Gridfinity guide
Drawer sizes to cells
Common drawers in millimetres and inches: the cells they hold and what is left.
The rule
A cell is 42 mm. A drawer holds as many whole cells as fit in its inner size, rounded down, and the rest is left over. The tables below are that arithmetic for common sizes, measured inside at the tightest point with 1 to 2 mm of slack already taken off.
Metric drawers
| Drawer | Cells | Grid | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 mm | 4 | 168 mm | 32 mm |
| 250 mm | 5 | 210 mm | 40 mm |
| 300 mm | 7 | 294 mm | 6 mm |
| 350 mm | 8 | 336 mm | 14 mm |
| 380 mm | 9 | 378 mm | 2 mm |
| 400 mm | 9 | 378 mm | 22 mm |
| 450 mm | 10 | 420 mm | 30 mm |
| 500 mm | 11 | 462 mm | 38 mm |
| 550 mm | 13 | 546 mm | 4 mm |
| 600 mm | 14 | 588 mm | 12 mm |
| 700 mm | 16 | 672 mm | 28 mm |
| 800 mm | 19 | 798 mm | 2 mm |
The leftovers are uneven: 380 mm and 800 mm are within a few millimetres of a whole grid, while 250 mm and 500 mm waste most of a cell. Check both axes; a drawer can fit well one way and poorly the other.
Inch drawers
The grid is metric, so set the drawer page to inches and the plan converts. These are the common sizes:
| Drawer | Millimetres | Cells | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 in | 304.8 mm | 7 | 10.8 mm |
| 15 in | 381 mm | 9 | 3 mm |
| 16 in | 406.4 mm | 9 | 28.4 mm |
| 18 in | 457.2 mm | 10 | 37.2 mm |
| 20 in | 508 mm | 12 | 4 mm |
| 22 in | 558.8 mm | 13 | 12.8 mm |
| 24 in | 609.6 mm | 14 | 21.6 mm |
Handling the leftover
- Under about 15 mmA solid margin around the grid; the plate cannot shift and the border stiffens it.
- 15 to 30 mmOne strip on one side rather than two half strips: a 25 mm strip at the back takes long, thin things.
- From 21 mmHalf cells where they fit: a column along one side, a row along the back, or both; what remains becomes margin. Half cells take half-size bins only, and have no magnet or screw holes.
- Over 30 mmMeasure again; a cell is easy to lose. If the space is real, leave it open for tall things instead of plating it.
Height
Width and depth set the grid; height decides whether the drawer closes. The baseplate is 4.25 mm, a bin is 7 mm per unit, and the stacking lip of the top bin adds about 4 mm: all of it under the usable height, measured from the drawer's floor to the underside of whatever is above it. An 84 mm drawer leaves room for 10 units, one deep layer or two of five. Bin heights are in whole units, and each unit includes the bin's own foot; the guide has the table of what each height holds.
Questions that come up
- A 250 mm drawer wastes 40 mm. Can it do better?Not on the standard grid: six cells need 252 mm. Make the 40 mm one strip for pens, files or long tools.
- Measure the drawer or the opening?The drawer, inside, at its tightest point. The opening is larger, and a plate sized to it does not go in.
- The drawer is not squareUse the smallest measurement on each axis; a plate sized to the widest point jams.
- Must the grid fill the drawer?No. A partial grid with open space beside it is a valid plan.