Updated 2026-09-05 · 5 min read
How to measure a drawer for Gridfinity
Quick answer
Measure the inside of the drawer, not the outside. You need three numbers: the inside width, the inside depth, and the usable height with the drawer closed. Subtract a little height for anything that sticks down, like a drawer slide or a lip. Type those numbers into our Gridfinity kit builder in millimeters or inches, and it rounds down to whole 42 mm cells and plans your baseplates and bins for you.
Upload your file and get one printed for you.
Our Gridfinity kit builder only needs three numbers from you: the inside width, the inside depth, and the usable height of your drawer. Here is how to get each one right the first time.
Measure your drawer in four steps
Step 1
Measure the inside width
Run a tape measure across the inside of the drawer, wall to wall, at its narrowest point.
Step 2
Measure the inside depth
Measure from the front inside edge to the back inside edge.
Step 3
Measure the usable height
Close the drawer most of the way and measure from the drawer floor up to the underside of the shelf or drawer above it. That is the tallest a bin can be.
Step 4
Leave room for slides and lips
If the drawer has metal slides or a raised front lip, subtract a few millimeters from your height number so a bin does not catch on the way in.
Why the grid rounds down
Gridfinity is built on a 42 mm square grid, and almost no drawer divides evenly into whole 42 mm squares. Our kit builder fills the space it can with full cells and leaves the small remainder as open space along one edge. That leftover gap is normal and expected, not a mistake in your measuring.
Millimeters or inches, either works
The kit builder has a toggle for both units, so measure however your tape measure reads and type it in as is. You can switch units at any point while you are typing.
| Measurement | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Inside width | Sets how many 42 mm columns fit side to side |
| Inside depth | Sets how many 42 mm rows fit front to back |
| Usable height with the drawer closed | Sets the tallest bin height that will not catch on the drawer above |
What to bring to the kit builder.
Worth knowing
What to double check
Measure the inside of the drawer, never the outside of the cabinet. Measure with anything currently in the drawer removed first. A number that runs even a little too big can mean bins too tall for the drawer to close.
- Do I measure in millimeters or inches?
- Either. Our Gridfinity kit builder has a toggle for both, and you can switch any time while you type.
- What if my measurement is not a whole number of cells?
- That is normal. Almost no drawer divides evenly by 42 mm. The kit builder fills the space it can and leaves the small leftover gap along one edge.
- Do I need to measure the drawer slides exactly?
- No exact slide measurement is needed. Just measure the usable height with the drawer mostly closed, so you know a bin will clear anything that sticks down.
- What if I do not have a tape measure?
- A ruler works for a small drawer. For anything wider than a ruler, a tape measure gives a more accurate single reading than adding up shorter measurements.
Common questions
- Do I measure in millimeters or inches?
- Either. Our Gridfinity kit builder has a toggle for both, and you can switch any time while you type.
- What if my measurement is not a whole number of cells?
- That is normal. Almost no drawer divides evenly by 42 mm. The kit builder fills the space it can and leaves the small leftover gap along one edge.
- Do I need to measure the drawer slides exactly?
- No exact slide measurement is needed. Just measure the usable height with the drawer mostly closed, so you know a bin will clear anything that sticks down.
- What if I do not have a tape measure?
- A ruler works for a small drawer. For anything wider than a ruler, a tape measure gives a more accurate single reading than adding up shorter measurements.
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