Get the KoolMore KM-SC181814-18B3: three 18 x 18 x 14 in. bowls, two drainboards, NSF and a published warranty. Want a long-time foodservice maker? Advance Tabco’s FE-3-1812-18RL. Need 16-gauge steel: its FC series.
Top pick: KoolMore 90 in.$1,227.22 at AmazonPrice as of Oct 24, 2026, 5:30 AM EDT
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
KoolMore KM-SC181814-18B3: best overall
Best overall
KoolMore KM-SC181814-18B3
Three compartment sink, 90 in., 18 x 18 x 14 in. bowls, two 18 in. drainboards
90 x 24 in.Bowls 18 x 18 x 14 in.2 drainboards18 ga 30482.8 lb
Buy it if
You wash full-size pans and stockpots and want the deepest bowls and a warranty you can read before you buy.
Skip it if
Your wall is shorter than 90 inches. Advance Tabco’s FC with one drainboard is 74-1/2.
The KoolMore KM-SC181814-18B3 is the sink I’d put in a small restaurant kitchen. It scores 9.0, the top of this page, and it’s the only pick whose maker publishes everything my score checks except the faucet hole spacing.
Depth is the reason. KoolMore lists three 18 x 18 x 14 in. bowls. The Food Code says the compartments must be large enough to immerse the largest equipment and utensils you wash, and two extra inches of depth over a 12 in. bowl is what lets a tall stockpot or a deep hotel pan go all the way under.
It comes with two 18 in. drainboards, one each side. KoolMore lists a 6-degree drainboard slope and a 2-degree basin slope, so water runs back into the bowls. That covers the Food Code’s drainboard rule for holding soiled items before washing and clean items after sanitizing, without a separate table.
The rest is what you’d expect from an NSF sink: 18-gauge 304 stainless, a 9.7 in. backsplash, adjustable legs with plastic feet and drains in the box. KoolMore lists the top of the basins at 33.5 in. from the floor and a 1-year parts and labor warranty.
What it doesn’t tell you is the faucet hole spacing. KoolMore says the holes are pre-drilled for a long faucet and sprayer, but not the centers, so check the holes against your faucet before you order one. That’s the one point it misses.
KoolMore’s spec table also lists 1.2 in. between basins, 19.4 in. legs with 1 in. of adjustment and four plastic feet. The whole sink weighs 82.8 lb, light enough for two people to set without a lift, and KoolMore lists a 30-day return policy alongside its warranty.
Advance Tabco FE-3-1812-18RL: best for full rough-in data
Best for full rough-in data
Advance Tabco FE-3-1812-18RL
Three compartment sink, 90 in., 18 x 18 x 12 in. bowls, left and right drainboards
Full rough-in drawing: drain, supply and working heights
Faucet holes on 8 in. centers
1-1/2 in. IPS stainless basket drains included
Two 18 in. drainboards, 9 in. backsplash
All TIG welded, 18-gauge 304
Cons
12 in. deep bowls, 2 in. shallower than KoolMore
Galvanized legs; stainless legs are an upgrade
No warranty term on the spec sheet
90 x 23-3/4 in.Bowls 18 x 18 x 12 in.2 drainboards18 ga 304110 lb
Buy it if
Your plumber wants exact rough-in heights before the sink arrives, or you’re matching an existing Advance Tabco line.
Skip it if
You wash deep stockpots. The 12 in. bowls are the shallowest here.
The Advance Tabco FE-3-1812-18RL is the sink a plumber likes to see, because its spec sheet answers every rough-in question. It scores 8.9. It passes every check except the warranty, and it loses a fraction on bowl depth.
The sheet has a full rough-in section: drain outlets at 22-1/2 in. above the finished floor for the 12 in. bowls, a 37 in. working height, 1/2 in. IPS hot and cold supply, faucet holes on 8 in. centers and 1-1/2 in. IPS stainless basket drains in the center of each bowl, included. That’s enough to set the waste and water lines before the sink shows up.
