Kitchen Cabinet Sizes: A Complete Dimensions Reference Guide

Kitchen cabinet sizes in Britain are standardised enough that you can mix carcasses from different suppliers, and just non-standard enough to catch you out if you assume one figure covers everyone. This is a reference guide to the dimensions that actually matter when you are planning: base, wall and tall units, in millimetres, with the tolerances that vary between brands and the build-up that gets you from floor to worktop.

The one number everything hangs off: 720mm

The standard UK base unit carcass is 720mm high. Not 700, not 750. Wall units are also commonly 720mm, which is why a run of tall units, base units and wall units lines up so neatly in a brochure.

That 720mm is the box only. The height you actually stand at is a sum:

• Adjustable legs or plinth height: 150mm nominal
• Carcass: 720mm
• Worktop: typically 38mm for laminate, 20mm to 30mm for stone or solid surface

Add those and you land somewhere between roughly 890mm and 910mm. The commonly quoted “900mm worktop height” is the target, not a fixed output, and the adjustable legs are how you hit it on a floor that is never level. This is the single most useful thing to understand about kitchen cabinet sizes: the legs are the tuning mechanism, so a 40mm stone top and a 38mm laminate top both end up at the same working height if the fitter does their job.

If you are tall, there is no rule forcing 900mm. Raising the run to 920mm or 940mm is a legitimate choice and costs nothing at the planning stage. It does mean the gap under your wall units changes, so decide early.

Base unit dimensions

Height: 720mm carcass.

Depth: this is where brands diverge. Carcass depth is commonly quoted as 560mm, but Howdens ready-assembled base cabinets are 575mm deep. With the door on the front, the finished depth comes to roughly 600mm, which is why worktops are sold at 600mm deep and overhang slightly. If you are mixing carcasses from two suppliers in one run, check depth before you order, not after.

Widths: the standard ladder is 300, 400, 500, 600, 800 and 1000mm. The 300mm is the one people forget and then wish they had for trays and baking sheets. The 600mm is the workhorse and the width most integrated appliances assume.

Full detail on planning a run in our kitchen base units guide.

Wall unit dimensions

Heights: 575mm, 720mm and 900mm are the standard options. 720mm is the most common in UK kitchens and suits typical ceiling heights. The 575mm is what goes above a fridge or an extractor. The 900mm is for kitchens with height to spare and an appetite for a ladder.

Depths: 300mm is the usual quoted figure, though again the reality is brand-specific. Howdens lists wall cabinets at 290mm and a deeper 390mm option. The deeper wall unit is worth knowing about: it takes dinner plates comfortably where a 290mm box makes them a squeeze.

Widths: the same ladder as base units, 300 to 1000mm.

The gap: 450mm to 500mm between worktop and the underside of the wall units. Below 450mm and a kettle steams into your cupboard bottoms. Above 500mm and the top shelf stops being reachable for anyone under about 5‘8”. If you have raised your worktop for height, take the gap from the worktop, not the floor.

Tall unit dimensions

Tall units run from about 1960mm to 2300mm high, depending on whether the design puts a wall unit’s worth of storage on top. They are the housings for built-in ovens, integrated fridge freezers and larder storage.

The planning trap: a tall unit’s height has to clear your ceiling with the plinth and any cornice included, and older houses have ceilings that fall away across a room. Measure at both ends of the run. More on configuration in our tall kitchen units guide.

Corner units and the dimensions that are not standard

Corners are where the tidy ladder of widths breaks down. An L-shaped corner base, a carousel unit and a blind corner all consume different footprints, and the door opening arc is what makes a corner work or fail. This is the part of a plan worth drawing rather than assuming. See our kitchen corner units guide for the options compared.

Appliance apertures to design around

• Dishwasher and washing machine: 600mm aperture, 820mm to 870mm high
• Single oven: 600mm wide, 590mm high aperture
• Standard sink base: 600mm minimum, 800mm more comfortable for a Belfast sink
• Range cooker: 900mm, 1000mm or 1100mm, and the gap must be exact

Range cookers are the common casualty of a plan drawn to nominal sizes. A 1000mm range does not go in a 1000mm gap without clearance either side, and the manufacturer specifies that clearance.

Frequently asked questions

What is the standard kitchen cabinet size in the UK? The standard base unit carcass is 720mm high and roughly 560mm to 575mm deep depending on the brand, in widths of 300, 400, 500, 600, 800 and 1000mm. Wall units are usually 720mm high and 290mm to 300mm deep, though deeper 390mm options exist.

Why is my worktop height 900mm when the cabinet is only 720mm? Because the worktop height is a build-up: roughly 150mm of adjustable leg or plinth, plus the 720mm carcass, plus the worktop thickness. That sums to somewhere around 890mm to 910mm, and the adjustable legs are what let a fitter level the run and land on the target.

Are kitchen cabinet sizes the same across all UK brands? Heights and widths are consistent enough to mix. Depths are not. Carcass depth varies by supplier, commonly between 560mm and 575mm, so a run mixing two brands can end up with door fronts that do not sit flush. Check the spec sheet before ordering.

How much gap should there be between the worktop and wall units? 450mm to 500mm. Less and appliances on the worktop crowd the cupboards above; more and the top shelf becomes unreachable for most people.

Can I change the standard worktop height for a tall household? Yes. Nothing requires 900mm. Raising the run to 920mm or 940mm costs nothing at planning stage because the adjustable legs already have the travel. Decide before the wall units go up, since the 450mm to 500mm gap is measured from the worktop.

What depth are UK kitchen worktops? 600mm is standard, which suits a 560mm to 575mm carcass plus a door front and leaves a small overhang at the front edge. Deeper 650mm and 900mm worktops exist for islands and breakfast bars.