Cabinet hinge count and placement
Enter the door height. This gives the hinge count and where each one sits down the door.
From each end to the nearest hinge
Use
2hinges
From the top of the door
- Hinge 1
- 3"
- Hinge 2
- 27"
A rule of thumb, not a code — taller and heavier doors want more hinges to keep the door from racking on the face frame. Anything past two hinges is spread evenly between the top and bottom ones.
Where to buy this
- 2 hingesHome DepotLowe'sAmazon
The count is the answer here; the hinge itself depends on your door — overlay or inset, frameless or face frame, and how far it has to open.
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 30" door
A 30" cabinet door with the hinges 3" in from each end takes two hinges, at 3" and 27" from the top.
The count is a rule of thumb, not a code, and it climbs with the door. At the same setback:
- 30" door
- 2 hinges
- 40" door
- 3 hinges
- 60" door
- 4 hinges
- 80" door
- 5 hinges
These are the figures the calculator above opens on. Change any field and it works the same problem for your numbers.
About hinging a cabinet door
- How far apart should cabinet door hinges be?
- Set the top and bottom hinges 3" in from each end and space any others evenly between them. A 30" door takes 2 hinges, 3" from the top and the bottom; a 40" door takes 3, the middle one 20" down. A door over 30" gets a third hinge and one over 48" a fourth.
- Why do taller doors need more hinges?
- Leverage. A door hanging off two hinges racks against them every time it's opened, and the taller and heavier the door, the more that racking force is trying to pull the top hinge's screws out of the face frame. Extra hinges spread that load across more fasteners rather than asking two screws to hold it all.
- Is the hinge table here a code requirement?
- No — it is the rule of thumb most cabinet hardware makers publish for their own hinges, not a building code. A heavy slab door, an outdoor cabinet, or hardware from a specific maker can call for more hinges than the table suggests; check the hinge manufacturer's own spec sheet for anything unusual.
- Should the extra hinges really be spaced evenly?
- It is the simplest rule and close to what most factory-built cabinets do, though some hardware makers publish a slightly different formula that isn't perfectly even. For a standard door, evenly spaced between the top and bottom hinge is a reasonable default; for anything unusual, check the hinge's own instructions.
- Does the setback matter?
- It sets how close to the door's own edge the outer hinges sit, and it interacts with the door's edge profile — too close to the end and there isn't enough material for the hinge cup or the screws. 3" is a common starting point for a standard 3/4" door; check your specific hinge's boring template for its own minimum.
You might also need
- Door hinge mortise and placementButt hinge size, count and the five-and-ten layout for a passage door, with the mortise depth.
- Knob and pull placementWhere the bores go for a knob or a pull, in inches or millimetres, centred or set down from the edge.
- Cabinet boxesA carcass cut list from the finished outside dimensions, face-frame or frameless.
- Drawer boxesBox sizes and a cut list from the opening, with the slide clearances rounded the way that still fits.
- Cabinet door size calculatorDoor sizes from the face frame opening for full overlay, partial overlay or inset, single or pair, and the stile, rail and panel cuts for a five-piece door.