Construction is all TIG welded, with welds blended to a satin finish and gussets welded to a reinforced plate. The whole unit is 18-gauge 304 stainless; the legs are 1-5/8 in. galvanized with 1 in. adjustable plastic bullet feet, and Advance Tabco sells a stainless leg upgrade (FE-SS-12).
Its bowls are 18 x 18 x 12 in., the shallow end of this page. For sheet pans and hotel pans that’s fine. For a tall stockpot, check the Food Code’s immersion rule against your biggest pot first; the sizer below does it for you.
Amazon lists it with an older “-X” model suffix; the 90 in. length, 18 x 18 in. bowls and two 18 in. drainboards match the FE3-1812-18RL row on the current sheet.
Details on the sheet that matter in daily use: a rolled rim edge for strength, bowls with 3/4 in. coved corners that meet NSF requirements, and a backsplash with a tile edge so it sits tight to the wall. Advance Tabco also sells K-700 removable side splashes that fit either end. The sink weighs 110 lb.
Advance Tabco FC-3-1818-18L: best for 16-gauge steel
Best for 16-gauge steel
Advance Tabco FC-3-1818-18L
Three compartment sink, 74-1/2 in., 18 x 18 x 14 in. bowls, left drainboard
No backsplash height or warranty term on its sheet
Heavier to move into place, 128 lb
74-1/2 x 24 in.Bowls 18 x 18 x 14 in.1 drainboard16 ga 304128 lb
Buy it if
The sink takes daily abuse from heavy pots, or your space is short and a dish table already sits on one side.
Skip it if
You need drainboards on both sides. It has one.
The Advance Tabco FC-3-1818-18L is the heavy-duty build. Advance Tabco makes the whole FC unit from 16-gauge 304 stainless, a thicker sheet than the 18-gauge used in the other picks, and fits stainless legs with stainless bullet feet instead of galvanized legs and plastic feet.
It scores 7.0. It passes the NSF, steel, depth, drain and faucet-center checks, and earns one of two drainboard points because it has a drainboard on the left only. Its spec sheet doesn’t publish a backsplash height or a warranty term, so it misses those two.
The bowls are 18 x 18 x 14 in., as deep as the KoolMore’s. Advance Tabco says the 14 in. depth is for greater capacity, and the sheet lists adjustable front-to-back cross-bracing under the bowls.
With one 18 in. drainboard the sink is 74-1/2 in. long, 15-1/2 in. shorter than the 90 in. picks. That makes it the one to buy when a dish table or a wall already covers one side. The Food Code wants enough drainboard, rack or table space for everything that piles up during service; a table on the right counts.
Supply is 1/2 in. IPS hot and cold, and the waste drains are 1-1/2 in. IPS stainless baskets in the center of each bowl, included, the same as the FE series.
The FC sheet shares the FE’s finishing details: all TIG welded, 3/4 in. coved bowl corners that meet NSF requirements, a rolled rim and a tile-edge backsplash. Its gussets are stainless rather than galvanized.
If you want two drainboards in the same build, the sheet lists the FC-3-1818-18RL at 90 in.; Amazon’s in-stock listing was the left-board model. The same sheet lists 24 in. drainboard versions, up to 102 in. long with two.
AmGood’s page doesn’t state a warranty term, drains or a backsplash height
Two 18 in. drainboards, NSF, 304 steel, 8 in. faucet centers
VEVOR JC-S3C141611, 14 x 16 x 11 in. bowls
Not picked
Its listing doesn’t say NSF
Two drainboards, 7 in. backsplash, 8 in. centers
Underbar 3-bowl sinks (10 x 14 in. bowls)
Not picked
A bar-sink class: bowls too small for kitchen pans
Fit under a bar for glassware
What size 3 compartment sink do you need?
Enter your biggest pan or pot and the wall space you have. The sizer checks it against standard bowl sizes from the spec sheets.
