WSFU Chart — Water Supply Fixture Units & GPM Demand

Water supply fixture unit values for every listed fixture and the tabulated Hunter's-curve conversion from WSFU to design demand in GPM. IPC and UPC values are kept separate — the two codes assign different loads and the UPC handles flushometer fixtures by a different method entirely. IPC values per Appendix E Tables E103.3(2) and E103.3(3) (2021 edition; unchanged 2012–2024 — and note the appendix must be specifically adopted); UPC values per Table 610.3 (2021 edition).

IPC — WSFU load values per fixture

IPC Table E103.3(2)
Water supply fixture units per fixture by occupancy and supply control, with the hot- and cold-side splits, values per IPC Appendix E Table E103.3(2) (2021 edition). A dash means no load on that temperature side.
FixtureOccupancySupply controlTotal WSFUHotCold
Bathroom groupPrivateFlush tank3.61.52.7
Bathroom groupPrivateFlushometer valve8.03.06.0
BathtubPrivateFaucet1.41.01.0
BathtubPublicFaucet4.03.03.0
BidetPrivateFaucet2.01.51.5
Combination fixturePrivateFaucet3.02.252.25
Dishwashing machinePrivateAutomatic1.41.4
Drinking fountainOffices, etc.3/8" valve0.250.25
Kitchen sinkPrivateFaucet1.41.01.0
Kitchen sinkHotel, restaurantFaucet4.03.03.0
Laundry trays (1 to 3)PrivateFaucet1.41.01.0
LavatoryPrivateFaucet0.70.50.5
LavatoryPublicFaucet2.01.51.5
Service sinkOffices, etc.Faucet3.02.252.25
Shower headPublicMixing valve4.03.03.0
Shower headPrivateMixing valve1.41.01.0
UrinalPublic1" flushometer valve10.010.0
UrinalPublic3/4" flushometer valve5.05.0
UrinalPublicFlush tank3.03.0
Washing machine (8 lb)PrivateAutomatic1.41.01.0
Washing machine (8 lb)PublicAutomatic3.02.252.25
Washing machine (15 lb)PublicAutomatic4.03.03.0
Water closetPrivateFlushometer valve6.06.0
Water closetPrivateFlush tank2.22.2
Water closetPublicFlushometer valve10.010.0
Water closetPublicFlush tank5.05.0
Water closetPublic or privateFlushometer tank2.02.0
For fixtures drawing both hot and cold, each side is three-quarters of the total (the bathroom-group rows are composites with their own splits). Unlisted fixtures size by analogy to the closest listed fixture.

WSFU → GPM demand (Hunter's curve, tabulated)

IPC Table E103.3(3)
Design water demand in gallons per minute from total WSFU, for supply systems predominantly of flush tanks and predominantly of flushometer valves, values per IPC Appendix E Table E103.3(3) (2021 edition). The flushometer column starts at 5 WSFU as printed. Between rungs, read up to the next printed load.
WSFUFlush tanks (GPM)Flushometer valves (GPM)
13.0
25.0
36.5
48.0
59.415.0
610.717.4
711.819.8
812.822.2
913.724.6
1014.627.0
1115.427.8
1216.028.6
1316.529.4
1417.030.2
1517.531.0
1618.031.8
1718.432.6
1818.833.4
1919.234.2
2019.635.0
2521.538.0
3023.342.0
3524.944.0
4026.346.0
4527.748.0
5029.150.0
6032.054.0
7035.058.0
8038.061.2
9041.064.3
10043.567.5
12048.073.0
14052.577.0
16057.081.0
18061.085.5
20065.090.0
22570.095.5
25075.0101.0
27580.0104.5
30085.0108.0
400105.0127.0
500124.0143.0
750170.0177.0
1,000208.0208.0
1,250239.0239.0
1,500269.0269.0
1,750297.0297.0
2,000325.0325.0
2,500380.0380.0
3,000433.0433.0
4,000525.0525.0
5,000593.0593.0
Constant-use loads — hose bibbs, irrigation, cooling equipment — are not covered by fixture units: assign their actual GPM directly and add it to the table demand. The two columns converge at 1,000 WSFU and are identical above it.

