Adjusting Hinges — Step-by-Step Guide

August 6, 2026

Adjusting furniture hinges is carried out across three axes – height, lateral, and depth – to achieve an exact gap pattern of typically 1.5 mm to 3 mm.

A sagging door or uneven gap spacing on cabinets is not merely an aesthetic issue. In the long run, incorrect alignment leads to increased wear on the carcass and fittings. Modern concealed cup hinges / cabinet hinges are equipped with 3D adjustment. This means the position of the door can be corrected in all three spatial directions without having to dismantle the component. This guide is aimed at fitters and ambitious DIYers, explaining the systematic adjustment of the fittings.

Preparation and Diagnosis

Before reaching for your tools, the gap pattern must be analysed. Close all cabinet doors and inspect the gaps. Check the following points:

Does the door sag downwards on the handle side?
Does the door rub against the adjacent door leaf or the carcass when closing?
Does the door stand proud of the carcass at the top or bottom when closed?
Are the horizontal gaps between two stacked doors parallel?

Required Tools

Only minimal tools are needed to adjust hinges. However, choosing the correct screwdriver is crucial to avoid damaging the screw heads.

Screwdriver: In most cases, a PZ2 (Pozidriv) cross-head screwdriver is required. Do not use a PH (Phillips) screwdriver, as it can slip in the PZ profile and strip the screw drive.
Optional: A small spirit level to check horizontal alignment on wider cabinets.
Optional: Wooden wedges or spacing shims (e.g. 2 mm thick) to check the gap size during fitting.

Difficulty level: Easy to medium Time required: approx. 5 min - 10 min per cabinet door

The Mechanics: How a Hinge Works

The adjustment screws on a hinge work like a car suspension – small turns immediately alter the track and camber of the door. A classic concealed cup hinge consists of the hinge cup, which sits in a drill hole in the door measuring mostly 35 mm, the hinge arm, and the cruciform mounting plate fixed to the carcass interior wall.

Adjustment is carried out exclusively via the screws on the hinge arm and mounting plate. Always proceed in a fixed order when adjusting: first height, then lateral, and finally depth.

Step 1: Height Adjustment

Height adjustment corrects the vertical position of the door. If the horizontal gaps between the door and top panel or between two doors are not parallel, this is where you start.

Open the cabinet door.
Locate the cruciform mounting plate on the carcass wall. There are two vertically arranged fixing screws there.
Loosen these two screws slightly on all hinges of the affected door (about half a turn). Do not remove the screws completely.
Now slide the door parallel upwards or downwards until the desired height is reached. The adjustment range is usually ± 2 mm.
Retighten the screws hand-tight. Start with the top hinge to secure the weight of the door.

Step 2: Lateral Adjustment (Gap Pattern)

Lateral adjustment is the most frequently required correction. It is responsible for the vertical gap between two doors or between the door and the carcass outer edge.

Locate the front screw on the hinge arm (the screw closer to the door).
Turn this screw clockwise (to the right): The door moves towards the carcass outer edge. The gap in the centre between two twin doors becomes wider.
Turn the screw anticlockwise (to the left): The door moves towards the carcass centre. The gap in the centre becomes narrower.

Practical tip: If a door hangs crookedly (e.g. further towards the centre at the top than at the bottom), do not adjust all hinges identically. To raise the door on the handle side, turn the lateral screw on the top hinge to the left and on the bottom hinge to the right. For full overlay concealed hinges (overlay doors) and half overlay concealed hinges (twin doors), this procedure is identical.

Step 3: Depth Adjustment (Tilt and Distance)

Depth adjustment regulates the gap between the closed door and the front edge of the carcass. Too small a gap causes the door to catch on the carcass when opening. Too large a gap allows dust to enter the cabinet. The aim is a parallel gap of approximately 1.5 mm - 2 mm.

On modern hinges, this is done via an eccentric screw:

Locate the rear screw on the hinge arm.
Turn this screw minimally. The door moves continuously forwards or backwards.

On older or simpler models:

Loosen the rear fixing screw slightly.
Manually pull the door one to two millimetres forwards or push it backwards.
Retighten the fixing screw.