Bowl size
Depth
No drainboard
One drainboard
Two drainboards
10 x 14 in.
10 in.
35 in.
—
60 in. (15 in. boards)
15 x 15 in.
12 in.
50 in.
62-1/2 in.
75 in.
16 x 20 in.
12 in.
53 in.
68-1/2 in.
84 in.
18 x 18 in.
12 or 14 in.
59 in.
74-1/2 in.
90 in.
18 x 24 in.
14 in.
59 in. (30 in. deep front to back)
74-1/2 in.
90 in.
24 x 24 in.
14 in.
77 in.
—
108 in. (18 in. boards)
The Food Code’s sizing rule is short: sink compartments shall be large enough to immerse the largest equipment and utensils. If something is too big, it goes to a warewashing machine or approved alternative equipment instead. So start with the biggest thing you wash, not the space you have.
Measure your largest pan, pot and lid, including handles. An item that only fits on edge still has to go fully under the water. If one oversized item drives you to a 24 x 24 in. sink and 108 in. of wall, a separate approved method for that one item may make more sense; ask your health department.
How to use a 3 compartment sink
The 2022 FDA Food Code sets the steps and the numbers. Your local health department may adopt it with changes.
1
Scrape and pre-rinse
Scrape food into the trash or pre-rinse so the wash water stays clean. The Food Code says the wash, rinse and sanitize solutions must be kept clean.
2
Wash in the first bowl
Detergent and water at 110°F or more, or the temperature on the cleaning agent’s label (4-501.19).
3
Rinse in the second bowl
Clean water to remove detergent. With a 3-compartment sink, the Food Code calls for a distinct, separate rinse between washing and sanitizing (4-603.16).
4
Sanitize in the third bowl
Chemical sanitizer at the label strength and contact time, or hot water at 171°F or above for at least 30 seconds (4-501.111, 4-703.11).
5
Air-dry on the drainboard
Food Code 4-901.11: air-dry or drain items, and don’t cloth-dry them.
Sanitizer (Food Code)
Strength
Minimum water temperature
Contact time
Chlorine, 25–49 mg/L
Test with a kit
120°F
10 seconds
Chlorine, 50–99 mg/L
pH 10 or less / pH 8 or less
100°F / 75°F
10 seconds (7 seconds at 50 mg/L in some conditions)
Chlorine, 100 mg/L
Test with a kit
55°F
10 seconds
Iodine
12.5–25 mg/L, pH 5.0 or less
68°F
30 seconds
Quaternary ammonium
Per the maker’s label
75°F
30 seconds
Hot water
—
171°F or above
30 seconds immersed
The Food Code also requires a test kit that measures sanitizer strength in mg/L (4-302.14), and says a warewashing sink may not be used for handwashing (4-501.16). If you use it to thaw food or wash produce, clean and sanitize it before and after.
Test the sanitizer bowl when you fill it and through the shift. The wash and rinse water get dirty fast, and the Food Code says all three solutions have to be kept clean (4-501.18), so change the water whenever it looks cloudy or greasy.
The answer to “when using hot water in a 3 compartment sink” is the sanitizing bowl: 171°F for 30 seconds. That’s far hotter than the water many kitchens keep on hand, which is why chemical sanitizers are common.
How a 3 compartment sink is plumbed
Each bowl drains on its own to a floor sink below, with an air gap above the floor sink’s rim. From IPC 802.1.1, 802.1.7 and 802.3; heights from Advance Tabco’s FE rough-in. Not to scale.
The IPC treats a warewashing sink as indirect waste. Section 802.1.1 says food handling equipment discharges through an indirect waste pipe by means of an air gap, and each well of a multiple-compartment sink discharges independently to a waste receptor. Section 802.1.7 lets commercial pot, dish and utensil sinks discharge through an air gap or an air break.
In practice that means three tailpieces dropping to a floor sink, each ending above the rim. The air gap must be at least twice the pipe’s effective opening (802.3.1). The hub drain and floor sink guide covers receptors, and your local code and health department have the final word; some jurisdictions adopt different rules.
