Dimensions of Base Cabinets

Height and Depth

• The standard depth for base cabinets is 24 inches. This is the same for both single and double-door base cabinets. The overall height is 34 1/2 inches, which includes the cabinet itself, the frame and the toe-kick. The toe-kick is the part near the floor that raises the cabinet up. The cabinet itself may be smaller, if the toe-kick is taller, but combined height is always 34 1/2 inches in standard base cabinet dimensions.

Common Width

• The width dimensions for base cabinets depend on whether the cabinet is a single or double door unit. Single-door units may be as small as nine inches, but can be upwards of 21 inches for a single wide door. Smaller double-door units are 24 inches wide, whereas the larger units are upwards of 36 inches wide. It is common that these units get wider in 3-inch increments, meaning that 12, 15 and 18 are acceptable widths for single-door units and 27, 30 and 33 are acceptable dimensions for double-door widths.

Corner Cabinet

• Corner cabinets have different standard dimensions that the one and two-door cabinets, as these cabinets are designed to suit the corners underneath the countertop. These units have the same depth and height as one and two-door units. However, the overall width is more precise, as corner units require 36 inches on each wall in the corner.

Countertops

• As mentioned above, toe-kicks fall under the standard height of cabinets, but countertops do not. This means that any countertop placed on the base cabinets add height to the standard dimension of 34 1/2 inches. Countertops come in various thicknesses, some as thin as 1/4 inch. However, thicker countertops may add upwards of an entire inch, meaning it will increase the overall cabinet height to 35 1/2 inches. Builders should be aware of this increase, as it may affect how the wall cabinets are placed in relation to the countertop.