Intermediate · A day per cabinet, less in batches · Last reviewed
Base cabinet plans: plywood carcass cut list
The carcass of a standard frameless kitchen or garage base cabinet: 3/4" plywood sides notched for the toe kick, a bottom, two top stretchers, adjustable shelves and a 1/4" back. Defaults follow common US kitchen dimensions; change any of them and the plywood layout and parts follow.
Drawing
6 parts · 8 pieces- Box
- 24" W × 34 1/2" H × 23 1/4" D
- Counter height with 1 1/2" top
- 36"
- Inside
- 22 1/2" wide
Base cabinet: 8 pieces. Buy 1 × 3/4" plywood, 1 × 1/4" plywood.
Parts
Cut list
| Part | Name | Qty | Length | Width | Thick | Cut from | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Side | 2 | 34 1/2" | 23" | 3/4" | 3/4" plywood | toe notch 4" × 3" at front bottom |
| B | Bottom | 1 | 22 1/2" | 23" | 3/4" | 3/4" plywood | |
| C | Top stretcher | 2 | 22 1/2" | 4" | 3/4" | 3/4" plywood | front and back |
| D | Toe kick | 1 | 22 1/2" | 4" | 3/4" | 3/4" plywood | |
| E | Shelf | 1 | 22 3/8" | 22" | 3/4" | 3/4" plywood | 1/16" clearance each end |
| F | Back | 1 | 34 1/2" | 24" | 1/4" | 1/4" plywood |
Shopping list
1 ×
3/4" plywood, 4 × 8 ft sheet
Parts A, B, C, D, E · 62% of the sheet area used
Board feet bought: 0 BF nominal (0 BF in the finished parts, actual size). Every list allows a 1/8" saw kerf per cut and assumes defect-free stock; tally board feet or price the boards to compare lengths.
Hardware and tools
| Qty | Item and use |
|---|---|
| 20 | 1 1/4" pocket-hole screws, or #8 × 1 5/8" wood screws Bottom (4 per side), stretchers (2 per end), toe kick (2 per end) |
| 24 | #6 × 5/8" screws or 3/4" staples Back, every 6" around the edge and along the bottom |
| 4 | 5 mm shelf pins 4 per shelf |
| 13 ft | Edge banding, iron-on Front edges of sides, bottom, front stretcher and shelves |
| 4 | #10 × 3" cabinet screws Through the back stretcher into wall studs |
| 1 bottle | Wood glue All carcass joints |
Tools
- Table saw or track saw
- Drill/driver
- Pocket-hole jig or countersink bit
- Shelf-pin jig
- Clamps
- Edge-banding iron and trimmer
Build steps
- Rip the plywood and cut the parts to the cut list. Cut both sides together and the four 22 1/2" parts (bottom, stretchers, kick) with one fence setting so they match exactly.
- Cut the toe-kick notch in the front bottom corner of each side: 4" high and 3" deep. A jigsaw or a few plunge cuts with the circular saw, finished with a handsaw, both work.
- Iron edge banding onto the front edges of the sides, the bottom, the front stretcher and the shelves, and trim it flush, before assembly.
- Drill two rows of 5 mm shelf-pin holes on the inside of each side, about 1 1/2" from the front and back edges, 32 mm (1 1/4") apart, between the bottom and the stretchers.
- Glue and screw the bottom between the sides with its underside 4" above the floor, flush with the top of the toe notch.
- Fit the two stretchers flat across the top, one flush with the front edges and one with the back edges, with glue and two screws per end.
- Fit the toe kick between the sides under the bottom, set back 3" so its face lines up with the notches.
- Square the carcass (equal diagonals) and screw on the back every 6". The back is what holds it square, so fix it before the glue sets.
Standard base cabinet dimensions
US kitchen base cabinets are built to a 36" counter height: a 34 1/2" box plus a 1 1/2" countertop. The box is about 23 1/4" deep including its back, and a 3/4" door brings the front to 24". Widths run from 9" to 48" in 3" steps. The toe kick is typically about 4" high and 3" deep so your feet fit under the counter edge.
These are conventions, not rules. A garage or workshop cabinet can be any size; the defaults are here so that a kitchen cabinet you build lines up with a catalogue countertop, doors and appliances.
How this carcass goes together
It is a frameless box: no face frame, so the plywood edges are the front and get edge banding. The bottom and two flat stretchers fit between the sides; the stretchers are what the countertop is screwed up through. The applied back holds the box square and carries the fixing screws to the wall studs.
Plywood sold as 3/4" is often 23/32" (0.72") actual. Measure yours and type it into the thickness field: every between-the-sides part depends on it, and a 1/32" error on each side adds up.
Where the plan stops being reliable
Doors, drawers, hinges and the countertop are not included. Hinge and drawer-slide makers publish their own clearances, which change the inside dimensions you need; check them before cutting if you are fitting drawers.
The sheet layout ignores the direction of the face veneer. If the grain must run vertically on the sides, use the sheet cut optimizer with the grain lock on (the "send to" link fills it in).
Safety
Wear eye and hearing protection, keep guards on saws, and support long boards and full sheets on both sides of the cut. Pre-drill near board ends so screws do not split the wood. The plan is a woodworking guide, not an engineered design: it has no load ratings, and it does not replace the instructions that come with your tools and fasteners.
About this plan
Designed for LCuts from standard practice for this kind of build; the dimensions, cut list and steps are computed from your inputs by code you can check on the methods page. The shopping list runs every part through the cut list optimizer (boards) and the sheet cut optimizer (plywood), with the same heuristics and lower bounds. Last reviewed September 30, 2026.
Common questions
What are standard base cabinet dimensions?
In the US, 34 1/2 inches tall (36 inches with the countertop), about 24 inches deep including a 3/4-inch door, and 9 to 48 inches wide in 3-inch steps. The toe kick is about 4 inches high and 3 inches deep.
How many sheets of plywood for a base cabinet?
A single 24-inch base cabinet carcass fits on one 4 by 8 sheet of 3/4-inch plywood plus part of a 1/4-inch sheet for the back. The sheet layout above shows the exact count for your size, with saw kerf included.
Should I use 1/2 or 3/4 inch plywood for cabinets?
Three-quarter-inch plywood is standard for sides and bottoms because it holds screws and shelf pins well. Half-inch works for light-duty carcasses and backs; set the thickness field and every part adjusts.
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