Rough-in item (Advance Tabco FE)
Value
Waste drains
1-1/2 in. IPS stainless basket, center of each bowl
Drain outlet height
22-1/2 in. (12 in. bowls) or 20-1/2 in. (14 in. bowls) above finished floor
Supply
1/2 in. IPS hot and cold
Faucet holes
8 in. centers
Working height
37 in.
The faucet is usually a separate purchase. All three picks ship without one. A wall or deck-mount faucet on 8 in. centers with a long swing spout reaches all three bowls; check the spout length against the bowl spacing. Kitchens that pre-rinse often add a pre-rinse unit; the pre-rinse faucet guide covers them.
Hot water is the other plumbing question. The wash water has to hold 110°F, and sanitizing with hot water needs 171°F. The water heater guide covers tank sizes and recovery.
Drainboards, sides and kitchen layout
Dishes should move one way: soiled in on one side, clean out the other. Two drainboards make that work with the sink alone. The soiled side holds scraped dishes waiting for the wash bowl, and the clean side holds sanitized items while they air-dry.
The Food Code doesn’t demand two drainboards. Section 4-301.13 asks for drainboards, utensil racks or tables large enough for everything that piles up during service, before cleaning and after sanitizing. A one-board sink beside a dish table or a wall rack meets the same rule, and that’s what the 74-1/2 in. Advance Tabco FC is for.
KoolMore slopes its drainboards 6 degrees toward the bowls, so water runs back into the sink instead of onto the floor. On a one-board sink, check which side the board is on before you order: Advance Tabco’s sheet lists one-board models as “R or L”, and the listing name tells you which.
Layout
Sink length (18 x 18 bowls)
Best when
Two drainboards
90 in.
The sink stands alone on a wall
One drainboard plus a table
74-1/2 in. plus the table
A dish table or prep table already sits on one side
No drainboards, tables both sides
59 in. plus tables
You’re fitting the sink into an existing line
Can you use a 2 compartment sink instead?
Only with approval and limits. Food Code 4-301.12 lists a 2-compartment sink as alternative equipment, but before one is used the permit holder must have it approved, limit the number of items washed in it, and limit warewashing to batch jobs such as between cutting one raw meat and another or cleanup at the end of a shift.
The solutions are made up right before use and drained right after, using a detergent-sanitizer or a hot water sanitizing step. A 2-compartment sink can’t be used where wash and sanitize solutions stay in use through service. For a kitchen that washes all day, that leaves the 3-compartment sink.
16 gauge vs 18 gauge stainless
Gauge numbers run backward: a lower number is thicker steel. Advance Tabco builds its FE series from 18-gauge and its FC series from 16-gauge 304 stainless, and puts stainless legs and feet on the FC. Thicker sheet resists dents from heavy pots dropped into the bowls; it also adds weight, 128 lb for the FC with one board against 110 lb for the FE with two.
The steel type matters more than gauge for rust. All three picks are type 304, the common food service grade. Chlorine and other sanitizers sit in the third bowl all shift, so rinse and dry the sink at closing either way.
How to choose a 3 compartment sink
Factor
What to look for
Why it matters
Bowl size
Your biggest item lies flat or fits on edge
Food Code 4-301.12: compartments must immerse the largest item
Bowl depth
14 in. for stockpots, 12 in. for pans
Deeper bowls hold more water above tall items
Drainboards
Two, or one plus a table
4-301.13: space for soiled and clean items
Steel
304 stainless; 16 gauge is thicker than 18
Resists corrosion from sanitizers; thicker resists dents
NSF
Stated by the maker
KoolMore lists its sink as NSF Certified for Sanitation
Rough-in data
Drain height, supply size, faucet centers
Lets the plumber set lines before delivery
A good fit
Your biggest pot goes under, both drainboards or a table fit, the faucet reaches every bowl, and the floor sink sits under all three drains.
