Will it fit? How to measure a cupboard before you buy storage

Most storage that gets sent back was not faulty. It simply did not fit. The drawer was 2cm shallower than it looked, or the cupboard door closed onto the basket, or the turntable spun straight into the frame.

Five minutes with a tape measure prevents nearly all of it. Here is the method we use, and the three measurements almost everyone forgets.

Measure the inside, not the outside

A cupboard that is 40cm wide on the outside is rarely 40cm inside. The carcass sides, the hinge plate and any central post all eat into it. Open the door fully and measure between the internal walls, at the back rather than the front, because many units taper very slightly.

Write down three numbers: internal width, internal depth front to back, and internal height from the shelf to whatever is above it.

The three people forget

1. The door swing

A basket can fit the shelf perfectly and still stop the door closing. Kitchen doors often have hinges that intrude 3–4cm into the opening. Measure from the internal wall to the innermost part of the hinge, not to the door edge.

2. The height you actually have

Under a sink, the pipes and the waste trap decide your usable height, not the cupboard. Measure from the base to the lowest obstruction, then subtract a couple of centimetres so you can still get your hand in.

3. Clearance to spin or slide

Anything that rotates or pulls out needs room to move. A 30cm turntable needs a shade over 30cm of clear width, because it has to turn without catching the frame. If your internal width is exactly 30cm, go smaller.

A worked example

Say you want a turntable for a corner cupboard. You measure 34cm internal width, and the hinge plate takes 4cm of that at the front. Your real usable width is 30cm — which means a 30cm turntable is right at the limit and will probably catch. Something a size down will turn freely. That is the difference between a product you use daily and one that goes back in the box.

The same logic applies to depth. An under-sink mat at 86 × 56cm sounds generous until you realise it needs to lie flat around the pipe, so the depth that matters is the clear floor, not the cupboard.

Round down, not up

When you are between two sizes, take the smaller one. A slightly small basket still works. A slightly large one lives in the loft.

Why we list real measurements

Every listing on this site states the actual dimensions, because they are the only thing that tells you whether something will work in your home. We would rather you measured first and bought once.

If a measurement you need is not on a listing, email us and we will find it. And if something arrives and it genuinely does not fit, you have 30 days to change your mind.