Drawer slide clearance chart
How much narrower than the opening a drawer box has to be, by slide type. Both sides together — this is the number you subtract once.
| Slide type | Total clearance | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Side-mount ball bearing | 1" | The common slide. 1/2" each side, so the box is the opening less 1". |
| Undermount | 5/16" | Roughly 5/16" in total, but it varies by maker and the box depth has to match the slide exactly. Check the spec sheet. |
| Wooden runners | 1/8" | A sixteenth each side for a shop-made runner, and wax rather than ball bearings. |
Reading it
- Side-mount ball bearing slides want 1/2" a side, which is the one figure worth knowing by heart.
- A box a sixteenth wider than the arithmetic said does not go in, so a drawer width always rounds *down* to the sixteenth.
- Check the slide's own instructions. These are the common cases, not every slide made.
For the case this table does not cover
- Drawer boxes
Box sizes and a cut list from the opening, with the slide clearances rounded the way that still fits.
- Cabinet boxes
A carcass cut list from the finished outside dimensions, face-frame or frameless.