Adjusting Concealed Hinges: Precisely Setting Cabinet Door Gaps via Adjusting Screws

May 16, 2026

Adjusting a concealed hinge is carried out using three adjusting screws on the hinge arm, allowing the cabinet door to be aligned to the millimetre in height, side, and depth.

Uneven gaps on cabinet doors are not merely a visual defect; over time, they lead to mechanical wear on the door edges and the cabinet carcass. If doors scrape, catch, or fail to close flush, the cause is usually improperly adjusted hinges. This guide is aimed at installers and experienced DIYers, explaining the exact calibration of door gaps using the adjusting screws on the hinge arm.

The initial setup takes around five to ten minutes per door. A prerequisite for a clean result is an accurately levelled carcass. If the cabinet itself is warped or out of square, this can only be compensated for to a limited extent via the fittings.

Anatomy of the Fittings and Mounting Types

Before reaching for the screwdriver, it is essential to understand the mechanics of the hinge. A standard concealed hinge consists of the hinge cup, which sits in a drilled hole (usually 35 mm) in the door, the hinge arm, and the cruciform mounting plate screwed to the carcass.

The adjustment procedure is identical regardless of whether it is a standard model with a 110° opening angle or a specialist hinge. The mounting type does not alter the position of the adjusting screws either, but it defines the final reveal:

Full overlay: The door covers almost the entire edge of the carcass side. In our range, these can be found under Full Overlay Concealed Hinges.
Half overlay: Two doors share a single central carcass divider (twin doors). Each door covers only half of the edge. Suitable models are available under Half Overlay Concealed Hinges.
Inset: The door sits flush inside the carcass sides. Inset Concealed Hinges or specific Inset Door Concealed Hinges are used for this application.

Required Tools

Heavy machinery is unsuitable for adjusting furniture fittings. Cordless drill drivers should not be used for fine adjustments, as high torque can immediately strip the fine threads in the die-cast zinc of the hinge arm.

Manual screwdriver PZ2 (Pozidriv) for most European fittings.
Manual screwdriver PH2 (Phillips) for Asian fittings.
A spirit level to check that the carcass is level.
A vernier caliper or folding ruler to check the gaps (target: between 1.5 mm and 2.0 mm all round).

Caution: Do not confuse the PZ and PH profiles. Using a PH screwdriver on a PZ screw will slip under load, stripping the screw head (cam-out effect).

Step-by-Step Guide: The Three Axes of Adjustment

Adjusting a hinge works just like the coordinate system of a CNC machine: you must work systematically through the X, Y, and Z axes in sequence to achieve a flawless result. Always start with the height, followed by the side-to-side alignment, and finish with the depth.

Step 1: Height Adjustment (Y-Axis)

Height adjustment corrects the vertical position of the door. If the door scrapes against the top or bottom of the carcass, adjustments must be made here.

Open the cabinet door fully.
Locate the screws on the cruciform mounting plate (the plate fixed directly to the inner side of the carcass). On conventional plates, these are two screws in slotted holes. On modern eccentric mounting plates, it is a single central screw.
Loosen the fixing screws slightly on all hinges of the door in question (about half a turn).
Slide the door parallel upwards or downwards into the desired position. The adjustment range is usually +/- 2 mm.
Tighten the screws hand-tight again. Start with the top hinge and work your way down.

Step 2: Side Adjustment (X-Axis)

Side adjustment regulates the gap between two doors or between the door and the carcass side. It is the most critical screw for realigning crooked doors.

Locate the front adjusting screw on the hinge arm (the screw closest to the hinge cup).
Turning the screw clockwise: the door moves towards the carcass side (widening the gap in the middle).
Turning the screw anti-clockwise: the door moves away from the carcass side (narrowing the gap in the middle).
If the door hangs crookedly (e.g. closer to the centre at the top than at the bottom), the hinges must be adjusted asymmetrically. Turn the top screw slightly out and the bottom screw slightly in until the door edge is perfectly vertical.
The typical adjustment range here is also +/- 2 mm.

