Cabinet Designer – Help & User Guide

Everything you need to design professional cabinets, generate accurate cut lists and edge banding information, all for free at cabinetdesigner.org.

Getting Started

Cabinet Designer is a free online 3D cabinet design tool. You can design custom furniture cabinets, wardrobes, kitchen units, and any box-shaped furniture — then instantly generate a precision cut list with edge banding details, ready to hand to a workshop or CNC operator. Additionally, with the built-in 3D kitchen planner and room planner, you can arrange complete kitchen layouts, fitted wardrobes, and multi-unit furniture installations in a full 3D room scene.

No installation required. Works in any modern browser. You can use it as a guest (data saved in the browser) or sign in with Google to save projects to the cloud and access them from any device.

💡 Tip: Sign in with Google to save projects permanently and access them from any device.

→ Open Cabinet Designer and start designing for free

📁 Projects

A Project is the top-level container. One project represents a furniture set (e.g., a kitchen, a wardrobe room, a study). Each project can contain multiple cabinet modules.

Creating a Project

1 Click the Projects menu in the top navbar.

2 Click New Project.

3 Enter a name for your project and click Create Project.

4 You will be taken to the Design page automatically.

Opening an Existing Project

Go to Projects → Projects List and click Open next to any project. The design page will load with all the project's modules.

📌 Guest users' projects are saved only in the browser's localStorage. Clear browser data and they are gone. Sign in to back them up to the cloud.

🗂 Cabinet Modules

A Module is a single cabinet box (carcass). Within a project you can have multiple modules — for example a tall pantry unit, a base unit, and an overhead unit.

Adding a Module

1 In the Design page, click + Add Module in the left panel.

2 Choose blank module or pick from the catalog of pre-designed templates.

3 Set the name. The module appears in the 3D viewport immediately.

Switching Between Modules

Click any module name in the Module List on the left. The 3D viewport will reload that module's scene and an independent camera position is remembered per module.

Deleting a Module

Click the delete icon next to the module name in the list. You will be asked to confirm before deletion.

⚙️ Module Properties

Select a module, then open the Properties Panel on the right to configure every aspect of the cabinet.

Dimensions (Exterior & Interior)

You can set dimensions in two ways:

Mode	Description
Exterior (mm)	Total outer dimensions of the cabinet — Width × Height × Depth.
Interior (mm)	Inner usable dimensions (auto-subtracted by panel thickness).

The resize direction arrows control which side moves when you change a dimension:

→ (expand right): left panel stays fixed, right boundary moves.
← (expand left): right panel stays fixed, left boundary moves.
↑ (expand up): bottom panel stays fixed, top boundary moves.
↓ (expand down): top panel stays fixed, bottom boundary moves.

Maximum dimension: 3660 mm. Minimum area dimension: 100 mm.

Connection Type

Type	Description
Side Support	Left & right panels run full height. Top & bottom panels are inserted between the sides.
Top-Bottom Support	Top & bottom panels run full width. Left & right panels are inserted between top and bottom.

This affects the cut dimensions in the cut list — choose the construction style that matches your workflow.

Crown (Cornice)

Option	Description
No Crown	No decorative crown added.
Top-Mounted	Crown sits on top of the cabinet, adding to the total height.
Overlapping	Crown overlaps the cabinet sides for a more classic look.

Crown height is configurable (50–500 mm) and it appears in the cut list as a separate panel.

Edge Band Settings

Edge banding is the thin strip applied to the visible cut edges of panels. Cabinet Designer tracks edge bands per panel and prints them in the cut list.

Field	Description
Internal Band (mm)	Thickness of edge band applied to internal panels (shelves, dividers, etc.).
Door/Drawer Band (mm)	Thickness of edge band on door and drawer fronts.

📌 Standard edge band thicknesses: 0.4 mm (thin, economy), 1 mm (standard), 2 mm (thick / solid wood look).

Backpanel

Backpanel Thickness (mm): Thickness of the rear closing panel. Set to 0 to omit it.
Show Backpanel: Toggle visibility in the 3D view without removing it from the cut list.
Backpanel Color: Choose a different material finish for the backpanel if desired.

Materials & Colors

Body Material Color sets the visual finish for the entire cabinet carcass in the 3D view. Choices include Plain White, Oak, Maple, Walnut, Grey, Red, and Patterned White. This also appears in the cut list material column.

📐 Areas (Compartments)

Click anywhere on the 3D cabinet front face to select an area (highlighted in blue). An area represents a compartment inside the cabinet. Initially there is one area covering the full interior.

You can split areas recursively by adding dividers (vertical) or shelves (horizontal). Each sub-area can then have its own doors, drawers, or further subdivisions.

Inner Dimensions of an Area

After selecting an area, the Area Properties panel shows its inner dimensions. You can type directly in the width/height fields to resize the area. The resize direction arrows (same as module-level) control which boundary moves.

Dividers (Vertical Splits)

Dividers split an area vertically into equal-width sub-areas.

1 Select an area by clicking it in the 3D view.

2 In the Area Properties panel, set Divider Count to 1, 2, 3… (up to available width / min 100 mm per sub-area).

3 Press Enter or click away. Dividers appear immediately in the 3D view and are added to the cut list.

⚠️ You cannot add a divider to an area that already has doors or drawers. Remove them first.

Shelves (Horizontal Splits)

Shelves split an area horizontally into equal-height sub-areas.

1 Select an area.

2 Set Shelf Count in the Area Properties panel.

3 Optionally set Shelf Inset (mm) — how far the shelf is set back from the front of the cabinet (useful to leave room for door clearance).

4 Toggle Fixed Shelf if the shelf is glued/nailed (affects cut list tag).

Doors

Doors are added per area. The door front covers the selected area.

Field	Description
Door Count	0 (none), 1 (single door), or 2 (double / bi-fold doors). Double doors are split at the center.
Handle Position	Where the handle sits: top, bottom, left, right. For double doors this is fixed to the inward-facing edges.
External Front (mm)	How far the door front protrudes beyond the cabinet opening. Used for overlay doors (typically 10–20 mm).
Show Door	Toggle door visibility in the 3D view (does not affect cut list).

⚠️ You can only add a door to a leaf area (one with no sub-areas). If a child area has a door, the parent cannot also have one.

Drawers

Drawers are added to an area. The system generates the box construction (front face + four sides + bottom).

Field	Description
Drawer Count	Number of equal-height drawers stacked vertically in the area. Max depends on area height (min 80 mm per drawer).
External Front (mm)	Overlay amount for the drawer face panel.

All drawer box panels (left side, right side, back, bottom, front face) appear individually in the cut list with their correct dimensions.

📋 Cut List (Parts List)

The Cut List is the main output of Cabinet Designer. Click "Complete Project" from the toolbar to navigate to the parts list page.

For each panel you get:

Column	Description
Part Name	Descriptive name: Bottom Panel, Left Panel, Shelf, Divider, Door, Drawer Front, etc.
Long Edge (mm)	Longer dimension of the panel.
Short Edge (mm)	Shorter dimension of the panel.
Thickness (mm)	Panel thickness (from module settings).
Quantity	How many identical pieces.
Material / Color	Material and color finish for this part.
Long Edge Banding 1/2	Edge band thickness for the long edges.
Short Edge Banding 1/2	Edge band thickness for the short edges.

Use Export to Excel to download the full list, or Print to open a printable view.

💡 Hand the Excel file directly to your panel cutting supplier or CNC operator. All dimensions are in millimeters.

→ Try Cabinet Designer for free — generate your first cut list in minutes

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts & Mouse Controls

Action	Control
Zoom In / Zoom Out	`Mouse Wheel`
3D Rotation	`Left Click + Drag`
Pan Camera	`Space` + `Left Click + Drag`
Undo	`Ctrl + Z`
Redo	`Ctrl + Y`
Select Area	`Left Click` on cabinet face
Apply dimension change	`Enter`

🛠 Toolbar Reference

Button	Function
Undo / Redo	Step back or forward through your design history.
Show/Hide Doors	Toggle visibility of all doors at once (global toggle).
Dimension Lines	Show/hide ruler overlay displaying each area's inner dimensions.
Center View	Reset camera position to center the cabinet in view.
Exploded View	Spread all panels apart so you can see each component separately with dimension callouts.
Keyboard Shortcuts	Show the shortcuts reference dialog.
Complete Project	Navigate to the Cut List / Parts List page.

💡 Tips & FAQ

Why is my dimension change not applying?

Press Enter after typing a dimension value, or click outside the field. Values are validated — they must be between 100 mm and 3660 mm.

Why can't I add a door to this area?

Doors can only be added to leaf areas (areas with no sub-areas). Either remove the child areas first, or add the door to the innermost sub-area.

The number of drawers is limited — why?

Each drawer requires at least 80 mm of height. If the area is too short, the system will not allow adding more drawers.

How do I make a two-door wardrobe with shelves inside?

Create a module with appropriate dimensions (e.g. 900×2100×580 mm).
Select the main area.
Set Door Count = 2 on the main area (two full-height doors).
Click the main area again to select the parent, then set Shelf Count to add internal shelves.

📌 The door is on the parent area; shelves are on the same parent area simultaneously — they do not conflict.

Can I save a module as a template?

Yes. Admins can add modules to the Catalog using the catalog toolbar button. Other users can then insert catalog items when adding new modules.

Do I need to sign in?

No — you can use the full tool as a guest. Your data is saved in the browser. Sign in with Google to sync to the cloud and access from multiple devices.

🏠 Scene Screen – 3D Kitchen & Room Designer

The Scene Screen is Cabinet Designer's built-in kitchen designer and full-room furniture layout tool. While the Design page focuses on a single cabinet module, the Scene Screen lets you place multiple modules into a 3D room — with back wall, left wall, and right wall — to plan complete kitchen cabinet layouts, fitted wardrobes, walk-in closets, and any multi-unit furniture project.

