Want to change the handles on a dresser, a sideboard or your kitchen cabinets? Before choosing a shape or a color, there's one measurement you need to know: the hole spacing. It's what guarantees your new handles will screw into the existing holes, with no drilling.
What is hole spacing?
Hole spacing is the distance between the centers of a handle's two mounting holes (center-to-center). So it's not the length of the handle: two handles of different lengths can have the same hole spacing. Cabinet knobs only have a single hole, so there's no hole spacing to measure.
The 1-minute method
- Unscrew one handle to see the two holes (or measure directly between the two screws if you can't remove it).
- Measure from the center of one hole to the center of the other, in millimeters.
- Tip if the center is hard to pinpoint: measure from the left edge of the first hole to the left edge of the second. You get exactly the same value.
- Double-check on a second handle: on an old piece of furniture, they aren't always all identical.
Standard hole spacings
The vast majority of furniture uses hole spacings in multiples of 32 mm: 96, 128, 160, 192 and 256 mm are the most common. If your measurement is within 1 or 2 mm of one of these values, that's the one.
At BENGA Studio, our handles come in these standard hole spacings:
- OLALA cabinet handles: wavy shapes, 5 sizes from 96 to 256 mm, 19 colors.
- POP cabinet handles: bubble shapes, 4 sizes from 96 to 192 mm, 15 colors.
Screws are included with every handle.
What if your hole spacing isn't standard?
- Switch to knobs: a knob mounts on a single hole. You can reuse one of the two existing holes and fill the other with a little wood filler. Our STIMULO knobs come in 6 shapes and 19 colors.
- Redrill: fill the old holes, then drill at the new hole spacing using a cardboard template.
One last thing: the thickness of the drawer front
Before you order, also measure the thickness of your drawer fronts. On very thick fronts, a longer screw may be needed. If in doubt, email us at contact@bengastudio.fr with your measurement: we'll be happy to help.
Got your hole spacing? Discover all our colorful cabinet handles and knobs, 3D printed to order in our workshop in Saint-Marcellin, France.