Do You Really Need Made-to-Measure Kitchen Doors?

Search for "replacement kitchen doors" and almost every result pushes the same message: made-to-measure, cut exactly to your existing cabinets, because nothing else could possibly fit. It's a reasonable-sounding pitch — and for a genuine minority of kitchens, it's true. But for the vast majority of UK kitchens fitted in the last 20 years or so, it isn't. Your cabinets almost certainly already conform to one of a small handful of industry-standard sizes, which means standard replacement doors will fit them perfectly, at a fraction of the cost and lead time of a bespoke cut.

This guide explains the standard sizes every major UK cabinet manufacturer builds to, how to check your own kitchen against them in a couple of minutes, and — just as importantly — when made-to-measure genuinely is the right call.

The Standard Sizes (and Why They Exist)

Kitchen cabinets in the UK have quietly standardised around the same handful of dimensions for decades, because manufacturers, appliance makers and door suppliers all build to the same reference points. There are three standard heights for wall units, one standard height for base units, and two for larder/tall units:

Doors are always made very slightly smaller than the cabinet opening, so they don't rub against each other when opening and closing. As a working rule: the door is 5mm shorter and 4mm narrower than the cabinet itself. Every manufacturer applies broadly the same allowance — some use 596mm for a 600mm-wide unit, others 594mm or 595mm, a difference of a millimetre or two that makes no practical difference when fitting. So for the most common cabinet widths, the doors you need work out as:

And for height, using the 5mm allowance above:

Integrated appliances follow the same logic: a standard integrated dishwasher or washing machine takes a 596mm × 715mm door, and a slimline dishwasher takes a 446mm × 715mm door — both undrilled, since the appliance manufacturer's own fixings are used rather than a standard hinge.

Ikea Kitchen Owner Beware

The exception to the rule, as if often the case with sizing is Ikea. Their sizes do not follow the traditional conventions. You would need made to measure doors for these cabinets. 

Check Your Own Kitchen in Under Five Minutes

Before paying a premium for a bespoke cut, it's worth ruling out whether you need one at all:

1. Measure the height and width of one door on a base unit and one on a wall unit (not the cabinet opening — the door itself).
2. Add roughly 5mm to the height and 4mm to the width to work out your cabinet's opening size.
3. Check that figure against the tables above. If it lines up — and for most kitchens built in the last two decades, it will — standard doors are a straightforward, same-day-order option.
4. Check the hinge drill holes: measure from the top and bottom of the door to the centre of the nearest hinge hole. Our doors are pre-drilled at 98mm from the top and bottom, which matches the standard position used across most modern cabinet ranges.

When Made-to-Measure Genuinely Is the Right Call

We'd rather tell you this upfront than have it come up after you've placed an order: standard sizing won't be right for everyone, and that's fine. It's the better route if:

• Your kitchen is genuinely older (pre-2000s) or was custom-built by a joiner to non-standard dimensions.
• Your hinge drill holes sit somewhere other than 98mm from the top and bottom, and you don't want to re-drill or adjust the fixing plate. At the moment we only offer the standard 98mm position — if you need a different drill position, a made-to-measure supplier is the safer option for now.
• Your cabinets have been altered, damaged, or built to a bespoke layout that doesn't match a standard run.

If any of that sounds like your kitchen, a bespoke/made-to-measure specialist is the right call, and there's no shame in that — it's exactly what that service exists for.

Why Standard Sizing Is Worth Checking First

For everyone else, there are two clear advantages to going standard rather than bespoke:

Price. Bespoke manufacturing carries a cost premium almost by definition — you're paying for a door cut to order rather than to a standard template. Standard doors are priced and listed openly online, so you can see exactly what you're paying before you order, with no measure-and-quote step in between.

It's one supplier, not two. If you're refreshing more than just the doors — new handles, soft-close hinges, an end panel, or a full cabinet swap down the line — buying standard-size doors means everything is guaranteed to match, because it all comes from the same range. That's harder to guarantee when your bespoke doors are cut by one company and your hinges, handles or future cabinets come from somewhere else entirely.

The Short Version

Not sure which camp you're in? Order a sample door to check the finish and colour up close, measure up using the guide above, and if anything doesn't add up, call us on 02920 007 948 before you order — we'd rather point you toward the right option than sell you the wrong one.

Browse Replacement Kitchen Doors, or read our full guide on things to consider when changing kitchen doors for measuring, fitting and finishing advice.

Quick Questions

What size are standard UK kitchen doors?

Standard wall units are 575mm, 720mm or 900mm high; base units are always 720mm high; larder units are 1970mm or 2150mm high. Doors are cut roughly 5mm shorter and 4mm narrower than the cabinet opening, so a 600mm-wide, 720mm-high base unit takes a 596mm × 715mm door.

How do I know if my kitchen needs made-to-measure doors?

Measure an existing door (not the cabinet opening) and check it against the standard sizes above. If it's a close match and your hinge holes sit 98mm from the top and bottom of the door, standard-size replacement doors will fit. If your kitchen is older, altered, or the drill holes sit elsewhere, made-to-measure is the safer choice.

Do standard doors fit any kitchen brand?

Most manufacturers build to the same handful of standard cabinet sizes, give or take a millimetre or two, so standard doors typically fit across brands. It's still worth measuring your own doors first rather than assuming, especially on older kitchens.

Are standard doors pre-drilled for hinges?

Yes, at 98mm from the top and bottom of the door, which is the standard position used across most modern cabinet ranges. We don't currently offer alternative drill positions.