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Follow the standard kitchen cabinet dimensions, and you’ll create for yourself a kitchen that remains functional for years to come!
Are you thinking of getting your kitchen and cabinets revamped? Well, then this blog post is for you!
When it comes to kitchen design, the layout, colours and materials play a significant role in deciding the look and feel. But one element that’s as important as all these is the size and dimensions of your kitchen cabinet.
Kitchen cabinets can be made in different sizes and styles—and it’s essential to dig deep into this before you go ahead and get your kitchen revamped. Why? Because by choosing a cabinet of the wrong size or dimension, you’ll risk making your kitchen dysfunctional and ruining it forever.
To save you from the hassle and make sure you make an informed and practical choice, we’ve prepared a detailed guide on the standard kitchen cabinet dimensions. Let’s have a look!
Kitchen Cabinet Dimensions (Inches)
You can customise your kitchen cabinets however you want. But it’s best to follow or keep close to some standard dimensions, so you can make the most of your kitchen space, increase its functionality and make the workflow and storage easy.
Here are the standard dimensions for different types of kitchen cabinets:
Base Cabinet Dimensions
Base cabinets are installed directly on the floor. Supporting some of the heaviest objects in your kitchen, they literally form the ‘base’ of your kitchen and are indispensable. You can place countertops and stoves on them, install sinks or dishwashers within them, besides using them for storage in endless ways.
Since they need to be sturdy, base cabinets also turn out to be the most expensive of all kitchen cabinets. This means you should pay attention to their dimensions—so you can get them right in one go and don’t have to splurge money again and again.
Here are the standard dimensions for base cabinets:
| Standard Base Cabinet Dimensions | Inches |
| Height without countertop | 32” |
| Height with countertop | 33” |
| Depth without countertop | 22.83″ |
| Depth with countertop | 24” |
| Width | Variable |
The base cabinet height (without countertop) can sometimes go up to 34 ½ inches, but other than that, this is the least flexible dimension out of all. Building codes and general design practices don’t allow much variation when it comes to height, so most designers stick to the standard.
Adding a countertop can change the height of the base cabinet to 33-36 inches—depending on the material of the countertop. But no matter what material you choose, make sure to keep the accessibility aspect of your base cabinet in mind.
The depth of the cabinet refers to the distance from its outer front edge to the wall. Excluding the countertop, 22.83 inches to a maximum of 24 inches are good sizes to go with—if you go deeper, you’ll risk making your cabinet inaccessible.
As for the width of base cabinets, this is the most variable dimension as it all depends on how big your kitchen is or how wide a cabinet area you want. The width can be practically anything from 9 to 48 inches.
Kitchen Overhead Cabinet Dimensions
Kitchen overhead cabinets or wall cabinets are mounted on the wall and are generally used for storing cutlery, food and lightweight kitchen supplies.
Overhead cabinets are almost at eye level and are thus one of the first things people notice when they look at your kitchen. It’s essential to get their size right so they look pleasing to the eye and create a good impression of your kitchen—while remaining functional.
Here are the standard dimensions for these cabinets:
| Standard Kitchen Overhead Cabinet Dimensions | Inches |
| Height | 24” |
| Depth | 14” |
| Width | 18”, 24” |
The height of wall cabinets typically depends on the height of your ceiling and clearance from the countertop. The latter, which is the distance between the countertop and the bottom of your wall cabinet, should ideally be somewhere between 15 inches and 20 inches.
Now, the standard depth of wall cabinets is 14 inches, but the maximum you can go up to is 24 inches—because they cannot exceed the depth of base cabinets.
That said, you need not make your wall cabinet as deep as your base cabinet. Shallower wall cabinets are also an excellent and practical choice to go for. And in this case, 12 inches is a good option—this dimension provides you with enough storage space within the cabinet and space to work below it.
The width runs in multiples of three and can be anywhere between 9 and 48 inches, with 18 or 24 inches being the standard size. Cabinets from 9 to 21 inches mostly have a single door while those measuring 24 inches or above have double doors.
Tall Cabinet Dimensions
Tall cabinets are extra long, vertical kitchen units that sometimes stretch from the floor all the way up to the ceiling.
Although they are slightly uncommon, they can be used as pantry or janitor units and are thus an excellent choice to make the most of your kitchen space and increase storage facilities.
Here are the standard dimensions for tall kitchen cabinets:
| Standard Tall Cabinet Dimensions | Inches |
| Height | 83” |
| Depth | 22.83” |
| Width | 24” |
With tall cabinets, an 83-84 inch height is a great option to go with as it allows some toe-kick space at the bottom. But if you want a floor-to-ceiling cabinet, then a 96-inch cabinet is likely to suit you.
The standard depth for these cabinets is 22.83 inches. Again, the maximum you should go to is 24 inches, so you don’t exceed the depth of base cabinets.
Shallower tall cabinets of around 12 inches also make an excellent choice to store packed food, but deeper ones can be used to store items like brooms, mops or big kitchen appliances.
As for the width, 24 inches is the standard dimension. But you can also create a narrower tall cabinet if you want—the benefits it offers are that it can be fitted anywhere easily, helping you make use of an otherwise neglected space.
That was all about kitchen cabinet dimensions. We hope you got all the information you needed to create a stunning kitchen and cabinets for your home.
But remember, while it’s good to have knowledge of the standard dimensions, nothing can beat a professional eye. It’s best to take the help of professional designers, so you know you’re on the right path and don’t have to worry about ruining your kitchen design. You can book a consultation call with our designers today; they’ll be more than willing to guide you!
If you found the information about standard kitchen dimensions useful, also have a look at kitchen cabinet finishes.
