Guide · Dimensions
Standard kitchen cabinet sizes.
Every base, wall and tall cabinet comes in a standard range of heights, depths and widths. Here are the numbers - in inches - so you can plan, measure and quote without guessing.
Answer first
The three numbers that matter.
Almost every kitchen cabinet is built on three standard figures: 24 inches deep (base and tall), 34½ inches high as a box - 36 inches finished with the countertop - and widths from 9 to 48 inches in 3-inch increments. Wall cabinets are 12 inches deep and come 30, 36 or 42 inches high. Learn those and the rest is detail.
Side elevation
The whole kitchen in one diagram.
Not to exact scale - but every callout is the standard size.
Base cabinets
Base cabinet dimensions.
| Spec | Standard |
|---|---|
| Box height | 34½″ (also 30″ & 36″) |
| Finished height | 36″ with countertop |
| Depth | 24″ (12″ / 18″ shallow) |
| Width | 9″ - 48″, 3″ increments |
| Sink base width | 30″ - 42″ (common 36″) |
| Toe kick | 4″ high × 3″ deep |
A base cabinet is specified twice: the box, and the finished height it becomes. A 34½″ box sitting on a 4″ toe kick finishes at 36″, and that 36 is the number that has to match your countertop and line up with a standard dishwasher. The 30″ and 36″ boxes exist for older houses where the floor sits lower or a taller run is wanted - changing the box height moves the countertop with it, so it is a room decision rather than a preference.
Depth is the number buyers most often get wrong. The 24″ standard assumes an 18″ base cabinet standing about 4″ off the wall face, which is the service gap that holds the supply line, the shut-off valve and the electrical outlet. The 12″ and 18″ shallow boxes exist for exactly the opposite situation: a kitchen where the wall face sits 16″ or 20″ off centreline and a full-depth cabinet would run into a riser, a duct or an existing stack.
Sink bases are wider than the bowl suggests, because the bowl and the drain both have to sit inside the box. 30″ to 42″ covers a single bowl and 36″ is the common choice; 48″ takes a double bowl or a bin pull-out at the front. The depth and width chart sets the same numbers out against the wall conditions they suit.
Wall cabinets
Wall cabinet dimensions.
| Spec | Standard |
|---|---|
| Height | 30″, 36″, 42″ (12″ - 24″ short) |
| Depth | 12″ (24″ above fridge/oven) |
| Width | 9″ - 48″, 3″ increments |
| Above countertop | 18″ (min 18″ over cooktop) |
Wall cabinets are bought in three heights, and the height sets the storage volume rather than the footprint: 30″, 36″ and 42″ are the same 12″ deep box at three shelf spacings. Between them they decide whether a run of 36″ holds a week of plates or a season of them.
Two clearances decide whether the run is possible at all. Over a countertop the working rule is 18″ between the counter surface and the underside of the cabinet - high enough for a small appliance, low enough to reach the back shelf. Over a cooktop it stops being a rule and becomes a requirement: 18″ minimum, and whatever the hood needs above that comes out of the same space.
12″ depth is standard because a wall cabinet sits against a wall. The 24″ version is only used where it has to bridge a tall appliance - over a refrigerator or a wall oven it turns what would be a void into usable storage.
Tall & vanity
Tall and vanity cabinet dimensions.
| Type | Standard |
|---|---|
| Tall / pantry height | 84″, 90″, 96″ |
| Tall / pantry depth | 24″ |
| Tall / pantry width | 12″ - 36″ |
| Bathroom vanity width | 24″ - 72″ |
Tall cabinets come in 84″, 90″ and 96″, and the choice is made by the ceiling rather than by preference: a 96″ tall unit needs roughly a 97–98″ ceiling once its top panel goes on, and 84″ suits a 90″ ceiling with a filler above. A pantry that stops 6″ short of the ceiling is a common and cheap move - nobody sees the gap, and it saves paying for a full extra module.
Bathroom vanity widths step in 6″ and 12″ rather than the 3″ kitchen increment, because a vanity is ordered as one box under one countertop instead of a run of separate cabinets. 48″ is a single basin with storage, 60″ is a double. That difference in increment is why the two are quoted separately, and why a vanity should never be sized by adding kitchen cabinet widths together.
Widths
Corners
What actually happens at a corner.
A 36″ run along one wall stops short of the corner and a corner cabinet takes the space back - but the space it takes is not the space it returns. A blind corner cabinet fills a 90° corner, yet only roughly the front third of it is reachable; the rest sits behind the swing of the door on the adjacent run. That is why a corner unit with a lazy Susan is a different product from one with a pull-out, and why a blind corner with no cabinet in the corner at all is sometimes the better use of the same floor area.
Which one is right comes down to how the two walls measure. If both are multiples of the standard width and you can afford to give up the depth of one cabinet, the corner cabinet wins on storage. If you cannot, a blind corner closed by a 15″ or 18″ filler gives back two full runs and a shallower corner cabinet - the trade is a cabinet you cannot reach for a cabinet you can, and that trade is worth making more often than the standard sizes suggest.
