A guide to standard kitchen cabinet dimensions

Whether you use your kitchen for nothing more than to make tea and toast, or are an avid amateur chef who can whip up any recipe you read, having a well-planned kitchen is a must. Counters and sinks at the right heights, sufficient lighting for specific tasks areas and ambient comfort, and most importantly, cabinets in the right places, styles and dimensions – these are the hallmarks of functional kitchen design.

While a custom made kitchen can have kitchen cabinet sizes that are built to whatever specifications you choose, modular options come in fixed dimensions – albeit a comprehensive range that are perfectly suited to almost any kitchen set-up that could be required. But knowing the standard kitchen cabinet dimensions is essential if you want to ensure that your kitchen is arranged for optimum efficiency and your personal comfort and preferences.

With the right Kitchen design, you can transform your space into a functional and stylish area that suits your needs and lifestyle perfectly. Well, we all know it can be a little overwhelming to go through a stack of pamphlets – with reams of information and numbers – to properly understand what would work best for your kitchen layout… So, to help you make practical, smart and informed choices, here’s a handy guide, all in one place.

Creating a practical and semi-custom layout with either pre-assembled or RTA options is very doable since the standard kitchen cabinet dimensions has a wide range. Knowing what works best for the layout of your kitchen and for your families needs will ensure you’re making the most of your kitchen space – optimising storage, creating an easy workflow and increasing functionality as a whole.

Quick Tip:

Keep in mind that manufacturers don’t usually calculate standard kitchen cabinet sizes in mm but in inches – either way, having a measuring tape handy will help you visualise the sizes better!

You can also check out this standard kitchen size guide to get a perspective on the ideal measurement of all kitchen elements.

Take reference from the detailed description of different types of kitchen cabinet sizes and find the standard kitchen cabinet sizes chart illustrated below. 

1. Base Kitchen Cabinet Measurements: Height, Depth & Width Dimensions of Cabinets

Base Cabinets are the cabinets that form the “base” of your kitchen. They’re installed directly into the floor, support your countertop, stove and other heavy appliances, have sinks installed in them, dishwashers and ovens bracketed by them and handle the bulk of your daily kitchen storage needs.

As the workhorse of every kitchen, they are indispensabile and therefore need to be particularly sturdy – this does mean that they’re usually the most expensive style of kitchen cabinet. Making sure you’ve paid attention to cupboard size and have chosen the right cupboard dimensions for your base cabinets will mean you won’t make a costly error that requires fixing later.

As can be seen above, base kitchen cabinet height (without the countertop) doesn’t have a lot of variability – this is due to the fact that building codes and accessibility requirements have affected general design practices. Depending on the countertop material and thickness, this height does gain slightly more flexibility – custom countertops can be made thicker to further increase the height, but access to base cabinets can be a concern here, and most designers prefer to stick to these standard kitchen cabinet dimensions.

Quick Tip:

For taller individuals, when it comes to final counter height, standard kitchen cabinet dimensions may seem uncomfortable; raise the height of standard cabinets with a custom box frame. Cover this with a toe kick and moulding to be more unobtrusive.

Measurements to calculate the depth of base cabinets are taken from the wall to their outer front edge – a maximum depth of 24” may not seem like a lot, but deeper might impact usability. Countertops usually overhang the base cabinets at the front; the overall depth varies from 24” to 26” depending on the edge detailing of your counter.

Width of base cabinets is the most flexible dimension since this will differ depending on the size of your kitchen and the type of storage (pull-outs, drawers, shelving, etc.), fittings or appliances the cabinets need to accommodate. Individual cabinet widths have absolutely no impact on overall kitchen counter widths and can be practically anything you choose.

Below are the overhead standard kitchen cabinet sizes chart:

Below are the tall standard kitchen cabinet sizes chart:

For tall kitchen cabinet measurements, a height of 83” - 84” can look more aligned with your other cabinetry and is a good choice, but even going with a floor to ceiling cabinet of about 96” is possible if that suits your use-case.

As with wall units, for tall units the depth of kitchen cabinets is restricted by your base cabinet depth and should not exceed 24”. While a happy medium is the standard, shallower 12” options exist for storing pantry foods, and with the addition of pull-outs or slider hardware, a deeper 24” option can provide a great deal of organisational functionality.

And finally, for width, 24” is typical, but 12” and 36” are also considered standard kitchen cabinet sizes. The main advantage to this, is that if your kitchen has unusual dimensions, these cabinets allow you to make use of narrow, oft-neglected spaces or awkwardly shaped alcoves for the optimum layout and design.

Now that you have the standard kitchen cabinet dimensions at your fingertips, we hope you’re feeling more ready to make those decisions about your kitchen.