Adding extra custom kitchen cabinets can help increase your kitchen’s storage space and improve its functionality. But, in addition to the cabinet styles, you should also consider how much weight load they can support.
In this guide, The Kitchen Store elaborates on the amount of weight a standard cabinet can usually support and the features that can help improve their sturdiness.
The Industry Standards for Kitchen Cabinets
There’s no set standard for kitchen cabinet weight capacity because there are too many variables— cabinet material, construction and design, fasteners, cabinet hanging screws, supports, studs and joists—that affect its sturdiness. Most manufacturers voluntarily set their own standards. In general, however, the weight capacity of a standard kitchen cabinet won’t exceed 500 pounds.
What about custom kitchen cabinets? Custom manufacturers don’t publish their cabinets’ ratings, but custom cabinets usually exceed industry standards.
You shouldn’t worry too much about your kitchen cabinets’ weight capacity. As long as your cabinets were installed by a qualified custom kitchen remodeling contractor, they should be able to handle the weight load from everyday kitchen items. That said, it wouldn’t hurt to learn more about the
Features to Look for in Quality Cabinets
You can usually tell if a kitchen cabinet has enough weight capacity for everyday needs by checking the kind of support the type of braces installed.
Quality cabinets usually have these types of braces:
- Furniture broad braces – Furniture broad braces are able to provide strong support for cabinets because they’re installed using glue and nails that are attached to every corner of the cabinet box.
- Plywood I-beams – These types of braces aren’t installed in wall cabinets because the beams aren’t open on either side.
- Plastic corner gussets – This type of brace is more affordable than the two but can still provide enough support.
For more tips on choosing quality kitchen cabinets, consult an experienced kitchen remodeler.
The Kitchen Store is a local kitchen remodeling and cabinet expert with more than five decades of experience. To request a free safe private showroom consultation, call us at (310) 572-7515 or fill out this form. We serve homeowners in Beverly Hills, California, as well as the surrounding communities.
