Cabinet Nomenclature
Cracking the Kitchen Cabinet Abbreviation Code |
| If you are not familiar with the codes that kitchen cabinet companies use, it can be very hard to compare two cabinet lines or even figure out what you are paying for when you’re getting ready to buy kitchen cabinets. While there is a standard format that most cabinet companies use for identifying the size, the initials they use for describing the cabinet can vary greatly. Here is a quick summary, and a handy list that will help you better understand what all those numbers and letters mean. |
| Wall Kitchen Cabinet Codes |
| Let’s start with wall cabinets. The standard depth of wall cabinets is 12″, so they do not include that in the item number or code. Most wall cabinets will have the following format: W2430 In this example, the W identifies that it is a wall cabinet, 24 indicates the width of 24″, and the 30 indicates a height of 30″. If the depth is not the standard depth of 12″ (like you might have for a cabinet over the refrigerator), you would see the depth at the end: W362424 would be a wall cabinet that is 36″ wide, 24″ tall, and 24″ deep. |
| Base Kitchen Cabinet Codes |
| For base cabinets there is a similar format, but the height and depth are always the standard of 34.5″ tall, and a depth of 24″. So the basic code for a base cabinet would be B15, which is a 15″ wide base cabinet. For a sink base cabinet is would be SB30 (30″ wide sink base). Where base cabinets get tricky is the corner cabinets. There are probably half a dozen codes (and different names) for a lazy susan cabinet: EZR or EZ (easy reach), LZ or LS (lazy susan), DCB or DC (diagonal corner base). |
| What to Do with Long Kitchen Cabinet Codes |
| Some cabinet lines try to identify every option, accessory, and trim piece under the sun in their codes . . . the most items I have ever seen in one line was close to 400 items. That is WAY too many for me to identify the codes for and makes it very difficult for the average person to identify each one. Below is a chart to help you identify some of the more common codes so you have a better experience buying kitchen cabinets. |
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