Ceiling Fan Sizes (Design Guide)

Welcome to our design guide about ceiling fan sizes, including the best sizes to use for living room & bedroom layouts.
Contemporary living room with ceiling fan brick wall fireplace built in bookshelfA ceiling fan is an elegant and subtle way to keep a room cool. Much like there are many ways to design and style a room, there are many different ceiling fan sizes that can match your room design.

It is important to choose the right ceiling fan for your room. The right sized ceiling fan can increase the amount of air circulating in your room, keeping things cool and even saving you money.

A good ceiling fan requires much less electricity to run than an air conditioner so is a much more cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to cool a room. In order to maximize the cooling ability of a ceiling fan, it’s important to choose the right sized ceiling fan.

Ceiling Fan Size Chart

Here’s a quick look at the standard ceiling fan sizes depending on room sizes and the corresponding blade span needed. Scroll down for additional details about the calculations used to determine these results.

Ceiling fan sizes by room dimensions:

Room Size Ceiling Fan Size Blade Span CFM Rating
10×10 ft Small 42″ or under 1,000-3,000
12×12 ft Medium 44″ around 1,600
15×15 ft Large 50″ or more 4,500 recommended

Ceiling fan sizes by square footage

Ceiling fan sizes by square footage:

Bedroom Size Ceiling Fan Size Blade Span CFM Rating
Small (144 sq. ft) Small Under 42″ 1,000-3,000
Medium (144-255 sq. ft) Medium 44-50″ 1,600-4,500
Large (225-400 sq. ft) Large 50″ or more 2,300-6,500

What Size Fan for Room?

Open concept living room with rustic wood ceiling fan wood beamsThe size of ceiling fan that you will need for a room depends on the proportions of the room. So not just how big the room is but also how high your ceiling is.

Ceiling fans come in a variety of sizes and are measured by taking into consideration the blade span or the blade sweep. You can get the blade span by measuring the distance from the tip of a fan blade to the tip of the blade that is directly across from it.

Basically, you need to match your ceiling fan size to the room area. General rule is, get the room’s square footage by multiplying the room length and room width in feet. Look for ceiling fan sizes that are designed to cool a room of your dimensions.

Most ceiling fan manufactures will clearly label their fan with blade span and might even give you a recommendation on the room size they should be used in.

Often, there will also be a “CFM rating”. The CFM rating of a ceiling fan is how much air the fan can move per minute. This is measured as cubic feet per minute (CFM).

To get a better idea of how well a ceiling fan can cool a space, you should compare the CFM to the room’s cubic footage. Another thing you need to consider is the ceiling height or the measure of the distance from your room floor to the peak of your room’s ceiling. [Source: Energy.gov Federal Regulations for Ceiling Fans]

To ensure adequate air circulation, you need to choose a fan that will hang at least eight inches from the room’s ceiling. For safety’s sake, however, you need to make sure that your ceiling fan hangs at least seven feet from the floor.Contemporary large bedroom with ceiling fan

What size ceiling fan do I need for a 10×10 room?

For a room that is 10×10 feet, you need a ceiling fan that can cool an area of 100 square feet.

For rooms less than 144 square feet, ceiling fan manufactures provide fans with blade spans of 42” or under. You should also try to ensure that it has a CFM rating of 1,000-3,000.

What size ceiling fan do I need for a 12×12 room?

For a 12×12 room, get a ceiling fan size that can efficiently cool an area of 144 square feet. Look for a ceiling fan with a blade span of 44” and a CFM rating of around 1,600.

What size ceiling fan do I need for a 15×15 room?

For a room that is 15×15 feet, you need a ceiling fan designed to cool an area of 225 square feet. Get a ceiling fan with a blade span of around 50” and a recommended CFM rating of 4,500.

Living room kitchen with modern ceiling fanCan a fan be too big for a room?

It might seem like more is better – after all, more air circulation equals a cooler room right? But this isn’t necessarily the case.

If you get a fan that is too big, there will be too much air circulation and instead of a cooling effect, you are going to get a windy effect.

A fan too big for a room will send lightweight things flying – this means your hair-do will be messed up, your papers won’t stay in place, and even fabrics will be sent fluttering.

What is the best size ceiling fan for a bedroom?

Master bedroom with modern black ceiling fan, gray wall paneling and tray ceilingThis master bedroom features a modern ceiling fan with tray ceiling and gray wall paneling.

If you have a small bedroom with an area of 144 feet, get a ceiling fan with a blade span of under 42” and a CFM rating of 1,000 -3,000.

For a medium sized bedroom, with an area of 144-255 square feet, get a fan with a blade span of 44-50” and a CFM rating of 1,600 -4,500.

If you have a big bedroom with an area of 225-400 square feet, get a fan with a blade size of 50 or more. Look for a CFM rating of 2,300-6,500.

Sources: Energy Star and  Energy.gov

For more related content check out our gallery of types of ceiling designs here.

 

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