A worked example for this guide: a 72 in sideboard with doors and drawers, complete with a full cut list. Take a look, or drop it straight into the cabinet designer and adjust the sizes.
Open in the cabinet designer → See the exampleThe sizes revolve around the slides
With drawers, the hardware drives the dimensions. Most drawer slides need a fixed amount of clearance per side between the drawer box and the cabinet wall, often around 1/2 in. So the drawer box ends up narrower than the inside width of the cabinet on each side. Check the spec for your slides, because it varies by type (side-mount ball-bearing slides, under-mount slides).
Building the drawer box
- Drawer sides – 1/2 to 3/4 in plywood or melamine, joined into a box.
- Drawer bottom – 1/4 in in a groove or screwed up underneath.
- Drawer front – in the same material and finish as the cabinet fronts; often mounted separately so you can line it up.
Depth and height
Drawer depth follows the length of the slide, which you pick a little shorter than the inside depth of the cabinet. Match the height of the drawer sides to what's going in; leave a little room above the contents so the drawer closes freely.
Let the clearance figure itself in. Enter your cabinet and drawers in cutlistlab's free tool. You'll get the panel sizes for the cabinet, the drawer boxes and the fronts, with a cutting plan that wastes as little sheet as possible. The per-side clearance is built into the drawer size.
In a cabinet or kitchen
Drawers go into a cabinet, a wardrobe or a kitchen cabinet. Plan them in right away, so everything lands in one cut list.
Frequently asked questions
How much room do I leave for drawer slides?
Most ball-bearing side-mount slides need about 1/2 in of clearance per side between the drawer box and the cabinet wall. So the box is that much narrower than the inside width on each side. Always check the spec for your slides, since it varies by type.
How deep should I make a drawer?
Drawer depth follows the length of the slide, which you match to the inside depth of the cabinet. Pick a slide that's a little shorter than the cabinet depth. For the bottom, use thin material (1/4 in) in a groove or screwed up underneath.
What material should drawer boxes be?
Drawer sides are usually 1/2 to 3/4 in plywood or melamine, and the bottom is 1/4 in. For the front, use the same material as the cabinet fronts so everything matches.