Particularly in installations with inset concealed hinges (inset doors), exact depth adjustment is essential so that the door sits flush with the carcass sides and does not protrude inwards.

Special Hinge Types and Opening Angles

The principle of 3D adjustment remains identical for almost all standard concealed hinges, regardless of the opening angle. A standard hinge typically opens to 110°. However, other angles are used for specific space requirements or internal pull-outs.

Standard angles: 110-degree concealed hinges / cabinet hinges are the industry standard for traditional kitchen units and wardrobes.
Wide-angle hinges: When internal drawers are fitted, 165-degree concealed hinges / cabinet hinges or 155-degree concealed hinges / cabinet hinges are often required. These swing the door completely clear of the carcass opening. Adjustment is performed analogously, though it often requires slightly more finesse during lateral adjustment due to the long hinge arm and greater leverage forces.
Special angles: For corner cabinets or angled carcasses, variants such as 30-degree concealed hinges / cabinet hinges or 45-degree concealed hinges / cabinet hinges exist. The three axes of adjustment apply here as well.

Checking Damping and Soft-Close

If the door no longer closes smoothly after adjustment, but instead slams against the carcass or halts before closing, the damping mechanism must be checked. Concealed hinges / cabinet hinges with damping (Soft Close) feature a small hydraulic cylinder.

Door closes too slowly: On lightweight doors, the damping force is often too high. On some high-grade hinges, the damping can be deactivated via a small switch on the hinge cup. On a door with two hinges, switch off one damper.
Door springs open: If the depth adjustment is set too tight (distance under 1 mm), the hinge arm presses against the carcass, blocking the geometry of the closing mechanism. Increase the depth adjustment minimally.

Common Mistakes in Fitting and Adjustment

Wrong screwdriver: Using a PH screwdriver instead of a PZ screwdriver inevitably leads to rounded screw heads, making subsequent readjustment impossible.
Overtightening adjustment screws: The lateral screw has a limited adjustment travel. Do not force it further once resistance is felt, or the thread in the hinge arm may strip.
Ignoring load distribution: If a heavy MDF door is fitted with three hinges, all three hinges must carry the load. If you only adjust the top and bottom hinges while the middle one hangs in the air, the fitting will tear out over time.
Incorrect cup size: When replacing old hinges, check the diameter of the drilled hole in the door. The standard is 35 mm. If mistakes are made here, even the best adjustment will not help. Ensure that you use matching 35 mm concealed hinges.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions on Hinge Adjustment

Why do the screws in the carcass wall turn infinitely? If the mounting plate fixing screws no longer grip, the thread in the chipboard has stripped. This often happens due to overloading. Remove the screw, fill the hole with a wooden dowel (5 mm or 8 mm) and some wood glue. Once dry, you can drive the screw back in. Alternatively, dedicated repair plates can be used.

The door rubs against the bottom carcass panel. What should I do? Use the height adjustment. Loosen the mounting plate fixing screws slightly on all hinges of the door, slide the door upwards by approx. 2 mm, and retighten the screws securely.

The gap between two cabinet doors is wider at the top than at the bottom. How do I correct this? This is resolved via lateral adjustment. On the top hinge of the left door, turn the front adjustment screw clockwise (to the right), and do the same on the right door. The doors will move towards each other at the top. If necessary, make a slight correction in the opposite direction on the bottom hinges.

Can I simply replace old unsprung hinges with soft-close hinges? Yes, provided the cup diameter (usually 35 mm), the cup drilling pattern, and the overlay type (full overlay, half overlay, or inset) are identical. The cruciform mounting plates must generally be replaced as well, as click mechanisms between different manufacturers are often incompatible.

What is the ideal gap size? In professional furniture assembly, a gap size of 2 mm to 3 mm is targeted. This provides sufficient clearance for door movement under temperature fluctuations and ensures a clean, symmetrical appearance.

Related Categories for Your Project

If you wish to carry out further technical adjustments on your project alongside adjusting furniture doors, you can find the matching components here: