heights are not always standard. They may be adjusted to suit individual requirements, such as lower counters for briefer individuals or higher ones for taller users. There are, however, some guidelines for the ideal distance between the bottom of the upper cabinets and the countertop.
Height Matters
The standard distance between the surface of a kitchen counter and the bottom of the wall cabinets above it is 18 inches. For the normal individual, this distance is the ideal balance between lots of space to work on the countertop and the ability to achieve each the shelves in the cupboard. The distance could be adjusted somewhat to accommodate taller or shorter users. Generally speaking, the bottom of the cupboards should not be more than 20 inches from the surface of the countertop or nearer than 15 inches.