Toilet Seats

Standing up from a toilet is one of the hardest movements people do, and one of the most frequent. A standard toilet seat sits around 15 inches from the floor, which puts the knees higher than the hips and means rising from a deep squat. Raising the seat reduces how far the person has to lift themselves.

First, check your toilet shape

This is the question that catches everyone out, and getting it wrong means the seat does not fit.

A standard or round toilet bowl is roughly circular, usually about 16.5 inches from the seat bolts to the front rim.

An elongated bowl is oval and longer, usually about 18.5 inches.

Measure from the two bolts at the back of the seat to the front edge of the bowl before ordering anything on this page. If you are unsure, send us a photograph with a tape measure across it.

Then decide the height

Raised seats come in 2, 3.5, 4, 5 and 6 inch lifts.

Too little and it does not solve the problem. Too much and the person's feet no longer reach the floor properly, which makes standing less stable rather than more, and can make bowel movements harder because the posture is wrong.

A good rule is to raise only as much as is needed. Two inches is often enough. If you are unsure, our adjustable seat switches between 2, 4 and 6 inches, which lets you find the right height and change it later.

Arms, or no arms

Arms give something to push up from and something to steady against when sitting down. If leg strength is the problem, arms matter more than height.

Without arms the seat is slimmer, less obtrusive and cheaper, which suits a shared family bathroom or someone who only needs a little extra height.

Hinged seats for shared bathrooms

A hinged raised seat lifts up like an ordinary toilet seat, so everyone else in the household can use the toilet normally. In a one bathroom home that is often the deciding feature.

Frames and rails instead

If the height is fine but there is nothing to push up from, a toilet safety frame or rail gives arms without changing the seat height at all. Some fit around the toilet, some clamp to it, some stand free on the floor.

Not sure

Tell us the toilet shape, roughly how much help the person needs to stand, and whether anyone else uses that bathroom. That is usually enough for us to point you at the right one.