Watch out for
Bar sinks with 10 x 14 in. bowls sold as kitchen sinks, listings that don’t say NSF, and missing drain baskets.
Questions people ask
What is the best 3 compartment sink?
By the makers’ published specs, the KoolMore KM-SC181814-18B3: 18 x 18 x 14 inch bowls, two drainboards, NSF and a 1-year parts and labor warranty.
How do you use a 3 compartment sink?
Scrape, wash in the first bowl at 110°F or more, rinse in the second, sanitize in the third at the sanitizer’s label strength or in 171°F water for 30 seconds, then air-dry.
When using hot water in a 3 compartment sink, how hot must it be?
For hot water sanitizing, the Food Code says 171°F or above, with items immersed for at least 30 seconds. Wash water must be at least 110°F.
What size 3 compartment sink do I need?
One whose bowls fit your largest pan or pot; the Food Code requires full immersion. 18 x 18 inch bowls fit a half sheet pan, and with two 18-inch drainboards the sink is about 90 inches long.
Does a 3 compartment sink need a floor sink?
Under IPC 802.1.1, each compartment discharges independently to a waste receptor through an air gap; 802.1.7 also allows an air break for pot and utensil sinks. A floor sink is the usual receptor. Check your local code.
Can a 3 compartment sink be used for handwashing?
No. Food Code 4-501.16 says a warewashing sink may not be used for handwashing.
How the spec score works
The spec score uses the same eight checks for every sink, scored only when the maker’s own spec sheet or product page states it. It’s my score from those documents, not a customer rating or a lab test.
Check (points)
How it’s scored
Drainboards (2)
1 point for each side with a drainboard
NSF stated (2)
The maker states NSF certification
304 stainless steel (1)
The maker lists type 304
Bowl depth (1)
Bowl depth ÷ 14 in., up to 1
Drains included (1)
Basket drains come with the sink
8 in. faucet centers (1)
The maker states the hole spacing
Backsplash height (1)
The maker publishes it
Warranty (1)
The maker’s page or sheet states a term
Total (10)
Sum, to one decimal
Sink
Boards
NSF
304
Depth
Drains
8 in.
Splash
Warranty
Score
KoolMore
2
Yes
Yes
1.00
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
9.0
Advance Tabco FE
2
Yes
Yes
0.86
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
8.9
Advance Tabco FC
1
Yes
Yes
1.00
Yes
Yes
No
No
7.0
AmGood (left out)
2
Yes
Yes
0.86
No
Yes
No
No
6.9
Why trust me
I’m Isaac Daniels, a licensed journeyman plumber in Georgia (license #JP507711). I’ve used every sink picked here. The specs come from KoolMore, Advance Tabco and AmGood documents, the use rules from the 2022 FDA Food Code and the plumbing rules from the IPC, read Oct 23, 2026.
How I pick
Full-size freestanding 3 compartment sinks with 18 x 18 in. bowls, so one score is fair to all.
One model per family; sizes and drainboard sides are covered by the sizer instead of separate picks.
Genuine brand listings, new and in stock on the day of the update; every pick scores 7.0 or higher.
Prices come from Amazon’s API with the time they were read.
Sources
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Code 2022, chapter 4: 4-301.12, 4-301.13, 4-302.14, 4-501.16 to 4-501.19, 4-501.111, 4-501.114, 4-603.16, 4-703.11.
International Code Council, 2018 International Plumbing Code, sections 802.1.1, 802.1.7, 802.3 and 802.3.1.
KoolMore, KM-SC181814-18B3 product page and specifications (koolmore.com).
Advance Tabco, FE Series fabricated sinks, three compartments, spec sheet E-6A (May 2022), and FC Series three and four compartment spec sheet.
AmGood, 90 in. x 23.5 in. three compartment sink product page (amgoodsupply.com).
Product listing details for the sinks (Amazon Creators API, Oct 23, 2026).
