Measuring Cabinet Doors & Drawer Fronts

At Cabinet Doors 'N' More, we serve everyone from contractors performing large-scale remodels to homeowners saving money with their first DIY repair. Whether it's your first time working with cabinets or you need a refresher, we've prepared a simple guide for getting the right size cabinet doors. Using these steps, you can take measurements using a current cabinet door, or measure the cabinet opening to create a new door with the correct overlap and order the right cabinet door hinges for framed or frameless cabinetry.

MEASURING CABINET DOORS

To measure cabinet doors for the kitchen, bath or any room, you need a good tape measure and something to take notes on. Measure to the closest 1/16 of an inch for both width and height for doors made in just the right size. We recommend measuring at least twice for accuracy as our doors are custom made to the specific measurements you provide.

HOW TO MEASURE USING AN EXISTING CABINET DOOR

To get doors the same size as those you have on your current cabinetry, open your cabinet door and measure using the backside of the door for accuracy. Take the width first and then the height and be sure to measure twice. We need the actual measurements of the cabinet door down to 1/16" (not the cabinet opening).

HOW TO MEASURE USING YOUR CABINET OPENING

Measuring to fit a cabinet opening includes a few extra steps to get the doors made in the right sizes for your remodel or renovation:

Measure the inside edges: When measuring the width, measure from left to right, starting with the inside edge of the left stile (vertical part of the face frame) to the inside edge of the right stile. When measuring height, measure from the inside edge of the bottom rail (horizontal part of the face frame) to the inside edge of the top rail. We build to 1/16 inch increments, so be precise.
Add space for door overlay: Cabinet doors for framed cabinets must be larger than the cabinet opening to look right and close properly. We refer to this as an "overlay". The industry standard for most cabinet doors is a 1/2 inch overlay around the cabinet door. To create a 1/2 inch door overlay on all four sides, add 1 inch to your total height, and 1 inch to your total width.

Cabinet Rail/Stile

How to measure for replacement cabinet doors

Cabinet Opening (for both cabinet doors and drawer fronts)

How to measure for replacement Cabinet Doors and Drawer Fronts

For example, if you're measuring a cabinet opening 14 inches wide and 24 inches tall and wanted to achieve a 1/2 inch overlay, order a door 15 inches wide and 25 inches tall. Your desired door overlay may vary, so please take that into account when calculating your overall measurements.

HOW TO MEASURE FOR DOUBLE CABINET DOORS

Double doors add utility and visual appeal to any set of cabinets. If you would like to install double cabinet doors over a single opening, we will help you get the perfect fit. We recommend using the following calculation based on achieving a 1/2 inch door overlay. If you want a more significant overlap, be sure to account for it in your math.

To get accurate measurements for double doors over a single opening:

Measure the cabinet opening: Measure in the same fashion as for a single door, getting the total height and width from the inside edge of the opening.
Add space for door overlay: Add 1 inch to the height. For the width, add 7/8 inch to your total. This creates a standard 1/8 inch gap between the doors when mounted.
Divide the width: Divide the width by 2 for individual door measurements.

For example: If you want double doors on a cabinet opening 30 inches wide by 36 inches tall, your total measurement would be 30 7/8 wide by 37 inches tall. After dividing the width by 2, the correct order would be two doors, each 15 7/16 inches wide and 37 inches tall.

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Hinge Boring

Our hinge drilling procedure is meant for Concealed European style hinges. The center recess measures 35mm in diameter and is bored into the back of the cabinet door. The custom made cabinet door will be drilled at the standard placement based on its size.

Hinge boring "framed" left or right is 3" from top and bottom of cabinet doors (no custom hinge boring available)
Hinge boring "frameless" left or right is 3 3/4" from top and bottom of cabinet doors (no custom hinge boring available)

cabinet door hinge boring

Note: If you are ordering arched panel cabinet doors, you need to specify for left or right hinge boring.

Hinge Boring Special Information:

Solid Wood Doors

Doors with a height of 42" or less will receive two hinge bores.
Doors with a height of 42 1/16"-72" will receive three hinge bores,
Doors with a height of 72 1/16" or larger will receive four hinge bores.

White RTF Doors

Doors with a height of 8” up to 13” will receive two hinge bores (Note: placement will be 2” from top and bottom of door).
Doors with a height of 13” up to 36” will receive two hinge bores
Doors with a height of 36” up to 60” will receive three hinge bores (Note: middle bore centered on door)
Doors with a height of 60” up to 84” will receive four hinge bores (Note: equally spaced on door)

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MEASURING CABINET DRAWER FRONTS

Just like a cabinet door, taking accurate measurements for cabinet drawer fronts is simple, with processes similar to those above. If you plan on replacing a existing drawer front with a new style or wood species, all we need you to do is measure the backside of the drawer front for width and height to the nearest 1/16th.

Existing cabinet drawer fronts may not always be available. With two simple steps, we'll help you get precise measurements for an attractive fit. Drawer overlay is the amount of material that extends beyond the cabinet opening and rests against the cabinet surfaces. In the industry, 1/2 inch is standard. Learn how to measure the size of a drawer front using an empty space in two simple steps:

Get your width and height: Measure the inside edge of the drawer opening for the width and height.
Compensate for overlay: Add one inch to each measurement, creating 1/2 inch overlay on every side.

If you want to check your numbers before placing your order, give us a call and we'll be happy to help.

PLACING AN ORDER

With accurate measurements, you're ready to place your order. We've streamlined our process for fast and simple product customization. To order new cabinet doors:

Find a style: Browse our selection of cabinet doors to find the right design, and select the style you want to use.
Select a material option: Choose from oak, maple, paint-grade hard maple, cherry, medium-density fiberboard (MDF) or rigid thermofoil (RTF).
Enter your size: Enter the width and height to 1/16-inch increments and select a quantity.
Add hinge boring: If you'd like to add hinge boring, select the box, and we'll take care of getting the number and pattern right.

At Cabinet Doors 'N' More, we manufacture in the U.S. and ship factory-direct straight to you, with most orders shipping out within 10 business days. For help taking measurements, or to speak to an expert about placing an order, please contact us or call 844-915-1150.

How to Measure For Cabinet Refacing