35 mm Hinge Hole: What Is It? Dimensions & Compatibility with IKEA Faktum / Pax
The 35 mm hinge hole is the standardised drilled cup hole in a furniture door used to receive the hinge cup of a concealed hinge. With an exact diameter of 35 mm and a typical depth of 11.5 mm to 13 mm, it forms the mechanical foundation for the secure installation of modern furniture hinges.
What Exactly Is a 35 mm Hinge Hole?
The hole accommodates the metal hinge cup, which is the core mechanism enabling the movement of the door. In contrast to traditional surface-mounted hinges, the concealed hinge transfers leverage deep into the door material, which is typically made from chipboard or MDF. This design delivers a high load capacity and enables precise, three-dimensional adjustment of the furniture front.
A drilling diameter of 35 mm has established itself as the worldwide standard across the furniture industry. It provides ample space for complex hinge mechanisms. For lighter or particularly narrow doors, a smaller 26 mm variant is occasionally used in cabinet making, but the vast majority of cupboards utilise 35 mm concealed hinges.
Dimensions, Standards and Screw Hole Spacing
To ensure fittings mount accurately, several parameters beyond the diameter must be strictly maintained. Drilling must be carried out using a Forstner drill bit to guarantee a flat hole base without bursting through the front face of the door.
- Diameter: 35 mm.
- Drilling depth: Typically 11.5 mm to 13 mm, depending on the door thickness (usually 16 mm to 19 mm).
- Cup distance (K-dimension): The distance from the side edge of the door to the edge of the hole. This generally measures between 3 mm and 6 mm. The K-dimension significantly affects the resulting door gap.
- Screw hole spacing: The two fixing screws that secure the cup into the door have a spacing of 45 mm, 48 mm or 52 mm between centres, depending on the manufacturer.
Suitable Hinges for the 35 mm Drilling
The 35 mm hole is universal and accommodates various mounting types, depending on how the door is positioned relative to the cabinet carcass:
- Full overlay: The door covers the side panel of the cabinet completely when closed. Full overlay concealed hinges are used for this.
- Half overlay: Two doors share a single central cabinet divider (semi-overlay). Half overlay concealed hinges are installed for this configuration.
- Inset: The door sits flush inside the cabinet carcass sides. This requires inset concealed hinges.
In addition, the opening angle determines the accessibility of the cabinet interior. The standard choice for regular cabinets is 110-degree concealed cabinet hinges. If internal pull-outs or drawers are planned inside the unit, wide-opening hinges such as 155-degree concealed cabinet hinges are fitted so that the door does not obstruct the drawers.
Compatibility: IKEA Faktum and Pax
Many well-known modular furniture systems utilise the System 32 hole grid in the carcass and combine it with the standardised 35 mm cup hole in the door.
- IKEA Faktum: This older kitchen system uses classic 35 mm drillings in the door fronts. When old hinges wear out, standard 35 mm diameter concealed hinges can be used as direct replacements. The only important step when replacing them is checking the screw hole spacing on the cup.
- IKEA Pax: The doors of these wardrobes also feature the standard cup drilling. When heavy mirrored doors are fitted, upgrading to soft-close concealed cabinet hinges is advisable. The integrated damping within the hinge cup acts like a car shock absorber, gently decelerating the door mass before it reaches the carcass side.
Related Terms & Matching Categories
- Cross mounting plate: The counterpart to the hinge that is screwed to the cabinet carcass, onto which the hinge arm is clipped or screwed.
- Forstner bit: The specialist wood-drilling tool used to produce the flat-bottomed cup hole in timber-based panels.
- Full range: Concealed hinges / cabinet hinges