• 17 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Toilet

A toilet cut down the middle, with the tank opened up.

Parts of a Toilet

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Tank
  2. Tank lid
  3. Flush handle
  4. Lift arm
  5. Chain
  6. Flapper
  7. Overflow tube
  8. Fill valve
  9. Float
  10. Refill tube
  11. Supply line
  12. Seat
  13. Seat lid
  14. Bowl
  15. Rim
  16. Trap
  17. Closet flange

Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the parts of a sink

All 17 parts on the diagram

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Start here: 6 main parts 6

  1. Tank The box on the back that holds the water for one flush. It is also called the cistern.
  2. Flush handle The lever on the outside of the tank. Pressing it turns the lift arm inside.
  3. Flapper The rubber seal over the flush valve at the tank's bottom. Lifted, it lets the tank's water rush into the bowl. It drops shut when the tank is empty.
  4. Fill valve Lets water into the tank after a flush. It shuts off when the tank is full. An older kind is called a ballcock.
  5. Seat The hinged ring bolted onto the bowl, which you sit on.
  6. Bowl The china basin that holds the water and waste. It is also called the pan.

Inside the tank: 11 7

  1. Tank lid The loose cover on top of the tank. Lift it to reach the parts inside.
  2. Lift arm The bar inside the tank, turned by the handle. It pulls up the chain.
  3. Chain Joins the lift arm to the flapper. Pressing the handle lifts the flapper.
  4. Overflow tube An upright tube for when the tank overfills. Water spills into the bowl instead of over the top.
  5. Float Rises with the water in the tank. When it reaches the set level, it shuts the fill valve.
  6. Refill tube The small tube from the fill valve into the overflow tube. It sends water down to top up the bowl while the tank refills.
  7. Supply line The pipe that brings water to the fill valve. It comes from the shut-off valve on the wall.

The bowl and seat: 6 4

  1. Seat lid The hinged cover over the seat, shown raised. It closes over the seat when the toilet is not in use.
  2. Rim The hollow ring round the top of the bowl. Water from the tank runs into it and out of holes underneath to rinse the bowl.
  3. Trap The bend built into the china. It keeps water in the bowl, which seals sewer gas out of the room.
  4. Closet flange The floor fitting that the toilet is bolted to. It joins the toilet to the drain pipe. It is also called a toilet flange.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. (1) Wikipedia, Flush toilet, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flush_toilet : the tank (cistern) above the bowl; its gravity tank diagram names the float, fill valve, lift arm, tank fill tube, bowl fill tube, flush valve flapper, overflow tube, flush handle, chain and fill line; the flushing rim round the top of the bowl; the trap that keeps water in the bowl as a seal against sewer gases. (2) Wikipedia, Ballcock, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballcock : the float valve that fills the tank and shuts off at a set level. (3) Wikipedia, Toilet seat, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet_seat : a hinged seat and usually a lid, bolted onto the bowl. (4) Wikipedia, Closet flange, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closet_flange : also called a toilet flange; mounts the toilet to the floor and connects it to the drain pipe. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

These are the parts of a toilet on a gravity-flush toilet cut down the middle, with the tank opened. Start with the 6 main parts, then the tank, then the bowl.

Read the full guide

One flush, step by step

The handle turns the lift arm, which pulls the chain and lifts the flapper. The tank's water rushes into the bowl through the rim and pushes the waste over the trap. The flapper drops shut.

Refilling

As the water level falls, so does the float, which opens the fill valve. Water comes in through the supply line, and the refill tube tops up the bowl. When the float rises again, the fill valve shuts.

  • If the toilet keeps running, check the flapper and chain first: a worn flapper or a tangled chain lets water leak into the bowl.

Questions and answers

What are the parts inside a toilet tank?

The flush handle and lift arm, the chain, the flapper over the flush valve, the overflow tube, the fill valve with its float, the refill tube, and the supply line coming in underneath.

What is the flapper in a toilet?

The rubber seal at the tank's bottom. Pressing the handle lifts it so the water rushes into the bowl, and it drops shut again when the tank is empty.

Why does a toilet bowl always have water in it?

The trap, a bend built into the china, holds water in the bowl. That water seals the drain so sewer gas cannot come up into the room.

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