How Narrow Can A Kitchen Cabinet Be?

You are looking to fill your kitchen with cabinets for storage but have a limited amount of space. You are looking for details about how narrow or small a kitchen cabinet can be. There are some different kinds of kitchen cabinets and some useful space-saving techniques. This post will give you all the details about narrow kitchen cabinets and other ways to save space in your kitchen. Keep reading to learn more.

Kitchen cabinets can be as narrow as nine inches. This is commonly used as a spice rack or storage for cookie sheet pans. Cabinets are typically made in increments all the way up to 36 inches wide. Cabinet depth can range from 12 to 24 inches while the height can range from 12 to 42 inches. 

Now that you know the common sizes and the narrowest available kitchen cabinet sizes, you probably want more ideas about designing your space. Narrow kitchen cabinets can serve many purposes, but you can design your cabinetry to match your lifestyle. This post will give you some ideas about how to organize deep, narrow cabinets and what to do with the space between a cabinet and a fridge. Keep reading to find all the answers to your questions.

How Narrow Can A Kitchen Cabinet Be?

Kitchen cabinets come in various dimensions for width, height, and depth. The narrowest kitchen cabinet is nine inches, which you can often use as a pull-out spice rack.

It is a great way to utilize small spaces that could not be filled with a normal-sized cabinet. These narrow cabinets can also be used to store long utensils, that wouldn't otherwise fit in drawers, or cookie baking sheets.

What Is The Smallest Depth Of A Kitchen Cabinet?

Kitchen cabinet depth can be as small as 12 inches. The standard kitchen cabinet depth is 24 inches or two feet. This accommodates a one-inch overhang with a standard 25-inch depth countertop.

This also matches the standard depths for ovens and dishwashers. For this reason, most people will not have a use in the kitchen for a smaller depth base cabinet. Upper cabinets are usually 12 inches deep, which gives you plenty of counter space without hitting your head on the cabinet.

What Is The Shortest Height Of A Kitchen Cabinet?

The height of a kitchen base cabinet is 34.5 inches. A standard countertop will bring the height up to 36 inches, which is the same height as the standard stove. Cabinets will have to be custom-made if another height is needed.

It is standard to have 36 inch high countertops with 18 inches of backsplash before the upper cabinets begin. The size of the upper cabinets depends on the amount of space from the top to the backsplash up to the ceiling.

How Narrow Can A Pantry Be?

A walk-in pantry should have a walking space that is at least 36 inches wide. This is also the size of a standard door. If the pantry is too narrow, you will have a difficult time walking in and unloading heavy groceries. Ideally, there will be adequate shelving on two sides to prevent you from placing things on the ground of the pantry floor.

Pantry cabinets can be made as narrow as any other kitchen cabinet, including as small as nine inches. This is useful for small kitchen spaces and can provide a lot of extra storage for food or dishes. A typical pantry cabinet would be about six feet tall and have enough space for at least four shelves of 15 inches in height.

Ameriwood Home Narrow Pantry Storage

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What Sizes Do Kitchen Cabinets Come In?

Standard upper kitchen cabinets are 12 inches deep but can be as deep as 18 inches. The height varies based on your space, kitchen design, and ceiling height. They can range from 12 inches to 42 inches tall with increments of three to five inches in between. The width of kitchen cabinets ranges from nine inches to 48 inches.

Standard base cabinets are made to fit the height and depth that matches the oven and dishwasher appliances. Cabinets are 34.5 inches tall, so the countertop typically measures 36 inches off the ground. The depth of a base cabinet is 24 inches. The width of base cabinets will measure from nine to 48 inches.

How Do You Organize Deep Narrow Kitchen Cabinets?

Deep kitchen cabinets have plenty of storage capacity but need to be organized to best suit your needs. The first step is to have categories for each shelf or section of a shelf.

Anything you wouldn't like your kids to easily access should be placed on higher shelves. Anything you will use more frequently can be placed between your eye and hand level for ease of access.

Use baskets to combine similar kinds of food and clearly label them. Place new food in the back and put older food upfront so you will use it before expiring.

If you have family members that frequently access the same things, then you could even combine these things in the same basket. When more people access a pantry, it becomes more likely that things will be moved to different places and become disorganized over time.

Utopia Home Set Of 8 Clear Pantry Organizers

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How Much Space Between Cabinets And Appliances?

Leaving a small amount of space around the refrigerator is necessary for ventilation. The suggested amount varies based on the manufacturer. Whirlpool recommends leaving a quarter-inch space on the sides, back, and top of the refrigerator for ventilation.

Samsung says to leave 50 millimeters or about two inches on each side, including the back. Samsung says to leave 100 millimeters or about 4 inches on the top for ventilation.

The stove and dishwasher can be placed next to cabinets without any space between them. For safety reasons, you should allow at least 24 inches of space between the top of your stove and the bottom of the upper cabinet.

You should also place your microwave oven at least 18 inches above the stove. For more information about spacing between a stove and surrounding cabinets, check out this post, "How Much Space Between Stove And Cabinet?"

What Do You Do With Space Between Cabinet And Fridge?

If you only have a narrow crack between the fridge and cabinets on each side, you can fill in the gaps with a gap filler. These fill in gaps between cabinets, counters, and appliances such as the oven or refrigerator. You can also use a trim kit to fill in the gap around the fridge.

If you have a little more space on the top of your fridge, then you could consider putting a wine rack, small shelf or a panel that matches your cabinetry color. It depends on whether you want the space to be functional or prefer to have a clean, seamless look to your kitchen. Small gaps should be filled with a trim kit or gap filler.

Silicone Gap Cover

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How Should I Coordinate Kitchen Cabinet Colors?

There are many colors you may have to coordinate when designing your kitchen. The knobs and handles on your kitchen cabinets should have a similar color as your appliances but don't need to match.

Keep this in mind when choosing your kitchen appliances and the hardware that goes with your cabinets. For more about matching your cabinets to your appliances, check out this post "Should Kitchen Cabinet Hardware Match Appliances?"

You may choose to coordinate the color of your kitchen walls with the color of your cabinets. This is not required because sometimes contrasting colors can be attractive.

When designing your kitchen, you should take a look at several examples of color schemes before making your decision. Contrasting light and dark with the cabinets, floors, walls, and appliances can create an elegant kitchen if done properly.

For more information about matching the color of your cabinets to the kitchen walls, check out this post, "Should Wall Color Match Kitchen Cabinets?"

In Closing

Kitchen cabinets can come as narrow as nine inches. This kind of cabinet is great for a slide-out spice rack or a place to store your flat cookware and cookie sheets. Cabinets can be as wide as 48 inches. They can be from 12 inches tall up to 42 inches. The standard depth of kitchen cabinets is 24 inches for base cabinets and 12 inches for upper cabinets. There are a wide range of cabinets on the market to fit your specific design needs.