UPC — WSFU and minimum fixture branch sizes

UPC Table 610.3
Water supply fixture units by occupancy with the minimum fixture branch pipe size, values per UPC Table 610.3 (2021 edition). A dash means the code assigns no value; urinal and water-closet flushometer-valve rows carry no WSFU because flushometer systems size under UPC 610.10 (note 7).
FixtureMin branchPrivatePublicAssemblyNotes
Bathtub or combination bath/shower (fill)1/2"4.04.0
Bathtub, 3/4" fill valve3/4"10.010.0
Bidet1/2"1.0
Clothes washer1/2"4.04.0
Dental unit or cuspidor1/2"1.0
Dishwasher, domestic1/2"1.51.5
Drinking fountain or water cooler1/2"0.50.50.75
Hose bibb1/2"2.52.5
Hose bibb, each additional1/2"1.01.08
Lavatory1/2"1.01.01.0
Lawn sprinkler, each head1.01.05
Mobile home, each (minimum) †12.0
Sink: Bar1/2"1.02.0
Sink: Clinical, faucet1/2"3.0
Sink: Clinical, flushometer valve (with or without faucet)1"8.0
Sink: Kitchen, domestic (with or without dishwasher)1/2"1.51.5
Sink: Laundry1/2"1.51.5
Sink: Service or mop basin1/2"1.53.0
Sink: Washup, each set of faucets1/2"2.0
Shower, per head1/2"2.02.0
Urinal, 1.0 gpf flushometer valve3/4"see 7see 77
Urinal, over 1.0 gpf flushometer valve3/4"see 7see 77
Urinal, flush tank1/2"2.02.03.0
Urinal with drain-cleansing action1/2"1.01.01.0
Wash fountain, circular spray3/4"4.0
Water closet, 1.6 gpf gravity tank1/2"2.52.53.5
Water closet, 1.6 gpf flushometer tank1/2"2.52.53.5
Water closet, 1.6 gpf flushometer valve1"see 7see 77
Water closet, over 1.6 gpf gravity tank1/2"3.05.57.0
Water closet, over 1.6 gpf flushometer valve1"see 7see 77
Base-UPC value: California amends this row to 6.0 under CCR Title 25.

UPC table notes

  • 1The listed branch size serves the cold-water branch, or both the hot and cold branches.
  • 2Unlisted fixtures size by analogy to a listed fixture of similar flow rate and frequency of use.
  • 3Values are the load on the cold-water building supply; for fixtures with both hot and cold connections, the separate hot and cold loads may each be taken as three-quarters of the listed total.
  • 4Branch sizes are nominal (inside-diameter) pipe sizes.
  • 5Continuous-flow demands such as sprinklers are computed in GPM separately and added on top of the fixture-unit demand.
  • 6The assembly column applies to assembly public use.
  • 7Flushometer-valve fixtures carry no fixed WSFU — flushometer systems are sized under UPC 610.10 instead.
  • 8The reduced value for additional hose bibbs applies when totaling building demand; the branch to each individual bibb still sizes at the full value.

How to use this chart

Count WSFU for every fixture on the segment you're sizing (the fixture unit calculator totals it for you), decide whether the system is predominantly flush tanks or flushometer valves, and read the demand table for the design GPM. That flow — with the available pressure and developed length — is what drives the pipe size, via the pipe sizing calculator or the code's sizing procedure.

IPC 101.2: appendix provisions apply only where the jurisdiction has specifically adopted that appendix. Confirm Appendix E is adopted before citing it as enforceable. Fixture units do not apply to constant-use loads such as hose bibbs, irrigation, or cooling equipment — assign those their actual GPM directly and add them on top of the fixture-unit demand.

IPC and UPC do not agree — and local amendments override both

The two codes rate the same fixtures differently — a public flush-tank water closet carries 5.0 WSFU under the IPC but 2.5 under the UPC — and the UPC refuses to assign fixed WSFU to flushometer-valve fixtures at all, sizing those systems under Section 610.10 instead. The values themselves are stable ground (IPC Appendix E is unchanged 2012–2024; UPC 610.3's numbers are unchanged 2015 through the 2024 cycle), but states amend: California, for instance, rewrites the mobile-home row. Confirm your enforced code, its edition, and its amendments.

Common questions

How do I convert WSFU to GPM?

Total the WSFU for every fixture on the system, then read the demand table: at 100 WSFU the design demand is 43.5 GPM if the system is predominantly flush tanks, or 67.5 GPM if predominantly flushometer valves. Between printed rungs, read up to the next rung. The two curves converge at 1,000 WSFU (208 GPM) and are identical above that.

Why are there two WSFU-to-GPM curves?

Flushometer valves draw a much larger burst of water than a filling flush tank, so at low fixture counts a flushometer-heavy building peaks far higher — 15 GPM at just 5 WSFU versus 9.4 GPM. As buildings get large the probabilistic averaging washes the difference out, which is why both halves of Hunter's curve meet at 1,000 WSFU.

What is the difference between WSFU and DFU?

WSFU rates the probable water-supply demand a fixture places on the piping feeding it; DFU rates the probable drainage load it discharges. They are different scales for different systems — a public flushometer water closet is 10 WSFU on the supply side under the IPC but 4 DFU on the drainage side — and they are never interchangeable.

Are the IPC and UPC WSFU values the same?

No. A public 1.6 gpf flush-tank water closet is 5.0 WSFU under IPC Appendix E but 2.5 under UPC Table 610.3, and the UPC assigns flushometer-valve fixtures no fixed WSFU at all — those systems size under UPC 610.10. Count and size within one code family, and note that IPC Appendix E only applies where a jurisdiction has specifically adopted the appendix.

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