How much water does a shower head use?

The standard number

Shower heads are rated in gallons per minute, or gpm, at a set water pressure.

Did you know that standard showerheads use 2.5 gallons of water per minute (gpm)?

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense, Showerheads. Read 28 September 2026.

Water-saving heads that carry the EPA WaterSense label use no more than 2.0 gpm. The label is optional, so check the packaging of any head for its own figure.

What it adds up to

Half a gallon a minute does not sound like much, until you multiply it by every shower in a house for a year.

The average family could save 2,700 gallons per year by installing WaterSense labeled showerheads.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense, Showerheads. Read 28 September 2026.

The hot share of that water is also energy you have already paid to heat, so a lower flow shows up on two bills.

Measure your own shower

1. Put a bucket with gallon marks under the shower head.
2. Turn the shower on fully and start a timer.
3. Stop at 10 seconds and read how much water is in the bucket.
4. Multiply by 6 to get gallons per minute.

If you get well over 2.5, the head is older or the pressure is high. A head with smaller, closer holes, like the face of the FASTRAS head, keeps the spray feeling firm with less water behind it.