Why Do American Restroom Stalls Still Have Gaps? New ASI Industry Report Documents the Specification Problem and the Solution

Survey data, building code evolution, and lifecycle cost analysis make the case for integrated specification as the new commercial standard.

NEW YORK, June 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ASI, the world's leading manufacturer of commercial washroom products, has officially released The Privacy Gap: Why American Bathroom Stalls Still Have Gaps and What Integrated Specification Solves, a new industry report examining the state of restroom privacy in commercial design and the specification gap that has persisted across the industry for decades.

The report draws on national survey data, building code evolution, ADA compliance standards, construction cost research, and a decade of ASI's AIA-accredited continuing education experience to document the real-world impact of aftermarket privacy solutions and the case for integrated specification.

Key findings include:

• 70% of Americans say public restroom stalls lack sufficient coverage
• 72% report anxiety about privacy in public restrooms; 53% explicitly call for the elimination of door gaps
• 96% believe visual occupancy indicators on stall doors would be helpful
• The 2021 International Building Code (Section 1210.3) now requires visual screening of public restrooms, signaling a regulatory shift toward privacy as a code-level requirement

The report also examines why aftermarket privacy strips, the most common field response to stall sightline gaps, fall short on color matching, durability, and lifecycle cost, and why specification-level integration has emerged as the more economical and design-consistent path forward.

"American restroom partitions have been engineered for speed and cost for more than a century, and the data shows occupants have noticed. The Integrated Privacy™ System reflects a different priority: meeting the privacy standard occupants have always expected, at the specification level where the change actually has to happen."

Mark Schiller, Vice President Sales & Marketing

ASI is the first manufacturer with a patented Integrated Privacy™ System, factory-built into partition doors and frames, eliminating sightline gaps without aftermarket hardware, retrofit labor, or color-matching compromise. The system is now standard on stainless steel and powder-coated steel partitions from ASI, with 48-hour shipping. ASI also offers Ultimate Privacy™ for taller-door configurations with continuous strike and hinge-side fillers, and Maximum Privacy® for true floor-to-ceiling coverage, placing ASI among the few manufacturers offering full-height partition systems in North America.

About ASI Group

ASI is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial toilet partitions, washroom accessories, lockers, and visual display products. ASI Global Partitions and ASI Accurate Partitions are the company's partition divisions. With operating units and offices in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Mexico, and China, ASI serves architects, building owners, and contractors in more than 50 countries.

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SOURCE ASI GROUP