Specifying The Slide And The Caster With The Cabinet
Why drawer runners and casters belong on the cabinet drawing rather than on a separate purchase order.
Overview
What This Covers
Most cabinet complaints are hardware complaints. The drawer that binds, the runner that will not extend, the chair wheel that marks a new floor - none of them are carcase faults, and all of them are decided at specification stage. Because the slides and casters are made here alongside the cabinets, they can be settled on the same drawing.
Stage By Stage
Every Step And What Goes Wrong Without It
Drawer Depth
The problem. A slide chosen after the carcase is built is either too long to fit or too short to support the drawer box.
How it is handled. The runner length is picked from the internal depth on the drawing. Eight lengths from 6 to 20 inches cover the normal range at a constant 45 mm width.
Extension
The problem. A partial extension runner permanently buries the back third of every drawer.
How it is handled. The three fold design runs out to full extension, which is what makes a deep kitchen drawer usable rather than decorative.
Closing Action
The problem. In rental, student and office settings a slamming drawer is a recurring maintenance item.
How it is handled. The silent close action on the three fold slide is specified for those settings rather than treated as a premium extra.
Floor Protection
The problem. Standard hard wheels mark wood, laminate and tiled floors, and the damage appears after the fit-out is signed off.
How it is handled. PU tyred casters are the usual correction, specified before the seating ships rather than after the floor is scratched.
Stem Fitting
The problem. Caster stems vary, and a wrong stem makes a correct wheel useless.
How it is handled. The caster uses a metal split key ring stem, the common office chair grip-ring pattern. For a building-wide quantity a sample is checked against the actual chair base first.
Spares
The problem. Two years on, the original hardware is discontinued and a working cabinet gets replaced over a five dollar part.
How it is handled. The hardware specification is recorded with the cabinet order so spares are ordered to match. Slides are packed two pieces per pair, which is one drawer's worth.
Who It Is For
Buyers This Route Suits
- Cabinet manufacturers buying runners in volume
- Facilities teams holding spares against installed furniture
- Office fit-out contractors changing flooring
- Joinery workshops building their own drawer boxes
Related Products
Models This Applies To
Drawer Slides3 Fold Silence Slide
Full extension three fold runners in black iron, eight lengths from 6 to 20 inches, packed two pieces per pair.
View Details
Furniture CasterFurniture Casters PU Wheel
Polyurethane tyred swivel casters with a plastic body and a metal split key ring stem.
View Details
Kitchen CabinetShaker Style Kitchen Cabinet
Painted shaker base wall and island cabinets, cut to your kitchen plan and shipped ready to assemble.
View DetailsQuestions Buyers Ask
Cabinet Hardware Matching Questions
Why quote the hardware with the cabinet?
Because the runner length depends on the drawer depth and the caster stem depends on the base it fits. Both are known at drawing stage and neither is obvious afterwards.
What slide lengths are stocked?
Eight: 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 inches, all 45 mm wide, in black iron.
Can hardware be ordered separately from cabinets?
Yes. Both the slide and the caster are sold as products in their own right.
How long does hardware production take?
3 to 10 working days after approval on the drawer slide, with delivery time on top depending on the shipping mode.
How do we make sure spare casters still fit in two years?
Keep the specification with the furniture record and reorder against it. The stem pattern and the 2.625 in size are what need to match.
Start With A Drawing Not A Catalogue Number
Send what you have - a dimension, a sketch, a plan or a photograph - and the first drawing comes back from it.