Metric
Inches on the drawing, millimetres at the factory.
This page is in inches because that is how North American kitchens get drawn and ordered. The factory works in millimetres, and the two are not the same list. Three inches becomes 76 mm; 24″ depth becomes 610 mm; 34½″ becomes 876 mm.
That translation is where imported cabinet projects quietly go wrong. A box built to 876 mm is 34½″. A box built to 875 mm is 34.4″, and no filler strip in the catalogue will make that leftover disappear. The working rule is short: fix the layout in inches first, convert once at the end, and check that every converted width still lands on a whole 3″ increment before it goes on the order.
Gaps
Filler, end panel or scribe rail.
The leftover between a run of standard cabinets and a wall that does not measure a round number is closed by three different parts, and mixing them up is why some installations end with a visible gap or a drawer that will not open.
A filler is a flat strip, 3″ or 6″ wide, cut to the exact leftover and pushed behind the cabinet run. It is the cheapest fix and the correct one for a wall that is a few inches over.
An end panel is a finished decorative panel closing the exposed side of the run, usually where the run dies into a wall or a return. Its face is visible, so its colour and grain have to match the doors beside it.
A scribe rail is a thin strip scribed to the wall line on site, used where the wall runs out of square. It is the only one of the three cut during installation. Scribe the whole run and you lose depth everywhere; scribe the end panel and every cabinet stays on its standard width.
Widths come in 3-inch increments.
Standard cabinet widths step by three inches: 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 42 and 48 inches, plus sink bases at 30-42″. When your wall is not an exact multiple, you close the leftover with a filler rather than ordering a custom width - which is what keeps a run on standard, shippable sizes.
How to measure
Measure your kitchen in five steps.
- 1 · Wall lengthsmeasure each run wall-to-wall, corner to opening
- 2 · Ceiling heightsets the tallest wall or pantry cabinet you can use
- 3 · Door & window openingsnote every opening, plus what's above and below
- 4 · Obstructionsoutlets, radiators, pipes, vents and where the gas/water sit
- 5 · Appliancesfridge, range and dishwasher widths you must fit around
Send those five and we lay the run out on standard sizes for you - free, on WhatsApp.
Why it matters
Standard sizes keep the cost down.
Standard widths, depths and heights keep a run off custom tooling, pack a container denser and lower the landed, duty-paid cost. Custom sizes are worth paying for only where the room leaves no standard fit. If you are weighing the two, start with custom vs RTA and flat-pack vs assembled.
FAQ
Cabinet size questions.
What are the standard kitchen cabinet dimensions?
Standard base cabinets are 24 inches deep, 34.5 inches high as a box (36 inches finished with countertop) and 9 to 48 inches wide in 3-inch increments. Standard wall cabinets are 12 inches deep and come 30, 36 or 42 inches high. Standard tall cabinets are 24 inches deep and 84, 90 or 96 inches high.
How tall are base cabinets?
A standard base cabinet box is 34.5 inches tall on a 4-inch toe kick and stands about 36 inches to the finished countertop. Some lines use a 30-inch or 36-inch box height; the countertop always lands near 36 inches for ergonomics.
How deep are kitchen cabinets?
Base and tall cabinets are 24 inches deep as standard (shallow 12- and 18-inch versions exist). Wall cabinets are 12 inches deep, with 24-inch-deep versions for above a refrigerator or oven.
What widths do cabinets come in?
Cabinet widths run from 9 to 48 inches in 3-inch increments - 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 42 and 48 inches - plus sink bases at 30 to 42 inches. Fillers close any leftover gap.
How high should wall cabinets hang?
Wall cabinets usually hang 18 inches above the countertop (minimum 18 inches above the cooktop area), so plan the bottom line at about 54 inches from the floor with a 36-inch counter.
Do standard sizes matter for imported cabinets?
Yes - keeping to standard widths, depths and heights keeps the run off custom tooling, packs the container denser and lowers the landed cost. Custom sizes are worth it only where the room leaves no standard fit.
Pricing at a glance
Your number, worked out on your plan.
Made-to-order is priced by size, box construction and finish. We quote per linear foot, duty-paid, against your final drawing - with ocean freight, duty, clearance and delivery inside the number. Your exact, fixed duty-paid (DDP) quote is free - no obligation.
Related
Keep planning.
Mudroom, laundry and pantry dimensions
The same six numbers in the rooms next to the kitchen.
Depth & width chart
The two standard depths and the full 3-inch width ladder.
Bathroom vanity sizes
The same width-and-height problem in a smaller room - including the 32 versus 36 inch question.
Cabinet cost calculator
Estimate your run by linear foot and tier - instant.
Kitchen cabinets
How our made-to-order kitchens are built.
Closet dimensions
Standard walk-in closet sizes, same method.
Custom vs. RTA
Not a quality tier - a fit decision.
Know your sizes - want the price?
Send your wall lengths and ceiling height on WhatsApp and we return a layout plus a fixed duty-paid (DDP) quote - free, no obligation.