What Size Air Conditioner for 600 Square Feet?

A 600 sq ft room (about 24 × 24 ft) needs about 14,000 BTU of cooling, so look for a 14,000 BTU air conditioner. A very sunny room needs 15,400 BTU, and a kitchen 18,000 BTU.

Change any number below to match your project. The ac btu calculator works for any size.

Room size

Your shopping list prints here.Enter your measurements and it updates as you type.

How it's worked out

  1. The ENERGY STAR chart lists 550 to 700 sq ft at 14,000 BTU per hour.
  2. Adjust for the room: +10% for strong sun, −10% for heavy shade, +600 BTU for each regular occupant past two, +4,000 BTU for a kitchen, and scale up for ceilings over 8 ft.
  3. Pick the nearest common unit size at or just above the result.

600 sq ft: size by room conditions

RoomBTU neededUnit to look for
Normal room14,000 BTU14,000 BTU
Very sunny (+10%)15,400 BTU15,000 BTU
Heavily shaded (−10%)12,600 BTU12,000 BTU
4 people use it (+1,200)15,200 BTU15,000 BTU
Kitchen (+4,000)18,000 BTU18,000 BTU
9 ft ceiling (+12.5%)15,800 BTU18,000 BTU

Don't oversize much. A unit that's too big cools the air quickly and shuts off before it pulls out the humidity, so the room ends up cold and clammy.

Other common sizes

More detail: What Size AC Do I Need? BTU and Tons by Square Footage