Step 3: Depth Adjustment (Z-Axis)

Depth adjustment sets the clearance between the inner face of the door and the front edge of the carcass. A correct gap (usually 1.5 mm) is essential to prevent the door from catching on the carcass edge when opened, and to allow integrated dampers to trigger correctly.

Locate the rear screw on the hinge arm (the screw positioned furthest inside the cabinet). On clip-on hinges, this is often beneath a cover cap or designed as an eccentric cam screw.
On standard hinges: loosen this screw slightly on all hinges.
Pull the door forwards or push it backwards by one to two millimetres.
On eccentric cam hinges (spiral thread): turn the screw to move the arm smoothly forwards or backwards. The adjustment range is typically + 3 mm forwards and - 2 mm backwards.
Check the gap with the door closed. The door must not spring back when pushed shut.

Special Considerations for Specialist Hinges

The principle of the three axes applies to virtually all standard Concealed Hinges / Cabinet Hinges. However, corner cabinets, angled ceilings, or unique carcass constructions require different opening angles.

When adjusting 45 Degree Concealed Hinges / Cabinet Hinges or 110 Degree Concealed Hinges / Cabinet Hinges, the positions of the adjusting screws remain identical. With angled hinges, pay particular attention to the depth adjustment, as the door geometry requires a wider swing arc when opening and will catch on the carcass side if the gap is too narrow.

On doors with integrated soft-close mechanisms, often listed under Concealed Hinges / Cabinet Hinges with Dampers (Soft Close), depth adjustment is especially critical. If the gap to the carcass is too small, the damper cylinder in the hinge cup remains permanently compressed, jamming the mechanism and preventing soft closing.

Common Mistakes and Expert Tips

Even with the correct turn of a screw, the result can remain unsatisfactory if basic mechanical principles are overlooked.

Mistake 1: Stripped threads If the lateral adjusting screw is turned out too far, it disengages from the thread in the hinge arm, causing the door to drop at that point. Always adjust screws in quarter-turn increments and check the result.

Mistake 2: Pulled-out mounting plates Heavy doors (e.g. made of MDF or solid timber) exert substantial leverage on the fixing screws in the chipboard. If the mounting plate screws spin loosely in the timber, adjusting the hinge arm will no longer help. The solution: drill out the stripped holes, glue in a timber dowel or insert a threaded insert, and refix the plate using metric machine screws.

Mistake 3: Forgetting the centre hinge When a tall cabinet door has three or more hinges, many installers focus solely on the top and bottom hinges. The centre hinge must run freely without tension. If you adjust the side alignment at the top and bottom, the middle hinge must be realigned precisely to the new axis; otherwise, the door will bow or the hinge arm may eventually snap.

Mistake 4: Incorrect cup hole diameter When replacing old hinges, check the diameter of the cup. The standard size is 35 mm. Smaller variants exist for very small or lightweight doors. If a 35 mm concealed hinge is forced into an oversized or worn hole, it will sit crookedly. Matching standard fittings can be found under 35 mm Concealed Hinges.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions on Hinge Adjustment

How do I adjust a concealed hinge with soft-close? The soft-close damping force cannot be adjusted on most standard hinges. Some premium models feature a small switch directly on the hinge cup to activate or deactivate the damping. If the door fails to close properly, the issue is usually an incorrect depth setting (Z-axis) – the door is positioned too close to the carcass.

Why does the door not close flush despite adjustment? Check whether you have selected the correct mounting type. A half-overlay hinge can never close a door flush over the full carcass thickness (full overlay). In addition, a distorted carcass (if the cabinet is not level) will alter the overall geometry.

What is the difference between opening angle and carcass angle? The opening angle (e.g. 110°) describes how far the door swings open. The carcass angle describes the angle of the cabinet structure. For a standard cabinet, you need 90-degree carcass angle hinges (standard). Angled cabinets require specialist angled hinges.

Can hinges wear out over time? Yes. If a door sags despite the lateral adjusting screw being turned to its maximum, the rivets in the hinge arm link mechanism are often worn. In this case, the complete concealed hinge must be replaced, as repairing the rivets is not possible.

Related Categories and Replacement Hardware

If adjustment is no longer possible due to mechanical wear or stripped threads, you will find suitable replacement fittings categorised by technical specifications below: