In the United States, most building including both homes and businesses will contain ceiling fans for both air circulation and ceiling lighting. Several decades back, the replacement of chandeliers with ceiling fans became a popular choice in homes. Now that most homes contain ceiling fans, business owners have also added the appliances to their locations.

In the process of choosing the right ceiling fan for your location, it is important to consider for a moment the room into which the fan will be installed. If you plan to install the fan in your small apartment-sized kitchen, you need less of a diameter than if you plan to install the fan in your 900 square foot family and activity room.

Standard diameters for ceiling fans include (in inches): 32, 42, 44, and 52. There actually exists a recommended guideline useful in choosing the correct blade diameter for a specific ceiling fan use.

Be aware that while this is not always the case, many times the larger two ceiling fan styles will have five paddles attached. The smaller two generally have only four. This may be a reason to choose the larger ceiling fan sizes, if you are concerned about the number of paddles present to provide circulation of the air.

If your room size is 8’x10’ or smaller, you would be satisfied with the results of a 32 inch fan. Although, you may find yourself limited in the choices available in that size. You are not limited to 32 inch diameter ceiling fans, however you probably will not want to go larger than a 42 inch ceiling fan.

The larger 42 inch fan diameter finds its best application in a room that has dimensions below 10’x12’. The problem encountered with the 32 inch fan will be less of an issue for this larger sized ceiling fan. Visiting the website of any major ceiling fan manufacturer should enable you to view the options available.

A 44 inch diameter ceiling fan is the most commonly used size of fan in homes today. Although often used in smaller rooms, the recommended room size for this sized ceiling fan is between 10’x12’ and 12’ square. The largest array of styles and light fixture attachments for the fan is available in this size.

The largest 52 inch ceiling fan diameter is best suited for rooms with dimensions larger than 12 feet square. This makes the fan size appropriate for use in business locations, and very large rooms in private homes.

If you have a large area that requires ceiling fan coverage, you are not limited by any means! It is very common to place several ceiling fans in an area in order to further improve air circulation, and to improve lighting in areas where the ceiling fans provide supplemental lighting for a room.

This home building article by:
Michelle McClory with BuildingPlans.com

Search Now For House Plans >>