Runner clearance is the space kitchen drawer runners take from the cabinet's apparent width. UK kitchen drawers use side-mounted runners that typically eat 12–18 mm per side — 25–35 mm total — between the cabinet wall and the drawer box wall.
Why it matters when you measure
A 60 cm cabinet face does not mean a 60 cm drawer interior. The drawer-front panel overhangs the box by 2–4 cm; the runners take another 25–35 mm. The actual drawer interior is typically 5–7 cm narrower than the cabinet face it sits behind.
Measuring the cabinet face and ordering an organiser sized to that number guarantees a fit failure: the organiser won't fit, or it will sit with a gap on each side. Measure inside the drawer, wall to wall, every time.
Common runner types and their clearances
- Side-mounted ball-bearing runners (most common in modern UK kitchens) — typically 12.5 mm per side, 25 mm total.
- Soft-close runners — same as ball-bearing, sometimes 1–2 mm thicker because of the damper.
- Under-mount runners (premium kitchens) — under the drawer box, 0 mm side clearance but reduces internal depth by 8–15 mm.
- Roller runners (older or budget kitchens) — wider, often 18 mm per side.
How to check yours
Open the drawer fully and look at the side — the metal rail running along the cabinet wall is the runner. The drawer box wall is the inside of that runner. Measure from inside drawer wall to inside drawer wall, not from cabinet face to cabinet face.
The drawer builder always works from the internal measurement, never from the cabinet face.