Which drawer slide to choose

Some slides can be mounted several different ways, and some slides feature accessory brackets to adapt them to different mounting types. Side Mounted - This is the most common type of slide we offer. It attaches to both the side of the drawer and the side of the inner cabinet. This type of mounting is very efficent at carrying weight, and usually requires no modification to the drawer box.

Center Mount - One of the oldest types of slides, this mounts onto the drawer's bottom face, along the center, width-wise. Center Mount slides are usually only a single rail, unlike most other slides.

This makes them a great budget option, however they usually have a very low weight capacity. Center mounting is a great option when there isn't any gap between your drawer walls and cabinet. This supports the Drawer from the bottom, which is useful in sistuations where side or top space is limited, such as TV and other Electronics slides.

This type of mount is also used stylistically, to conceal drawer slides below the drawer and out of sight. Top Mounted - This type of slide is extremely useful for pull out surfaces, and is common in electronic and tray applications.

The drawer slide attaches to a surface above the drawer or pull-out, and attaches to the top edge or side of the pull-out. Weight Capacity Considerations. Drawer Slides are designed to be used with a load close to their weight rating.

Over loading a drawer slide will cause damage by putting extra stress onto the slide and its moving parts. However, under-loading a heavy duty slide can also cause damage as these slides are designed to flex into their ideal alignment under heavy weight.

Extension without that weight can cause damage similar to overloading. Weight ratings also change with drawer slides' length and your drawer's width. Wider drawers put extra stress onto a drawer slide, and most slides come with a recommended maximum drawer width. Installing a slide onto a drawer that's longer than recommended will seriously diminish your slide's safe maximum load, and is not suggested.

Required Clearance. Clearance is the space around the drawer box that a slide needs in order to work. To attach slides to your drawer box, it must be a little smaller than the cabinet cubby it fits into. This image shows a large Horizontal clearance, and a smaller vertical clearance. In most types of cabinetry, these gaps are hidden by the drawer face. When we make measurements for drawer slides, the drawer face is ignored.

Measure from the outside left to the outside right of the drawer box walls. There is often a difference in the Top and Bottom Clearance, which should be added to get the total ammount. Measure as the height of either side wall. Measure from the inside of the drawer face to the outside of the back drawer wall.

Measuring Clearance: To measure the clearance Horizontal Clearance of a cabinet system, take the width of the cabinet hole and subtract the width of the drawer box as shown below. The process is the same for Vertical and Depth Clearance. Extension Types. Full Extension Drawer Slides will pull your drawer so that the back wall of the Drawer is flush with the cabinet face.

This allows you full access to all of your drawer's contents with ease. If you need some more help choosing a drawer slide please take a look below at some more of our how-to guides for slides which may be benefically in helping you source the correct product for your needs:. We check our prices regularly to ensure that we are the best on the market for the quality products we sell, if you find the same product elsewhere then get in touch and we will happily match it or refund the difference.

If you have any questions about our Price Promise, call our sales team on We use an independent review service called Trustpilot, used by many of the largest companies across the World to gain reviews from genuine customers. We think that says a lot about our service, prices and products. We have a dedicated technical sales team who aim to answer our customers questions as quick as possible. Next Working Day Delivery Available. How to Choose a Drawer Slide. Read the following guide below to determine which drawer slide is the most suitable for your requirement Load Rating The load rating is an extremely important factor to consider when selecting a drawer slide.

Fixing Positions The location of the drawer slide once affixed. Drawer Length Depending on the size of the drawer unit you will need a drawer slide to match, the length is measured as the longest dimension of a fully closed slide - so the slide should fit the length of the drawer. Over-extension: Over-extension, or over-travel, drawer slides are designed to be opened beyond full extension, which allows you to fully see and access all of your tools. This kind of drawer is especially useful where a large countertop might prevent you from being able to see everything in your drawer.

Progressive movement: This refers to all slide members simultaneously moving. This type of movement is extremely quiet and smooth.

Rail disconnect: A drawer slide's rail disconnect mechanism provides a rail with a latch that typically sits on top of the drawer slide and lets you lift the drawer from the slide easily. Screw head clearance: This is the clearance, or internal distance, from an inner member of a slide to its chassis.

