What is the difference between face-frame and frameless cabinets?

A face-frame cabinet carries its finished opening on a frame applied to the front of the box, so the box itself only has to be a consistent amount narrower than the frame — small errors in the box hide behind it. A frameless (32mm system) cabinet has no frame at all; the box sides are the finished edge and doors overlay them directly, which means the box has to be built dead square, because nothing is covering the difference.

How tall should a toe kick be?

4" is the everyday default, set back about 3" from the face so a door or drawer front can swing without a boot catching it. 3 1/2" is common where flooring will run under the cabinet and needs to clear a transition strip. Neither figure is code — it is shop convention, and it is worth matching whatever the rest of the kitchen already uses.

Should the back be let into a groove or nailed to the rear edge?

A back let into a groove near the rear of the sides keeps the box square without relying on the fasteners holding it there, and it is the stronger, more traditional joint. A back nailed flat to the rear edge is faster to build and easier to remove later for wiring or plumbing access — cabinets have gotten away with it for a century, but it depends more on the fasteners staying tight than a grooved back does.

How wide should face frame stiles and rails be?

1 1/2" to 2" is the everyday range: narrower than about 1 1/4" leaves too little wood for a hinge mortise and its screws, wider than about 2 1/2" starts eating into the opening and looking heavy. 1 1/2" is the most common single choice and lines up conveniently with 2x lumber ripped down.

How much clearance does an adjustable shelf need?

A sixteenth of an inch narrower than the opening on each side is standard, so the shelf drops in and comes back out without binding as the cabinet's humidity changes with the seasons. Depth-wise, leave it short of the front edge by at least the depth of a shelf pin hole, so nothing catches on the pin when the shelf is lifted out.

Cabinet box carcass

Enter the finished outside dimensions, and get the carcass: sides, bottom, top or stretchers, back and toe kick, for face-frame or frameless construction.

Width

Height

= 34.5"

Depth

= 23.25"

Adjustable shelves

Style

Stile/rail width

= 1.5"

Advanced settings3/4" stock · 1/4" back in groove · stretchers · 4 1/2" kick

Side/bottom stock

= 0.75"

Back stock

= 0.25"

Back

Groove depth

= 0.25"

Top

Stretcher width

Toe kick height

= 4.5"

Toe kick setback

Shelf clearance

= 0.5"

Box dimensions

Box height

30"

Interior depth

23"

Interior width

22 1/2"

Finished opening

21" × 27"

Parts to cut

Back panel

23" × 29"

Cut list

Sides (×2)3/4" stock — Grooved 1/4" deep for the back: 30" × 23 1/4"
Bottom (×1)3/4" stock — Between the sides: 22 1/2" × 23 1/4"
Top stretchers (×2)3/4" stock — Front and back, holds the top square and carries the countertop fasteners: 22 1/2" × 4"
Back (×1)1/4" stock — Set into the groove on all four edges: 23" × 29"
Face frame stiles (×2)3/4" stock — Full height of the box, sides: 30" × 1 1/2"
Face frame rails (×2)3/4" stock — Top and bottom, between the stiles — length includes a 3/8" stub tenon each end: 21 3/4" × 1 1/2"
Adjustable shelves (×1)3/4" stock — A sixteenth narrower than the opening each side, and 1/2" short of the front for a pin: 22 3/8" × 22 1/2"
Toe kick face (×1)3/4" stock — Set back 3" from the face: 22 1/2" × 4 1/2"

Before you cut

All 3 checks passShow the numbers

Something left inside — passes23.00" of clear depth for shelves or drawers.
Face frame members 1.25"–2.5" wide — passes1 1/2" is a normal stile and rail width for a hinge to land on.
Back at least 1/4" thick — passes1/4" back keeps the box square without adding much weight.

This is the box, not the doors

Door and drawer front sizes depend on the overlay you pick and are their own calculation — see the drawer box calculator for the drawers that go inside this carcass. What this page sizes is the structure everything else attaches to.

Where to buy this

8 parts from 3/4" sheet stockHome Depot Lowe's
1/4" back panelHome Depot Lowe's

How many sheets that takes is the cut list optimizer's question — send the parts over and it will tell you.

Plain search links, nothing sponsored. Prices and stock are the shop's, and a local lumberyard will usually beat both on solid stock.

Worked example: a 24" base cabinet

A 24" × 34 1/2" × 23 1/4" face-frame cabinet in 3/4" stock, on a 4 1/2" toe kick, has a box 30" tall and 22 1/2" wide by 23" deep inside.

Its 1 1/2" face frame leaves a finished opening of 21" × 27", narrower than the inside of the box; doors and drawer fronts are sized from the opening.

The back is 23" × 29", and the whole carcass is 8 parts to cut. It passes all 3 of the construction checks the calculator applies.

Box height: 30"
Interior width: 22 1/2"
Interior depth: 23"
Finished opening: 21" × 27"
Back panel: 23" × 29"

These are the figures the calculator above opens on. Change any field and it works the same problem for your numbers.

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About building cabinet boxes

What is the difference between face-frame and frameless cabinets?: A face-frame cabinet carries its finished opening on a frame applied to the front of the box, so the box itself only has to be a consistent amount narrower than the frame — small errors in the box hide behind it. A frameless (32mm system) cabinet has no frame at all; the box sides are the finished edge and doors overlay them directly, which means the box has to be built dead square, because nothing is covering the difference.
How tall should a toe kick be?: 4" is the everyday default, set back about 3" from the face so a door or drawer front can swing without a boot catching it. 3 1/2" is common where flooring will run under the cabinet and needs to clear a transition strip. Neither figure is code — it is shop convention, and it is worth matching whatever the rest of the kitchen already uses.
Should the back be let into a groove or nailed to the rear edge?: A back let into a groove near the rear of the sides keeps the box square without relying on the fasteners holding it there, and it is the stronger, more traditional joint. A back nailed flat to the rear edge is faster to build and easier to remove later for wiring or plumbing access — cabinets have gotten away with it for a century, but it depends more on the fasteners staying tight than a grooved back does.
How wide should face frame stiles and rails be?: 1 1/2" to 2" is the everyday range: narrower than about 1 1/4" leaves too little wood for a hinge mortise and its screws, wider than about 2 1/2" starts eating into the opening and looking heavy. 1 1/2" is the most common single choice and lines up conveniently with 2x lumber ripped down.
How much clearance does an adjustable shelf need?: A sixteenth of an inch narrower than the opening on each side is standard, so the shelf drops in and comes back out without binding as the cabinet's humidity changes with the seasons. Depth-wise, leave it short of the front edge by at least the depth of a shelf pin hole, so nothing catches on the pin when the shelf is lifted out.