How to figure out what toilet seat shape I have
Standard round and elongated shapes often fail to match older or unique bowl dimensions, causing standard replacements to overhang at the front. Without a visible model number to buy a direct replacement, people are left guessing and unable to find a seat that fits properly.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Looking for a model number to replace like for likeDid this help you?
- 2Buying a standard round bowl seat assuming it is universalDid this help you?
- 3Putting an oval-shaped seat on a round bowlDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am struggling to identify what shaped toilet seat I have.”source ↗
“according to the measurements these are all too long and would overhang at the front.”source ↗
“I was hoping to find a model number and replace like for like but I can’t seem to find one.”source ↗
“Sorry I’ve really never felt so stupid but the measurements of a round still seem to hang over at the front.”source ↗
“I have not been able to find a toilet seat that’s compatible… every “round” one is 16.5 inches but mine is only about 15.”source ↗