You can then determine the max fastener height you can accommodate inside a drawer slide unit without affecting the ball retainers' motion. Shock blocks: These valuable components are critical for your slides' durability because they minimize vibrations and the pressure exerted on slide components when a drawer is closed.

Side clearance: This figure specifies how much space is required on the sides of the drawer to mount it without the cabinet interfering. Static load: This refers to the max resting load capacity of a slide pair when extended. Telescopic slide: This slide is equipped with two or three members that enable it to extend farther than the slide's length in a static state. The most suitable mounting option for your drawers is usually determined by the following factors: The space in the cabinet available for the drawer Visibility The weight-holding capacities Cost The five mounting options are as follows: 1.

Shop Undermount Glides 5. The three main drawer slide types are as follows: Three-quarter extension: If you have older drawers, you might be used to limited access to the contents inside. These slides, which let you pull out your drawer to three-quarters of its total length, are an improvement over many older wooden guide drawers found in many homes. Three-quarter extensions are an affordable option for replacing old drawer slides. Full extension: Full extension drawer slides are a great option for most homeowners or hobbyists because they let you see and easily access all the contents in your drawers.

Over-travel: Drawers that have an over-travel feature can be opened beyond full extension, which means you can enjoy more clearance than with a full extension slide. Over-travel slides are recommended if the countertops in your kitchen overhang or your cabinets have a lip. These slides will still provide you with complete access and visibility to the contents of your cabinet. You'll then measure for: Side clearance: Side clearance, also known as horizontal or width clearance, refers to the difference between the width of the cabinet opening and the width of the drawer box.

To measure, go from the outside right to the outside left of the walls of the drawer box. Vertical clearance: Vertical clearance, also called height clearance, is the cabinet opening's height minus the height of the drawer box. Note that the top clearance and bottom clearance are often not the same, and these two should be added together to obtain the total vertical clearance amount. Depth clearance: The depth or back clearance refers to the distance from the cabinet's rear wall to the drawer box's backside when the drawer is closed.

You should measure from the back drawer wall's outside to the drawer face's inside. When shopping for a good drawer slide, keep your eye out for the following useful features: Shock absorption: Slides with shock-absorbing capabilities can withstand damage from shutting drawers quickly or roughly. This feature will also help minimize noisiness if someone accidentally slams a drawer shut. Push-to-open: Eliminate the need for extra knobs or handles with drawers that easily open with a slight push.

Consider slides with this feature for your kitchen or bathroom, especially if you want a sleek look with minimal hardware. Push-to-open drawer slides also offer convenient operation, letting you nudge drawers open easily, even if your hands are full. Self-close: If a drawer has a self-close feature, it will return all the way into the drawer just by slightly pushing it in that direction. Again, this feature offers convenient operation, especially in areas like kitchens.

Soft-close: Soft-close slides feature a dampening effect so a drawer can go back into the cabinet gently without slamming. That functionality helps your drawers stay quiet and reduces potential damage from rough closing. Two load rating types exist, and each must include the drawer's weight in the total load: Static load: This factor is the drawer's weight limit without cycling, or opening and closing.

The drawer slide should be able to hold the load without any buckling. Dynamic load: The dynamic load is calculated by cycling a drawer supporting weight for a certain number of cycles. The drawer slide should be able to work properly with few to no changes to the required closing and opening force during the test. Common disconnect types vary from brand to brand and include: Friction: Friction disconnects simply let you open the slide against the ball bearing force holding it.

Rail: A rail disconnect has a latch that lets you lift the drawer off the slide to pull it away from the cabinet or desk where it's housed.

Lever: Lever disconnects have an internal lever that lets the drawer freely slide out when pushed. Here are a few reasons to get your drawers and accessories from Cabinet Doors 'N' More: Impressive quality: We work hard to secure the highest-quality materials and create the highest-quality products.

We make our components using the most sophisticated woodworking technology to ensure they'll last for many years to come. What's more — we make our products using sustainable, environmentally friendly practices.

Speed: We provide you with your products quickly, with turnaround times between 10 and 15 business days. This turnover is much faster than the vast majority of other online providers of custom replacement cabinet drawers, doors and fronts. With us, you'll be able to finish your project quickly. Simplicity: We designed our customer experience with simplicity and efficiency in mind to be the best it can be.

You'll find that every step of the process — from when you begin browsing the products on our site to when you receive your order — is easy.