Fitting Hinges for IKEA Pax: Mounting the Concealed Hinge with the Exact Cabinet Door Hole Pattern

November 17, 2025

A suitable concealed hinge for the IKEA Pax system requires a 35 mm cup hole in the door and a cruciform mounting plate that engages precisely with the 32 mm hole pattern on the cabinet side panel.

Replacing or installing new hinges on a Pax wardrobe is a precise yet standardised task. The furniture system is based on established industry standards, meaning that commercially available fittings are fully compatible, provided the dimensions and hole patterns match. This guide is aimed at fitters and experienced DIY enthusiasts who want to align wardrobe doors accurately, replace defective fittings, or adapt custom fronts to an existing cabinet body.

The installation time per door is roughly 10 to 15 minutes when using existing pre-drilled holes. If the cup holes need to be drilled afresh in a bespoke door front, expect a longer installation time and the use of specialised tools.

Required Tools and Materials

Using the right tools is essential for professional, tear-out-free installation of the hardware. Using incorrect screwdriver drives will inevitably damage screw heads, making subsequent adjustment impossible.

Tools:

Cordless drill/driver with torque control
Screwdriver or bit with a Pozidriv drive (PZ2). Warning: Do not use Phillips (PH), as hinge adjustment screws are designed specifically for PZ.
Folding rule and combination square
Pencil or bradawl
If new holes are required: Forstner bit with a 35 mm diameter and a 5 mm wood drill bit for the fixing holes.

Materials:

Concealed hinge with an opening angle typically of 110°. For standard doors, Concealed hinges / cabinet hinges 110 degrees are suitable.
Cruciform mounting plate matching the hinge.
Euro screws (5 mm x 13 mm) for the cabinet side.
Chipboard screws (3.5 mm x 16 mm) to secure the hinge cup in the door if expanding dowels are not used.
Optional: Fittings with integrated soft close. For smooth, quiet closing, opt for Concealed hinges / cabinet hinges with damping (Soft Close).

For a standard Pax wardrobe carcass with a height of 201 cm, 3 hinges per door are required. For the 236 cm height version, 4 hinges are strictly necessary to distribute the door weight evenly and prevent the door front from warping. Additional Wardrobe accessories, such as door dampers or connector fittings, depend on your individual setup.

Step-by-Step Guide: Fitting and Adjusting the Concealed Hinge

Installation is divided into preparing the door, fixing the mounting plate to the cabinet body, and finally clipping on and adjusting the front.

Step 1: Check and Mark the Hole Pattern

Pax cabinet carcasses come from the factory with a continuous line of pre-drilled holes. This System 32 means the distance between the drill holes is exactly 32 mm. The standard setback from the front edge of the cabinet side panel to the centre of the hole is 37 mm.

On the door, the centre of the 35 mm cup hole must usually be located 21.5 mm to 22.5 mm from the door edge. This results in a cup edge distance (the measurement from the door edge to the edge of the hole) of roughly 4 mm to 5 mm. If these dimensions match, compatibility with a standard hinge is assured.

Step 2: Drilling the Cup Hole (Only for Custom Fronts)

If you are using an existing door, skip this step. For bespoke fronts, you must drill the hole for the hinge cup. Milling a cup hole requires strict depth control, or you risk drilling straight through the front of the door. Position the Forstner bit precisely on the marked centre point. Drill at high speed with low pressure. The depth of the hole must be 12 mm to 13 mm. Check the depth regularly by test-fitting the hinge. The flange of the hinge must sit completely flush against the inside of the door.

Step 3: Securing the Hinge to the Door

Place the hinge into the 35 mm hole. Align it at an exact 90-degree angle to the door edge using a combination square. A crooked hinge will cause the door to bind later. Secure the hinge in place. Many modern fittings feature pre-mounted expanding dowels that anchor into the timber by closing a flap or tightening pre-fitted screws. Alternatively, screw the flange down with two chipboard screws (3.5 mm x 16 mm). The hole spacing for the fixing screws is usually 45 mm (or less commonly 52 mm). Suitable options can be found in our selection of Concealed hinges / cabinet hinges.

