How to Measure an Open Space for Cabinet Doors
Accurate measurements are the key to a perfect fit! This guide walks you through measuring an open cabinet space and determining the correct door sizes before placing your order.
Take your time, double-check each measurement, and always measure each opening individually. Cabinets are rarely perfectly uniform.
Before You Start
You will be measuring the cabinet opening, not the old doors. If existing doors are still attached, remove them before measuring. What you will need:
A tape measure
Pen and paper or a notes app
A level surface to work from
Good lighting
Note: All measurements should be taken in inches.
Step 1:
Identify Your Door Style
Before measuring, determine whether your cabinet will have:
- A single door covering the opening
- Two doors meeting in the middle
This affects how you calculate the final door width.
Step 2:
Measure the Cabinet Opening
Measure the inside width and height of the cabinet opening.
Width:
Measure from the inside left edge of the cabinet frame to the inside right edge.
Height:
Measure from the top inside edge of the frame to the bottom inside edge.
Always measure width and height at least twice to confirm consistency. If measurements vary, use the smaller number.
Step 3:
Determine Door Overlay
CDP doors are typically ordered as overlay doors, meaning they sit on top of the cabinet frame rather than inside it.
if possible, check the overlay of a few doors around the project or an adjacent door or drawer front to help determine overlay
Overlay affects the final door size.
Step 4:
Calculate Door Size
For a Single Door
- Take the cabinet opening width and add the overlay amount to both sides.
- Then take the opening height and add an overlay to the top and bottom.
- This gives you the final door size you will order from CDP.
For Double Doors
- Measure the full cabinet opening width.
- Add overlay to both outer sides.
- Subtract the desired center gap between the doors (we recommend ⅛”)
- Divide the remaining number by two.
This gives you the width of each door.
Height is calculated the same way as for a single door, by adding the overlay to the top and bottom.
Step 5:
Account for Gaps and Clearances
A small gap between doors and between doors and adjacent cabinets allows everything to open smoothly
- Do not order doors tight to each other.
- A consistent reveal creates a cleaner finished look once installed.
If you are unsure about spacing, CDP recommends erring on the side of slightly smaller rather than too large.
Step 6:
Double Check Everything
Before ordering -
- Confirm every opening was measured individually
- Confirm overlay selection
- Confirm single vs double door layout
- Confirm width and height are written correctly
Measuring mistakes are the most common cause of fit issues, so this step matters!
Ready to Order Your CDP Doors?
Once measurements are complete, you are ready to order your unfinished cabinet doors from CDP and customize them with your measurements.
Our doors are built to order and designed to work seamlessly with installations when measured correctly!