How many hinges does a door need?
Two hinges hold a small door; a tall wardrobe door needs four or five. The number comes from the length of the hinged edge, and the positions from keeping the cups clear of the ends and evenly spread.
How the number is chosen
First and last cup
100 mm from each end of the edge to the cup centre, never closer than 50 mm or further than 300 mm.
Spacing
Around 500 mm between cups, never less than 100 mm.
Shortest edge
200 mm: below that there is no room for two cups.
Hinges by door height
| Door height | Hinges | Cup centres from the end, mm |
|---|---|---|
| 500 mm | 2 | 100 · 400 |
| 715 mm | 2 | 100 · 615 |
| 900 mm | 3 | 100 · 450 · 800 |
| 1200 mm | 3 | 100 · 600 · 1100 |
| 1600 mm | 4 | 100 · 566.7 · 1033.3 · 1500 |
| 2000 mm | 5 | 100 · 550 · 1000 · 1450 · 1900 |
This is the rule the optimiser applies when a hinge operation is added to a door, taken from a working cabinet shop’s settings. The calculator above runs exactly the same rule, so a door sized here gets the same cups in the optimiser.
Which edge takes the hinges
Side-hung door
Hinges on the long side. Choose “the long side”: the height of the door decides the number.
Lift-up flap
Hinges along the top. Choose “the short side”: the width of the flap decides the number.
Pairs of doors
Each door of a pair is sized and hinged on its own outer edge; enter one door and set how many.
When to add more
Weight and width matter tooHinge makers publish charts by door height, width and weight. Heavy, wide or glazed doors and doors with fittings on them often need one more hinge than the height alone suggests. Check the hinge maker’s chart for your door.
In the optimiser the number can be changed on the part, and the cups can be moved by hand; the spacing rules above still apply.
Questions
How many hinges for a 720 mm kitchen door?
Two, 100 mm from the top and bottom, by the default rule. Heavy doors may need three.
How many hinges for a 2 m wardrobe door?
Five by the default rule, roughly 450 mm apart.
Does it drill the fixing holes too?
In the optimiser the hinge operation includes the cup and its fixing holes for the chosen system (Blum, Hettich or Grass).
Plan your cut list now
Free, in the browser, with no account. Layouts, edging totals and machine files from one list.