Cabinet Hardware Placement

Cabinet hardware, pulls and knobs are really a personal preference, but there are some rules to keep in mind.

There are actual guidelines for the placement of hardware on cabinets. Deviating from this norm with your own personal preference can make it very difficult to resell a home. A lack of balance and symmetry on cabinets really messes with our mental appraisal of what’s right. We’ve moved knobs from the middle of cabinet doors that someone thought looked great at the time, but it’s just not a great place to have the right leverage for opening a door.     

There are two main types of cabinet hardware—cabinet pulls and hanging knobs. For both knobs and pulls the placement is the same. First let’s review a little terminology so the explanation will be clear.  

Cabinet doors and drawers are often framed by four pieces of wood. The long pieces going horizontally are called stiles. The short pieces running vertically are called rails as demonstrated in the picture below. The center of the drawer or door is called the panel and can be raised or flat as in the picture above.  

The standard lower cabinet door hardware placement is to put the top pull or knob hole 2 ½ inches from the top in the center of the stile on the side away from the hinges.  

The standard upper cabinet door hardware placement is to put the bottom pull or knob hole 2 ½ inches from the bottom in the center of the stile on the side away from the hinges.  

Drawer knobs or pulls are generally centered in the middle of the panel. If the panel is highly decorated, the pull can go in the middle of the top stile on the drawer face.  

Now, with wider drawers, 24 inches or more, two knobs can be used or two pulls. This really is a matter of preference, but as the drawer gets wider, one knob or one pull just doesn’t have enough torque to open the drawer easily. 

And of course, there are pulls that go across the bottom or top of contemporary cabinets or those single knobs placed in the center for a different edgy aesthetic. Finger pulls generally go at the top edge of a drawer or if the drawer is beyond 24 inches wide, two are generally used.  

Contemporary cabinet pulls

There really is a lot of personal preference and utility in every cabinet hardware selection. Just make sure your handles have a timeless enough appeal to live as long as your cabinets.     

Contemporary finger pull hardware.