Step 4: Securing the Cruciform Mounting Plate in the Cabinet

Count the holes in the cabinet body to determine the exact height for the mounting plates. Secure the plate into the pre-drilled 5 mm holes in the carcass using the supplied Euro screws (5 mm diameter, blunt thread). Tighten the screws until hand-tight. Over-tightening will strip the thread in the chipboard.

Step 5: Clipping the Door in Place

Offer the door up to the cabinet carcass. Start with the top hinge. Hook the front of the hinge arm onto the front catch of the mounting plate. Then, push the rear part of the hinge arm against the plate until it clicks audibly into place. Repeat this process for the remaining hinges, working from top to bottom.

Step 6: 3D Adjustment of the Wardrobe Door

A Pax wardrobe looks high-end only when its reveals and door gaps are aligned perfectly. The gap margins should be uniform all round (approx. 2 mm to 3 mm). Adjustment is performed using three screws on the hinge arm:

Door reveal (lateral adjustment): The front screw on the hinge arm. Turning it clockwise moves the door inwards towards the centre of the carcass. Turning it anticlockwise widens the gap.
Height (vertical adjustment): Slightly loosen both fixing screws on the mounting plate. Slide the door up or down. Retighten the screws. Some premium mounting plates feature an independent cam screw for vertical adjustment, which eliminates the need to loosen the fixing screws.
Depth (in-and-out adjustment): The rear screw on the hinge arm (or a cam). This regulates the distance between the door and the front edge of the cabinet. Setting the correct depth prevents the door from rubbing against the carcass side when opening.

Common Errors During Installation and Selection

The most frequent error is choosing the wrong hinge crank/overlay type. For a standard Pax wardrobe where the door completely conceals the carcass side panels, a full overlay hinge is strictly required.

If a half overlay hinge is selected by mistake, the door will only cover half the side panel thickness. This is only relevant when two doors hang from a single shared centre partition. Information on this specific design can be found under Half overlay concealed hinges. If the door is meant to sit flush inside the carcass frame (an inset door, which is not standard for Pax), dedicated Inset concealed hinges are required.

Another typical fitting mistake is stripping the Euro screws in the chipboard. If the 5 mm hole in the carcass is stripped out, the screw will no longer grip. In this case, plug the hole using a 5 mm wooden dowel and wood glue, and re-drill after it has cured. Alternatively, specialised metal repair plates can be used to bridge over damaged material.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About Hinge Fitting

Which hinge do I need if I plan to install internal drawers in a Pax wardrobe? If you want to install full-extension or single-extension runners for internal drawers at hinge height, a 110° opening angle is often insufficient because the open door protrudes into the pull-out path. Here, you need wide-angle hinges that swing the door completely clear of the internal opening. Suitable models are Concealed hinges / cabinet hinges 165 degrees or Concealed hinges / cabinet hinges 155 degrees.

Can I replace old hinges without dampers with soft-close models? Yes. Provided the cup diameter (35 mm) and the fixing screw hole spacing (usually 45 mm) are identical, you can swap old fittings 1:1 for models with integrated soft close. The cruciform mounting plates must generally be replaced alongside them, as clip mechanisms from different manufacturers are rarely cross-compatible.

Why will the wardrobe door not close completely? This is usually caused by incorrect depth adjustment. If the concealed hinge is drawn too close to the carcass, the door edge binds against the side panel as it closes. Loosen the rear screw on the hinge arm, pull the door forward by 1 mm to 2 mm, and retighten the screw. An incorrectly adjusted door damper can also prevent complete closure.

How do I safely remove a door fitted with clip-on hinges? Support the door firmly with one hand. With the other hand, press the release tab at the rear end of the hinge arm, starting at the bottom hinge. The fitting will disengage from the mounting plate with an audible click. Work your way upwards. For heavy 236 cm high doors, this job should always be done by two people.