How to Choose a Drawer Slide

When choosing the correct drawer slide there are a number of things that you need to take into consideration. Read the following guide below to determine which drawer slide is the most suitable for your requirement

Load Rating

The load rating is an extremely important factor to consider when selecting a drawer slide. At Eurofit Direct we categorise our slides into Light, Medium and Heavy Duty load ratings. Our selection of slides range from 10kg slides suitable for most kitchen drawers, up to 250kg heavy duty slides used for drawers storing tools and industrial components.

Light Duty Ball Bearing Slides - (10kg - 15kg)

Medium Duty Ball Bearing Slides - (35kg - 45kg)

Heavy Duty Ball Bearing Slides - (120kg - 250kg)

This applies to all Drawer Slides when they are at full extension and fitted as a pair whilst side mounted.

Fixing Method

The means by which the slide is affixed to the drawer, the three main varieties of this are by Screw, Dowel or Clamp. At Eurofit Direct we only sell screw fix methods however the other methods are available to order, for example clamp fittings are used on production lines for mass produced furniture. 

Fixing Positions

The location of the drawer slide once affixed. Generally if the slide is a ball bearing slide then it will attach to the side of the drawer, however if the slide is a bottom fixed roller then naturally they will be attached to the bottom of the drawer. All our slides have multiple holes for easy fitting depending on the size of the carcass.

One important factor to consider when installing drawer slides is the locations of the slides when fixed to the drawer unit. If this is done incorrectly then the load rating will not be preserved or worse the application will fail. Please see the following graphic below which explains the different combinations for fitting a drawer slide...

Drawer Length

Depending on the size of the drawer unit you will need a drawer slide to match, the length is measured as the longest dimension of a fully closed slide - so the slide should fit the length of the drawer. Slides normally come in regular lengths rounded to the nearest 50mm - although mini slides are a bit more irregular in their sizing.

Drawer Opening or Extension

The slide 'extension' is the length to which the drawer will pull out from the drawer unit, in other words the full drawer length when open. Depending on the use of the drawer you may require a 75% slide which extends the drawer out to 75% the length of the slide, or a full extension which will extend the drawer outwards to 100% of the length of the slide. In kitchens you find most drawers extend 100%, whereas in bedroom furniture or office furniture you find more 75% extension slides.

Installation Width

The installation width is how much space the slide will separate the drawer from the drawer unit or carcass, this will largely depend on; the size of the slide, its fixing position, and its load rating.