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Vriksai Timber Intelligence

Drawer Reveal Calculator

Calculate drawer face dimensions, equal reveals, box sizes and Y-positions for frameless and face-frame cabinets. Blum, Hettich, side-mount and undermount slides.

Why this calculation matters

Reveals are what a client reads as quality. Uneven gaps are visible from across the room, whatever the joinery behind them is like.

Frameless / 32mm SystemFace-Frame Full/Half/InsetUndermount Slides (Blum)Side-Mount SlidesPDF Report
🗄

Drawer Reveal — Calculator

Calculate drawer face dimensions, equal reveals, box sizes and Y-positions for frameless and face-frame cabinets. Blum, Hettich, side-mount and undermount slides.

Cabinet Type & Slide System
Opening Dimensions
mm
mm
mm
Frameless = 0. Face-frame: typically 19–38mm
Drawer Layout
drawers
mm
mm
mm
Undermount: ~13mm total (6.5 each). Side-mount: 12.7mm each side.
mm
mm
Typically 19–25mm (face overlaps box top & bottom)
✓
Drawer Dimensions Calculated
—
mm
Face Width
—
mm
Face Height (each)
—
mm
Box Width
—
mm
Box Height (each)
Per-Drawer Cut List
DrawerFace WidthFace HeightBox WidthBox HeightY Position (from bottom)
Formula Trace
🗄 Drawer Reveal Calculator
Determines exact drawer face dimensions, equal reveals, and box sizes for any cabinet type. Consistent reveals are the mark of professional cabinet making — unequal gaps are immediately visible and indicate amateur work. Covers all major slide systems and cabinet construction types.
Where Used?
Kitchen CabinetsBedroom WardrobesBathroom VanitiesOffice FurnitureCustom Built-insIndian Modular Kitchens
Formulas
Face height (N equal): FH = (OH - bot_reveal - reveal x (N+1)) / NFace width (frameless): FW = OW - 2 x revealBox width (undermount): BW = OW - 3mmBox width (side-mount): BW = OW - 2 x slide_clearanceY position (drawer n): Yn = bot_reveal + (n-1) x (FH + reveal) + reveal
About the Drawer Reveal Calculator
The 'reveal' is the small, even gap around a drawer front — the detail your eye reads instantly as either crisp and well-made or sloppy. Getting consistent reveals across a bank of drawers means accounting for the runner clearance, the door overlay and the gap you want to show. This calculator works out the drawer box and front dimensions so every gap lands the same, the way factory and high-end cabinet work does. Fitters use it to keep cabinet door gap size and drawer front spacing identical across a whole bank of units.
Where Is This Used?
Cabinet MakersKitchen BuildersFurniture MakersBlum / Hettich RunnersModular Furniture
Sources & verification
  • Equal-face layout: FH = (OH − bottom reveal − reveal × (N+1)) / N
  • Blum/Grass undermount: box width = opening − 3 mm; side-mount: opening − 2 × 12.7 mm
Formula checked against the sources above by an automated regression test (tests/verify-phase3b.js) that derives each expected value independently of this page. Last reviewed .
FAQ
What is a "reveal" in cabinet making?
The visible gap between adjacent drawer faces (or face and cabinet edge). Standard: 3mm for European frameless; 3–5mm for face-frame; 2mm for high-end inset. Consistent equal reveals across all drawers is the mark of quality craftsmanship.
Blum Tandem box width calculation?
Box width = Opening width − 3mm (1.5mm each side). The slide mounts underneath, so no side clearance needed for hardware. For Blum Legrabox: same formula. Always verify with the specific slide's installation instructions.
What happens if my reveals are uneven across a run of drawers?
It's the first thing the eye catches, even when everything else is perfect. Uneven reveals — a gap that's wider at the top than the bottom, or one drawer sitting proud of its neighbours — read as 'something's off' before anyone can say why. The usual culprits are a cabinet that's slightly out of square, runners mounted at inconsistent heights, or fronts cut to slightly different sizes. Get the reveal right on the calculator, then dry-fit the whole bank and adjust before final fixing; consistent gaps are what make a run of drawers look factory-made.
ResourcesView the formulasFormula Library
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How the calculation works
The reveals are subtracted before anything is divided, so every front ends up the same height and the gaps between them stay even. Getting that order wrong is what produces a stack where the bottom drawer is visibly the odd one out.
Show the formula
Front width depends on construction: frameless = opening - 2 x reveal; face-frame overlay = opening + 2 x frame width - 2 x reveal; inset = opening - 2 x frame width - 2 x reveal. Total front height = opening height - bottom reveal - reveal x (drawers + 1), divided equally. Box width = opening - 2 x slide clearance.
Slide clearance follows the type selected. Confirm against the actual runner: manufacturers differ, and solid fronts also move seasonally in height but barely in width.
References
No external standard governs this calculation — it is arithmetic from your inputs. Take product-dependent figures from the manufacturer data sheet, not from here.
Limitations of this calculation
Sets reveal geometry from the dimensions entered. It does not account for seasonal movement of solid fronts, carcase racking, runner tolerance, or hinge and slide adjustment range.
Do not use this for Manufacturing tolerances for bought-in components. Runner and hinge geometry governs.
Figures are engineering estimates from the inputs and assumptions shown. Verify against the actual material and, where the result affects structure or safety, against a qualified professional.
American CherryDensity · Janka · movementBalauDensity · Janka · movementBamboo Structural EngineeredDensity · Janka · movement
How to use this tool
  1. Enter your stock sizes below, then press Calculate.
  2. Pick your cabinet construction and drawer slide system from the dropdown.
  3. Fill in cabinet opening width, cabinet opening height, face frame width, number of drawers. 
  4. Press Calculate. 
Worked example
With the tool's starting values — cabinet opening width = 500, cabinet opening height = 700, face frame width = 0, number of drawers = 3, reveal = 3 — pressing Calculate gives: 494.0 mm (face width); 228.0 mm (face height (each)); 497.0 mm (box width). 
Common mistakes to avoid