Guide

How to make a cutting list for kitchen cabinets

The standard Kenyan kitchen cabinet sizes, the formulas for every part of a base unit, a drawer unit and a wall unit, and a worked cutting list example you can copy. Sizes are for 18 mm board.

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Standard kitchen cabinet sizes

Unit	Carcass height	Carcass depth	Common widths
Base unit	720 mm (+ about 100 mm plinth or legs + worktop ≈ 850–900 mm)	560 mm (600 mm worktop)	300, 400, 450, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000
Wall unit	720 mm (also 600 or 900)	300–350 mm	300 to 1000
Tall unit	about 2100 mm	560 mm	450, 500, 600

Below, W is the unit width, H the carcass height and D the depth. With 18 mm board, two sides take 36 mm, so the parts between the sides are W − 36. With 16 mm board use W − 32.

Base unit formulas

Part	Length	Width	Qty	Edging	Note
Side	H	D	2	L1 (front edge)	720 × 560
Bottom	W − 36	D	1	L1	between the sides
Top rail	W − 36	100	2	L1	front and back rails
Shelf	W − 38	D − 40	1	L1	2 mm play, set back 40 mm
Back	W − 2	H − 2	1	none	3 mm, nailed on (if grooved, add the groove depth)
Door (one)	H − 4	W − 3	1	all round	single door
Doors (pair)	H − 4	(W − 4) ÷ 2	2	all round	about 2 mm gap in the middle

Doors are written length first: the height runs along the grain on woodgrain boards. With an aluminium profile handle (about 35 mm) along the top of the door, take the profile off the door height: 716 − 35 = 681.

Drawer unit formulas

Standard ball-bearing runners need about 26 mm in total (13 mm each side), so the drawer box is 26 mm narrower than the inside of the cabinet. Check your runners; soft-close and undermount runners can need a different gap.

Part	Length	Width	Qty	Edging	Note
Drawer face	W − 4	(H − 9) ÷ 3	3	all round	3 equal faces, 3 mm gaps
Drawer side	runner length (450)	150	6	L1 (top edge)	2 per drawer
Drawer front & back	W − 36 − 26 − 36	130	6	L1	between the drawer sides
Drawer bottom	W − 36 − 26	runner length	3	none	3 mm, nailed under (or grooved)

For a 600 mm unit: inside = 600 − 36 = 564; drawer box = 564 − 26 = 538; drawer front & back = 538 − 36 = 502.

Wall unit formulas

Part	Length	Width	Qty	Edging	Note
Side	H	D	2	L1	720 × 300
Top & bottom	W − 36	D	2	L1
Shelf	W − 38	D − 20	1	L1
Back	W − 2	H − 2	1	none	3 mm, nailed on
Doors (pair)	H − 4	(W − 4) ÷ 2	2	all round

Worked example: an 800 base unit, a 600 drawer unit and an 800 wall unit

Copy this cutting list for a small kitchen run. Drawer faces are (720 − 9) ÷ 3 = 237 mm; the drawer face width is 600 − 4 = 596 mm.

Part	Length	Width	Qty	Edging	Board
Base 800 - Side	720	560	2	L1	18 mm
Base 800 - Bottom	764	560	1	L1	18 mm
Base 800 - Top rail	764	100	2	L1	18 mm
Base 800 - Shelf	762	520	1	L1	18 mm
Base 800 - Door	716	398	2	all round	18 mm
Base 800 - Back	798	718	1	none	3 mm
Drawer 600 - Side	720	560	2	L1	18 mm
Drawer 600 - Bottom	564	560	1	L1	18 mm
Drawer 600 - Top rail	564	100	2	L1	18 mm
Drawer 600 - Drawer face	596	237	3	all round	18 mm
Drawer 600 - Drawer side	450	150	6	L1	18 mm
Drawer 600 - Drawer front & back	502	130	6	L1	18 mm
Drawer 600 - Drawer bottom	538	450	3	none	3 mm
Drawer 600 - Back	598	718	1	none	3 mm
Wall 800 - Side	720	300	2	L1	18 mm
Wall 800 - Top & bottom	764	300	2	L1	18 mm
Wall 800 - Shelf	762	280	1	L1	18 mm
Wall 800 - Door	716	398	2	all round	18 mm
Wall 800 - Back	798	718	1	none	3 mm
Plinth	1400	100	1	L1	18 mm

Let NestCut count the boards. Write this list by hand on the free template, scan it, and tap Make plan: NestCut lays the parts out on 8×4 or PG Bison boards, counts the boards and the edging metres, prints labels and prices the job with the hinges, runners and handles.

Common mistakes on kitchen cutting lists

Width before length. On woodgrain boards the first number must run along the grain, or the doors come out with the grain sideways.
Forgetting the runner gap. A drawer box made to the inside width won't fit; take off the runner allowance (about 26 mm).
Edge tape not deducted. With 1 mm tape on all four edges, a 716 mm door cut at 716 finishes at 718. NestCut takes the tape off for you.
Edging not marked. The yard tapes only what's marked. Write all round on doors and drawer faces.
Mixing 16 mm and 18 mm formulas. Use W − 32 for 16 mm board.

Frequently asked questions

What is the standard kitchen base cabinet size in Kenya?

A carcass 720 mm high and 560 mm deep, on a 100 mm plinth or legs, with a 600 mm deep worktop, giving a worktop height of about 850 to 900 mm. Common widths are 300 to 1000 mm.

How do I calculate the bottom panel of a cabinet?

Unit width minus the two side thicknesses: W − 36 for 18 mm board (W − 32 for 16 mm). For an 800 mm unit, the bottom is 764 mm.

How much allowance do drawer runners need?

Standard ball-bearing runners need about 26 mm in total, 13 mm on each side. Check the runner's instructions; undermount runners differ.

How many boards do I need for a kitchen?

It depends on the units and the board size. Write the cutting list and let NestCut lay it out: it counts the boards per material and the edging metres exactly.

What is the size of a kitchen cabinet door?

For a single door, carcass height − 4 by unit width − 3 (716 × 597 on a 720 × 600 unit). For a pair, each door is (W − 4) ÷ 2 wide.

More about NestCut

How NestCut worksEvery step from the handwritten list to the plan, labels and quote.For fundisKnow your board count, scan accessories lists and send professional quotes.For cutting yardsChecked lists at the counter, labels on every piece and MaxCut files.Free cutting list templateA printable PDF: cutting list, part-names guide and accessories list.Board prices in KenyaTypical MDF, melamine, blockboard and plywood prices (Oct 2026), plus hardware.MaxCut on AndroidScan the list on your phone and send a MaxCut import file to the yard.NestCut kwa KiswahiliMaelezo ya NestCut kwa fundi wa mbao.