Measuring drawer boxes from the cabinet opening

Measuring for new drawer boxes.


Example cabinet opening of:
10" wide, 6" tall, and 24" deep.

Using drawer box standards from BARKERdoor.com


1. WIDTH OF THE DRAWER BOX. The width of the drawer box depends on two different factors. First, is the opening of the cabinet. Second, is the type of drawer guide to be used. For this tutorial we will be assuming that a side mounted KV soft closing drawer slide will be used for the drawer guide. The KV drawer guide is available for purchase on barkerdoor.com. Let's take an opening width of 10" wide by 6" in height. With this opening you will need to subtract a certain amount for the thickness of the drawer guide on the left and right side of the drawer box. Our KV side mounted slide is exactly 1/2" thick. Therefore we will take the opening of 10" and subtract 1/2" from the left side of the drawer box and 1/2" from the right side of the drawer box. This gets us a finished width of 9" (calculated by 10" - 1/2" on left - 1/2" on right= 9"). Now we have our drawer box width that needs to be ordered at 9" wide.



2. HEIGHT OF DRAWER BOX. To calculate the height of the drawer box you should take the actual height of the opening and subtract a certain amount to allow for a bit of clearance both above and below the drawer box. I personally like to subtract about 3/8" to 1/2" from the opening height to get the drawer box height. For this example let's say that the opening height is exactly 6" tall. We will take this opening height and subtract 3/8" to get 5 5/8" usable drawer box height. Since Barker Door has set heights of 3.75", 5 1/2", and so on, we will need to select the closest box height that is just under the 5 5/8" usable height area. This drawer box height would be 5 1/2". Now we have our drawer box height set at 5 1/2".



3. DEPTH OF DRAWER BOX. The depth of the drawer box is calculated by looking at the depth of the opening. Let's say that the depth of the opening is 24" deep from the front of the face frame to the back of the cabinet. In this example you will need at least 1" of clearance behind the drawer box to allow enough room for adjustment. Take 24" and subtract 1" for extra clearance and we get 23". Now find the deepest drawer guide you can fit into this 23" deep opening. In this example a 22" KV slide will work just fine. Due to the fact that you are using a 22" slide in a 23" usable depth opening, you will need to order a 22" deep drawer box. Always order the same depth drawer box and the depth of the drawer guide. For example if you order a 16" deep drawer guide, make sure you order a 16" deep drawer box. This will eliminate any confusion and ensure a working drawer box and guide combination. Rear mounting brackets can be used in most applications by attaching the bracket to the inside back of the cabinet.


Finished drawer box
Width= 9"
Height= 5 1/2"
Depth= 22"

Drawer Boxes are available in many wood types as seen below:




Written by:

Chad Barker