How to Measure Your Kitchen for New Cabinets

Ready-to-assemble cabinets are built to standard sizes, but your kitchen isn’t — so getting the measurements right is what makes the difference between cabinets that fit and a return shipment. This guide walks through exactly what to measure and in what order, whether you’re planning to order cabinets yourself or send us what you have for a free design and quote.

What You’ll Need

• A 25-foot tape measure (a steel one won’t sag across a long wall)
• A pencil and a notepad, or graph paper if you have it
• A 2-foot level, to check whether your walls and floor are actually flat
• A step stool, for ceiling height and upper-wall measurements
• Your phone, to photograph each wall as you go

Step 1: Sketch Your Kitchen

Start with a rough top-down sketch of the room — it doesn’t need to be to scale. Mark every door, window, electrical outlet, light switch, and any visible gas, water, or drain line, along with vents and hood ducts. This sketch is what you’ll write your measurements onto, and it’s also the fastest way to get a designer up to speed if you send it in with a free design request.

Step 2: Measure Each Wall

Working in one direction around the room (clockwise is easiest to keep straight), measure the full length of each wall at counter height, about 36 inches off the floor. Record every measurement in inches only — not feet and inches — to avoid conversion mistakes later. Label each wall on your sketch (Wall A, Wall B, and so on) so the numbers stay easy to match up.

• Measure wall to wall, corner to corner — not just the open floor space
• Note the wall thickness at any doorway or pass-through
• If a wall has a jog or an angle, measure each segment separately

Step 3: Check Ceiling Height and Window Positions

Cabinet height and any upper cabinet run depend on both of these. Measure floor-to-ceiling at three different spots in the kitchen — older homes in particular often aren’t perfectly level, and the lowest of the three measurements is the one that matters. For each window, measure floor-to-windowsill, windowsill-to-top-of-window, and window-top-to-ceiling, since these determine how tall your upper cabinets and any window trim can be.

While you’re up there, note anything that limits height or depth and can’t be moved — a soffit, a radiator, a low duct, exposed pipe.

Step 4: Mark Appliance and Utility Locations

Mark the center point of every permanent fixture and utility connection — where the water, gas, and power come in, and where any vent or hood duct needs to line up. If you’re keeping your existing appliances, measure them directly rather than trusting the spec sheet: include handles and the full door swing for the refrigerator, and leave clearance in front of the dishwasher door and around the range.

• Refrigerator: measure width and depth including the door handles
• Dishwasher: allow for the open door plus elbow room beside it
• Range or cooktop: check the manufacturer’s minimum side clearances

Step 5: Check That Your Walls Are Actually Square

Corners are rarely a perfect 90 degrees, and RTA cabinets are square boxes — so it’s worth checking before you order. Measure 3 feet from the corner along one wall and 4 feet from the corner along the other wall, then measure the diagonal distance between those two points. If the room is square, that diagonal will measure exactly 5 feet. If it’s off by more than about half an inch, plan on a filler strip or scribe piece to take up the difference, rather than discovering it during installation.

A Few Things That Are Easy to Miss

• Leave about 1.5 inches on each side of a cabinet run for filler strips — most kitchens need at least one
• Countertops typically overhang the cabinet face by about 1.5 inches — factor that into clearance around appliances and walkways
• Measure at three heights (near the floor, at counter height, and near the ceiling) — a wall that looks straight can still be off by half an inch top to bottom
• If you’re replacing cabinet doors only, measure the existing door opening to the nearest 1/16 inch rather than the old door itself

None of this has to be perfect before you reach out. When you request a free design, one of our designers reviews every measurement against your layout before anything ships — so if something doesn’t add up, we’ll catch it and call you before it becomes a problem, not after.