Drawer box calculator: box, base and front sizes

Type the cupboard's size inside and how many drawers it takes. It gives every drawer front, box side, box front and back and base cut to size, and the runner length to buy, for boxes made from sheet material on side runners. Free, with no sign-up.

The cupboard

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The boxes and runners

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3 drawers on 20" runners

Each box 21 1/2 wide outside, 8 1/2 high and 20" deep, behind a front 23 7/8 × 9 7/8" lapping over the cupboard's sides. Buy 3 pairs of 20" runners.

23 7/8 × 9 7/823 7/8 × 9 7/823 7/8 × 9 7/8

Cutting list

PartHow manySize
Front323 7/8 × 9 7/8"
Box side620 × 8 1/2"
Box front and back620 1/2 × 8 1/2"
Base, in a groove all round319 1/2 × 21"

The box's front and back fit between its sides; the base is 1/4" bigger all round than the inside of the box, to sit in its groove.

How it works

The height is shared equally between the drawers. Each front laps over the cupboard's sides, less the gap round it. Behind it, the box is as wide as the inside of the cupboard less room for the runners each side, a little lower than its front, and as deep as the longest runner that fits.

The box's sides run its full depth with the front and back between them, and the base sits in a groove all round. Change any of the numbers to match your runners and how you build.

For choosing runner lengths and how deep a drawer can be, see drawer runner lengths and drawer depth.

Questions

How long are the drawer runners?

The longest of the lengths you can buy that fits the depth inside the cupboard, less the gap behind the box. The box is made as deep as its runners.

How wide is the drawer box?

The width inside the cupboard less the runners' room each side: about 12.5 to 13 mm a side for most ball-bearing side runners, 1/2 inch for most American side-mount slides. Check your runners' instructions: they say exactly.

How high is the box?

Each drawer's share of the height, less how much lower the box is than its front, so the front covers it above and below and it slides without catching. 40 mm is a usual start.

How is the box put together?

Two sides as long as the runners, and a front and back that fit between them. The base sits in a groove all round, so it's cut that much bigger than the inside of the box each way. Fronts lap over the cupboard's sides, with a small gap round each one.

Is this the same as JoinerKit's drawers?

Yes. It's checked against the code that builds drawers in JoinerKit, where drawers can also go in a space under a shelf, sit behind doors or stand under a sloping ceiling, each with its own runner length.