Measure overlay with the cabinet door closed. Overlay is the distance the door covers past the edge of the cabinet opening. For replacement hinges, the hinge-side measurement is especially useful, but record the other edges too. A door can be wider than its opening without covering it equally on both sides.
Put removable tape on a suitable part of the cabinet face and mark the closed door edge. Open the door and measure from the opening edge to that mark. Test tape on the finish first, and avoid using it on a fragile surface. A removable paper reference can serve the same purpose if adhesive is unsuitable.
Identify the cabinet construction
A face-frame cabinet has a frame around the opening. A frameless cabinet uses the cabinet side itself at the opening. Hinges and mounting plates are selected for those constructions, so note the construction before comparing products.
Record door thickness, hinge cup diameter if present, cup setback, mounting plate details and any identifying numbers. Photograph the hinge from several angles while supporting the door safely. The opening angle, soft-close mechanism and finish do not by themselves identify the mounting geometry.
Blum's CLIP top range includes multiple applications. Its technical downloads include planning documents for particular hinge applications. Use the table for the exact hinge and plate; a generic label such as full overlay does not provide every required dimension.
Use door width as a cross-check
For one simple door covering an opening, door width equals opening width plus left overlay plus right overlay. A 400 mm opening with 15 mm coverage on each side requires a 430 mm door in this geometric example. If a measured 430 mm door covers 18 mm at the hinge side, the other side covers 12 mm with the door offset over that opening.
This equation checks the measurements. It does not choose the hinge, calculate required movement clearance or guarantee the door can swing past a wall. Paired doors, shared cabinet sides, corner applications and irregular openings need their own drawings.
Keep overlay and reveal distinct
Reveal is the visible gap or uncovered border in the particular layout being described. Draw the door, opening and cabinet edge in section, then label the dimension you mean. An installer and a supplier can both say gap while referring to different edges.
Check clearance with neighboring doors, drawers, handles and walls. Measure with the door open as well as closed. A replacement hinge that achieves the same closed overlay may have a different motion path. Use the manufacturer's planning dimensions and make a test installation when the geometry changes.
Prepare a supplier-ready record
Fill out the worksheet for one representative door, then verify whether the rest truly match. Corner doors and doors beside drawers may use different hardware. Number the doors and bag their hinges separately if you remove them.
Order a single confirmed sample when the existing part cannot be identified confidently. Check fit, door support and permitted adjustment before ordering the rest. Do not use the adjustment range to conceal a fundamentally wrong hinge or plate. If screws are loose or the substrate is damaged, repair that problem using an appropriate method before evaluating how the hinge holds its alignment.
A door that sits within the opening needs a different layout; the inset-hinge test-corner guide covers that setup.
| Required detail | What to record |
|---|---|
| Cabinet construction | Face frame / frameless |
| Opening width | Measure clear opening |
| Door width and thickness | Measure both |
| Hinge-side overlay | Closed edge mark minus opening edge |
| Opposite-side overlay | Measure independently |
| Hinge / plate ID | Record stamped part numbers |
| Cup geometry | Diameter and edge setback |
| Nearby obstruction | Wall, handle, adjacent door or drawer |
Related workshop guides
- Inset cabinet hinges: make a test corner before boring the door
- Repair a stripped wood-screw hole without repeating the failure
Sources
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