LayoutWise

Kitchen Cabinet Layout Planner

List what goes along each wall — sink, dishwasher, range, fridge — and the planner fills the rest with stock cabinet sizes, adds fillers, and draws the elevation.

Your kitchen

Each wall of cabinets is a run. List what goes along it from left to right; "auto-fill" spaces are filled with stock cabinets.

Run 1
Wall length
ft
in
  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
Run 2
Wall length
ft
in
  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.

Base cabinets

8

incl. sink & corner

Wall cabinets

9

uppers

Countertop

42.5 sq ft

25 1/2" deep

Fillers

0

strips to rip

Run 1

15' 0" wall
B18SB36DWB18RangeB18FridgeW18W36W24W18W18W3615

Run 2

10' 0" wall
CornerB30B30PantryWC24W30W30

Shopping list

  • ✓Base cabinets: 3 x B18, 2 x B30, 1 x SB36 sink base, 1 x 36" lazy Susan corner
  • ✓Wall cabinets: 3 x W18, 1 x W24, 2 x W30, 1 x W36, 1 x W3615, 1 x WC24
  • ✓Tall pantry: 1 x 24"
  • ✓Countertop: 42.5 sq ft at 25 1/2" deep
  • ✓Cabinet screws, shims, a 4 ft level, and toe-kick and crown molding to finish

Codes follow the common convention: B = base, W = wall, number = width in inches (W3615 = 36" wide, 15" tall). Standard uppers are 30" tall and hang 18" above the counter.

How stock cabinets fit a wall

Stock cabinets come in 3-inch steps, usually from 9" to 36" wide. To fill a space, use as few cabinets as you can, keep them close to the same width, and take up what's left — always less than 3" — with filler strips. Fillers at a wall or next to an appliance also give doors and drawers room to open.

Example: a 15-foot wall with a 36" sink base, 24" dishwasher, 30" range and 36" refrigerator leaves 54" of cabinet space in three gaps. Each gap takes an 18" base cabinet. Above, the planner adds wall cabinets over the sink and counters, skips the range hood, and puts a short 36" x 15" cabinet over the fridge.

Standard dimensions

PartTypical size
Base cabinets34 1/2" tall, 24" deep
Countertop1 1/2" thick, 25 1/2" deep (36" finished height)
Wall cabinets30" or 36" tall, 12" deep, 18" above the counter
Dishwasher opening24" wide
Range opening30" wide (36" for larger ranges)

Corners

Where two runs meet, a 36" lazy Susan or blind corner cabinet uses the corner space. Count it in both walls when you measure, and leave a filler next to it so drawers clear the handles on the other run.

Tiling the wall above the counter? Use the backsplash calculator. Lighting the counters? Try the recessed lighting planner.