Brand new tile, shiny new appliances, and sparkling countertops are the critical elements in your kitchen renovation checklist. However, most homeowners don’t realize one important thing. A key element of any kitchen is proper planning and careful thinking about the kitchen layout – especially when it comes to kitchen cabinets. Since kitchen cabinets vary, you need to consider accurate measurements for the sizes of kitchen cabinets you’re considering against the floor plan and entire space.
During kitchen remodeling, the average person probably assumes that cabinets and their cabinet frame are simple quick decisions in the planning process. However, these fixtures need considerable thought, precisely when it comes to the standard kitchen cabinets and a kitchen cabinets size chart is an essential starting point. Between a popular option of new doors and numerous other custom options, new kitchen cabinets come in different styles from design to color, to door style and door height and may need crown molding if this is your preferred style.
Retailers like Home Depot will sell semi-custom kitchen cabinets and the best kitchen cabinets in various configurations of stock that consider ceiling height and various widths that accommodate kitchen appliances like microwave ovens. The size of your cabinets will consider high ceilings with door openings or different types and styles for the front of the cabinet. This could be open shelving units acting as shorter wall cabinets that serve for utility (coffee cups and smaller plates) and visual styling.
Whether you have tall cabinets or inset cabinets, it is imperative to get the sizes right because cabinets serve as the base of your kitchen. What cabinet size suits your kitchen? This short guide will help you quickly understand the basic dimensions of your kitchen cabinets.
Getting the correct kitchen cabinet dimensions will ensure that your kitchen will be proportional. While looking at materials, colors, and the style of replacement cabinet doors can be exciting, the entire kitchen design will never look cohesive without proper measurements.
Good thing that most cabinet manufacturers today offer their products in standard sizes that are guaranteed to work well in almost all styles and types of kitchens.
Here is a quick overview of the base kitchen cabinet standard dimensions depending on the cabinet type. With some simple steps and careful measurements of the cabinets, your kitchen and the entire room will be well designed to meet your most demanding family needs.
Sizes of Standard Base Cabinets
Base cabinets are perfect for all of your storage needs in the kitchen, as these often serve as the home to your small appliances, pots, and pans. A deeper cabinet will help with this. You don’t want a dysfunctional kitchen so you need well-designed utility cabinets for this purpose. It will be important to get the correct standard cabinet height and measurement of the cabinets because this will also affect the height of your kitchen countertops.
Since base cabinet dimensions must meet specific building codes, you have limited room for variation here. Generally speaking, base cabinet sizes without the countertops are 34.5 inches in height. You can get the most variation with the width of base cabinets. Standard widths start at 9 inches and increase by increments of 3 inches.
It is also essential to consider the function or purpose of the cabinet when deciding on the width of your base cabinets. If your base cabinets serve as the storage spot for your pull-out spice racks, baking sheets, pans, and pots, base cabinet widths ranging from 9 inches to 24 inches work fine. Let’s not forget the sink! A width of 30 inches works well for single basin sinks, and you can go higher at 33 inches if you are using an offset sink.
Meanwhile, a double basin sink can work well for both standard widths of 36 inches and 33 inches. A base cabinet width of 42 inches can let you add a Lazy Susan or give you additional space for storage. It would help if you considered the depth of your kitchen base cabinets. If you end up with a deep cabinet, you might have difficulty reaching in the back from the drawer fronts, or it may prevent you from plugging in your appliances. The general rule of thumb is that the standard base cabinet depth is 24 inches.
A toe kick is another feature for base kitchen cabinets. The optimal depth for toe kicks is 3 inches, and the optimal height is 4 inches or higher. For corner cabinets, the most standard sizes are 33 inches, 36 inches, and 39 inches and can be hinged either left or right.
Sizes of Tall Standard Base Kitchen Cabinet
While tall kitchen cabinets are not that common in most kitchens today, these unique cabinets can provide you with a new and exciting storage option. A full height base cabinet is a taller space that will serve you well as the storage space for your cleaning supplies, or this can be transformed into pantry cabinets. Their design will handle storage well, even in laundry rooms, so you shouldn’t be concerned about adding too much weight for storage and organization.
