Screw-in Hinges & Cylinder Hinges: Definition, Function & Use in Furniture Doors
A screw-in hinge is a classic furniture hinge featuring threaded pins that are screwed into pre-drilled holes in the carcass and door. A cylinder hinge represents a specialised, concealed variant where cylindrical recesses are routed into the end grain or edge of the wood, keeping the hinge invisible when the door is closed.
What exactly are screw-in hinges and cylinder hinges?
Both hardware types serve to create a movable connection between furniture doors or flaps and the cabinet carcass, yet they differ in their construction and visibility.
The screw-in hinge typically consists of two parts (leaves), each featuring one or more threaded pins. These pins are screwed directly into the timber. The pivot point (the knuckle) remains visible from the outside when the door is closed.
The cylinder hinge (often referred to as a concealed barrel hinge or invisible hinge) consists of two cylindrical bodies connected by a joint mechanism. These cylinders are recessed into precisely sized blind holes in the edge of the door and the carcass. The functional principle is similar to an expansion anchor in masonry: by tightening a small internal adjustment screw, the cylinder expands slightly and anchors itself firmly within the wood. In the closed position, the fitting is completely concealed.
Types and mechanical variants
In the workshop, different designs are selected depending on the material and specific requirements:
- 2-part screw-in hinges: The standard solution for lightweight furniture doors. Consists of a frame part and a leaf part.
- 3-part screw-in hinges: Offer higher stability and load-bearing capacity. Here, the door component engages between two carcass components.
- Brass cylinder hinges: The classic choice for fine woodwork, jewellery boxes, or light folding tables.
- 3D-adjustable cylinder hinges: Modern variants that can be adjusted via setting screws in height, side, and depth (typically by 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm) after installation.
Dimensions, standards and typical values
For precise routing and drilling, dimension specifications in millimetres are crucial.
For screw-in hinges, the size is often defined by the knuckle diameter and the length of the pins. Typical pin diameters for cabinet making are 14 mm or 16 mm.
Cylinder hinges demand the highest drilling precision. The drilling diameter corresponds to the nominal dimension of the hinge. Common sizes are 10 mm, 12 mm, 14 mm, or 16 mm. The recess depth varies depending on the model between 11 mm and 17 mm. The opening angle of a standard cylinder hinge is generally exactly 180°.
Application & selection
The choice between these hinges depends on furniture design and load requirements. Screw-in hinges are frequently used in traditional solid wood furniture or rustic interior joinery. Cylinder hinges are chosen whenever an entirely flush, minimalist aesthetic without visible hardware components is required — for instance, in high-end folding doors or fold-out work surfaces.
If heavy panel constructions or folding table extensions are being built, supplementary worktop fittings are often necessary to support the load. To prevent thread pull-out in softer engineered wood materials like chipboard or MDF, a threaded insert can be fitted in advance to provide a metric machine thread for secure fixing.
When a front panel opens upwards rather than to the side, conventional hinges reach their limits. Here, the weight of the front must be supported. In such cases, the installer avoids cylinder hinges and instead fits flap fittings, which are often equipped with a gas strut to hold the door in the open position. For complex storage configurations, such as in L-shaped kitchen units, specialised systems like a corner cabinet carousel fitting are installed instead of standard hinges to make optimum use of the corner space.
Related terms
- Concealed cup hinge: A concealed hinge featuring a typical 35 mm cup hole, standard in modern furniture construction.
- Pivot hinge: A fitting where the pivot point is recessed into the top and bottom panels of the carcass.
- Blind hole: A drilled hole that does not penetrate completely through the workpiece — strictly required for installing cylinder hinges.