Drawer Box Cut List From an 18-Inch Opening
Work out a drawer box cut list from your opening, slide clearance, and material thickness. Includes a two-drawer example and separate bottom-panel sizes.
An 18-inch cabinet opening does not take an 18-inch drawer box. The slides need room, the front and back fit between the sides, and the bottom may come from a different sheet thickness.
This worked example turns those decisions into a cut list for two drawer boxes. Each has 6-inch-high walls, a 20-inch box depth, and an applied bottom. The front and back are simple butt-jointed pieces between the sides. A separate decorative drawer front is not included.
Use the drawer box cut list calculator alongside the example, then replace the inputs with your own measurements and hardware requirements.
Start with the slide instructions
Do not assume every slide calls for the same allowance. For example, Accuride's 3832EDO instructions recommend making the drawer box 1 1/16 inches narrower than the cabinet opening for optimum performance. That is a total width allowance across both sides, not 1 1/16 inches on each side. See the Accuride 3832EDO technical sheet, drawer box preparation.
We use that width allowance below. The depth and wall height are separate example choices, not dimensions supplied by that slide manual. Before building, check the selected slide length, mounting setbacks, drawer height, and any face-frame brackets against the instructions for your exact hardware.
Concealed runners can require a different drawer construction. Blum's MOVENTO guidance, for example, includes an internal-width formula and specific bottom recess and drilling requirements. This applied-bottom example does not replace those instructions.
Enter these example measurements
All dimensions in this example are inches. The opening width is the clear space available to the drawer and slides, not the cabinet's outside width.
Measure the material you will use. If the wall material is not exactly 1/2 inch thick, enter its measured thickness and recalculate the pieces between the sides. Keep the opening measurement and the hardware clearance as separate inputs.
| Calculator input | Example value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Opening width | 18 | Clear width available for the box and slides |
| Opening depth | 22 | Depth used for this planning example |
| Drawer wall height | 6 | Finished height of each side, front, and back |
| Total slide clearance | 1.0625 | 1 1/16 inches across both sides combined |
| Rear clearance | 2 | Chosen reserve behind the 20-inch box |
| Box material thickness | 0.5 | Actual thickness assumed for the walls |
| Bottom material thickness | 0.25 | Actual thickness assumed for the applied bottom |
| Number of drawers | 2 | Two identical boxes |
Work out the box dimensions
First subtract the total slide clearance from the opening width: 18 − 1 1/16 = 16 15/16 inches outside box width.
The front and back sit between two 1/2-inch sides, so subtract both side thicknesses: 16 15/16 − 1/2 − 1/2 = 15 15/16 inches front and back length.
The chosen depth follows the example's opening depth and rear reserve: 22 − 2 = 20 inches box depth.
The applied bottom covers the full outside footprint, so it is 16 15/16 by 20 inches. It is not the same width as the front and back.
There is also a height detail to check. Six-inch walls with a 1/4-inch bottom attached underneath make a 6 1/4-inch overall box height before any separate drawer front. If 6 inches is your maximum overall box height, the wall-height input needs to be smaller.
Finished cut list for two drawers
These are finished part dimensions. Do not add blade kerf to them; kerf belongs in the sheet-layout settings.
For decimal entry, 15 15/16 is exactly 15.9375, and 16 15/16 is exactly 16.9375. Keep those values rather than rounding the cut list to two decimal places.
For one drawer, halve the quantities, not the dimensions: two sides, one front, one back, and one bottom.
Download the exact drawer example cut list (CSV). This file preserves the four-place dimensions shown here; the calculator's current display and CSV export round to three decimal places.
| Part | Quantity | Finished size | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drawer sides | 4 | 6 × 20 in | 1/2-in wall stock |
| Drawer fronts and backs | 4 | 6 × 15 15/16 in | 1/2-in wall stock |
| Applied bottoms | 2 | 16 15/16 × 20 in | 1/4-in bottom stock |
Plan the two materials separately
The walls and bottoms cannot share a physical sheet because their thicknesses differ. In the drawer calculator, check the wall-stock layout and bottom-stock layout separately.
To reproduce the example sheet estimate, use 48 × 96-inch stock, a 1/8-inch kerf, and a 1/4-inch edge trim. These are planning assumptions. Substitute your measured usable sheet size and actual cut width before relying on the layout.
With those settings, the current calculator places all ten parts on one wall-stock sheet and one bottom-stock sheet. That does not mean you must buy two full sheets for this small job. Suitable pieces from existing stock may cover either material group. Check their usable dimensions and condition before changing the stock inputs.
The finished wall parts total 862.5 square inches; the bottoms total 677.5 square inches. Together, they occupy about 16.7% of two full 4 × 8 sheets. The rest is not automatically waste: it includes material left for other work as well as cutting and trim losses.
If you need a separate layout for stock already in the shop, enter one thickness group at a time in the sheet cut list optimizer. The cut list template is another place to keep the material groups and quantities clear.
Check these details before cutting
Ready to use your own opening? Open the drawer box calculator, enter your measured sizes and hardware allowances, and review both material layouts before exporting the cut list.
- Confirm the measured opening and clearance against the exact slide model you will install.
- Check the whole drawer height, including the applied bottom, against the available opening.
- Recalculate the front and back if the measured wall thickness changes.
- Keep the 1/2-inch and 1/4-inch parts in separate material groups.
- Decide the bottom attachment and joinery details before treating this dimensional example as a build plan. This page does not establish a load rating or a fastening schedule.
- Review the hardware's depth, setback, and mounting instructions. The example's 2-inch rear reserve is not a universal slide requirement.