These cabinets are tall and extend from your kitchen floor to the ceiling based on the name itself. Whether shopping for stock cabinets or custom-made ones, the best starting standard height is 84 inches, and it will leave about one foot of space between the ceiling of a common kitchen and the cabinet.
If you don’t like to leave empty spaces in your kitchen, you might want to choose a tall cabinet as high as 90 inches or 96 inches.
In general, tall cabinets are slimmer than other types of cabinets. The widths of these cabinets begin at 18 inches, extending up to 30 inches. The most common width for a tall kitchen cabinet is 24 inches. If you wish to add more storage or drawers, your best choice is a width of 30 inches.
The standard depth of wall cabinets is 24 inches which is the most popular size in terms of depth. Like base corners, deeper cabinets may make it more difficult to retrieve items. Twenty-four inches is the sweet spot if you want to add features such as kitchen cabinet doors, sliders, drawers, and other storage solutions.
Sizes of Standard Wall Cabinets
Factors to Consider in Finding the Right Cabinet Sizes
Since your kitchen serves as the heart of your home, where you bond with your family and friends, one crucial thing to remember here is to consider your cabinets with extra care. It is never wise to choose the first cabinets you see and expect them to fit your kitchen space.
Keep these considerations in mind when deciding on the sizes of your new cabinets.
Placement and Location
Ask any kitchen designer, and they will surely tell you to avoid ordering custom cabinets without deciding on the placement and location first. What is the right angle for your cabinets? Where do you want your appliances to be? Will you move the kitchen cabinets or fit custom cabinetry around your existing appliances?
The overall layout of your kitchen is an essential factor as this dictates the specific standard measurements you need for your cabinets and the number and types of kitchen cabinets you want.
Double-check the extra space between kitchen features and appliances, as this will guide you to the different sizes you can have for your kitchen cabinets.
Take Note of Individual Needs
Cabinet makers produce their products with the needs of their customers in mind. There is a high chance you can choose from a selection of ready to assemble or prefab cabinets for your kitchen.
However, it doesn’t mean you can no longer customize your kitchen. You can still alter cabinet measurements such as depth and height to accommodate you or other family members.
Don’t Forget Your Personal Taste
Since it is your kitchen, it is a must that you love every single inch of it. Pick cabinets that match your style and taste. It means you can choose your cabinets at different heights or depths.
You may prefer structured drawers and shelving, or you would rather have more open storage. Or maybe you would want shelving outside of your cabinets. The gist here is that the style has the same level of importance as function as far as kitchen cabinets are concerned.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the standard sizes of base cabinets for kitchen cabinets?
The standard sink cabinet sizes are 36, 33, and 30-inch wide. The dimensions of these cabinets have enough space for most sizes of kitchen sinks.
What are the cutout dimensions for built-in appliances?
Most of the time, you must verify the built-in allowances with the actual specifications of the appliances. The good news is that this will not affect the standard kitchen cabinet sizes. For example, if the cutout for a built-in microwave has a width of 22 inches and a height of 14 inches, this can easily fit in a standard cabinet that is 24 inches wide.
What is the standard size of the opening for a dishwasher?
When installing base kitchen cabinets, you should allot an opening 24 inches wide for a dishwasher.
What are the cabinet specifications for a cooktop and range?
The standard sizes of cabinets for a cooktop and range will depend on the dimensions of the actual appliances. However, most can fit in 30, 33, or 36 inches cabinets.
What is the standard opening for a freestanding stove?
The standard dimension for freestanding stoves is 30 inches wide, except in the case of unique custom stoves.
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John Thompson, Writer and Commentator, EvolutDesign.com
Soldier, writer, researcher, consultant, and bon vivant, John Thompson is the author of numerous columns, op-eds, reports, briefs, short stories and books as the “Felicity Files” and “Spirit Over Steel: A Chronology of the Second World War” (version III). Often found hunched over his computer, or in his garden, and now often found doing both. His diverse talent has led him to work in industries and projects such as energy, security and home construction and renovation. To see the entire team at Evolutdesign.com, visit Our Team page.