Access the Scene Screen by clicking the Scene tab in the project toolbar. It is the final step before generating the complete project cut list — and it doubles as a free kitchen planner and room visualizer.

💡 Free Kitchen Designer: Cabinet Designer's Scene Screen is the fastest way to design a full kitchen online — arrange units against multiple walls, adjust gaps, open doors, add handles, and export a professional cut list — all free at cabinetdesigner.org.

Room Setup

Before placing modules, configure your room dimensions by clicking Edit Room in the scene toolbar:

Setting	Description
Back Wall Width (mm)	Total width of the back wall. All back-wall modules are positioned along this axis.
Back Wall Height (mm)	Room ceiling height — used to scale the 3D view accurately.
Left Wall Depth (mm)	Depth of the left wall (front-to-back). Set to 0 to disable the left wall.
Right Wall Depth (mm)	Depth of the right wall. Set to 0 to disable the right wall.

📌 Left/right wall modules are positioned along the z-axis (distance from the back wall). Back-wall modules are positioned along the x-axis (distance from the left end).

Adding Modules from the Catalog

The Scene Screen provides a catalog of ready-made cabinet types — base units, wall units, tall units, corner units, and more — that you can drop directly into the 3D room. This is the recommended workflow for kitchen cabinet design: select a unit type from the catalog, choose a wall, then adjust dimensions and position as needed.

1 Click + Add Module or the catalog icon in the scene toolbar.

2 Browse by category (Base Units, Wall Units, Tall Units, etc.) and click the desired cabinet type.

3 Select which wall to place it against: Back, Left, or Right.

4 The module is placed at a default position. Adjust its exact position using the controls in the right panel.

💡 Catalog modules come pre-configured with typical shelves, doors, or drawers. Open the Design page for any module to further customize its internal layout.

Positioning Modules

Click a module in the 3D scene to select it. The right panel shows precise position controls:

Control	Description
Distance from Left (mm)	Gap from the left room wall (or nearest left-side module) to the left face of this module.
Distance from Right (mm)	Gap from the right face of this module to the right room wall (or nearest right-side module).
Distance from Back Wall (mm)	For left/right wall modules: distance of the module's front face from the back wall. Enter 0 to push it flush against the back wall.

Type a value and press Enter to move the module. The Neighbor Gaps display shows measured distances to adjacent modules, helping you snap units flush or set exact gaps.

⚠️ Modules cannot overlap. If a position would cause a collision or push a module out of the room boundaries, the move is blocked and a warning is shown.

Copying (Duplicating) Modules

Duplicate any scene module to create an identical copy — useful when a kitchen run uses the same base unit type multiple times.

1 Select the module by clicking it in the scene.

2 Click the Copy icon in the module's action bar in the right panel.

3 A copy is created next to the original. Move it to the desired position.

📌 Copies are fully independent. Modifying the copy's design (dimensions, shelves, doors) does not affect the original module.

Alignment & Cascade Move

When positioning modules, Cabinet Designer detects whether moving one module would push others. This cascade move feature is especially useful in kitchen design when you need to shift a whole run of units to make room for an appliance gap.

When a move would push neighboring modules, a confirmation dialog appears: "This will also move N other module(s). Confirm?"
Click Confirm to move all affected modules together, maintaining flush joints.
Click Cancel to keep everything in place.
If the cascade would push any module beyond the room boundary, the move is blocked with an "Out of bounds" warning.

💡 To close all gaps in a kitchen run in one step: move the first unit flush to the wall and confirm the cascade — all units slide flush together.

Accessories (Handles, Knobs & Hardware)

Add hardware accessories to any module to complete the kitchen designer visualization. Each module can have one or more accessories.

1 Select a module in the scene.

2 Open the Accessories tab in the right panel.

3 Click Add Accessory and choose a type: bar handle, knob, J-pull, integrated grip, etc.

4 Adjust the position (left/right offset, height), orientation (horizontal or vertical), and material finish (stainless, black, gold, etc.).

5 The accessory renders on the module in the 3D scene in real time.

📌 Accessories are linked to their parent module. If the module is deleted from the scene, its accessories are removed automatically.

Opening Doors & Changing Colors in the Scene

Opening Cabinet Doors

In the Scene Screen you can swing doors open to visualize interior storage and check clearances in the room:

1 Select the module.

2 In the right panel, use the Door Open Angle slider (0° = closed, 90° = fully open).

3 Use the toolbar's Toggle All Doors button to open or close every module's doors at once.

Body & Front Colors

In the Scene Screen, each module can have its own body color and front (door/drawer face) color, independent of other modules. This lets you visualize real kitchen cabinet combinations:

Select a module and open the Appearance section in the right panel.
Body Color: the carcass finish (white, grey, oak, walnut, etc.).
Front Color: the door and drawer face finish — can differ from the body color.
Changes are reflected instantly in the 3D scene.

💡 As a kitchen designer tool, try pairing a white carcass with a dark anthracite front, or an oak carcass with a cream-white front — the real-time 3D visualization helps you decide before cutting a single panel.

→ Design your full kitchen layout for free at cabinetdesigner.org