There is one number that decides whether a cabinet handle fits your kitchen, and it is not the length. It is the centre-to-centre distance — the gap between the two screw holes. Get it wrong and you are drilling fresh holes in cabinet fronts, which is a very short route from a cheap weekend upgrade to an expensive one.
Everything else about choosing handles is aesthetics and proportion. This first bit is arithmetic, so it is worth doing carefully.
Centre-to-centre, and how to measure it
Centre-to-centre — often written CTC, sometimes called hole spacing or boring distance — is measured from the middle of one screw hole to the middle of the other. Not the ends of the handle. Not the overall length.
To measure an existing handle without removing it, put the end of your tape on the centre of the left screw and read to the centre of the right one. If the handle is already off, measure between the hole centres in the door. Either way, work in millimetres. Cabinet hardware is a millimetre trade almost everywhere in the world, including in markets that otherwise use inches, and converting back and forth is where errors creep in.
The common CTC sizes you will meet:
- 64 mm (2.5 in) — small drawers, older units
- 96 mm (3.75 in) — the most common size worldwide, and the safest guess if you cannot measure
- 128 mm (5 in) — standard drawers and narrow doors
- 160 mm (6.3 in) — wider drawers
- 192 mm, 224 mm, 256 mm — large drawers and pan drawers
- 320 mm and above — wide pan drawers and appliance fronts
If you are replacing existing handles and want to avoid drilling, your CTC is fixed and it is the first filter you apply when shopping. Many ranges are made in several CTC sizes precisely so you can match what is already there.
One useful trick: some handles are sold with multiple mounting hole options, and adjustable-centre pulls exist for exactly this problem. If your existing spacing is an odd size — and older or imported units often are — these are worth seeking out before you resign yourself to filling and re-drilling.
Length: proportion to the drawer
Once CTC is settled, overall length is about proportion. The working rule is that a handle should be roughly one-third the width of the drawer front.
- Drawer up to 12 in (300 mm) — handle around 96 mm CTC, or a single knob
- 12–18 in (300–450 mm) — 128 mm CTC
- 18–24 in (450–600 mm) — 160 mm CTC
- 24–36 in (600–900 mm) — 192–256 mm CTC
- Over 36 in (900 mm) — 320 mm and up, or two handles
The one-third rule is a guide rather than a law, and current taste runs longer than it used to. A handle at closer to half the drawer width looks contemporary and deliberate. What looks wrong is a short handle marooned in the middle of a wide drawer — it makes the drawer look bigger and the handle look like an afterthought.
On very wide drawers, over about 36 inches, two handles positioned at the thirds is both better mechanically and better looking than one long one. It also stops the drawer racking when you pull from one side.
T-bar pulls are the reliable modern default. They suit flat-fronted doors, come in a wide range of centre distances, and are easy to grip.
Orientation and position
On drawers, handles run horizontally, centred left to right. Vertically, centre them on the drawer face for standard heights. On a deep pan drawer — anything over about 10 inches tall — position the handle slightly above centre. It looks better and it puts the grip closer to where your hand naturally arrives.
On doors, handles run vertically, mounted near the opening edge. Set the handle 2.5 to 3 inches in from the edge, measured to the handle centre. Height follows the same logic as knobs: on upper cabinets, position it in the lower third of the door; on base cabinets, in the upper third. Your hand should meet the handle without reaching.
On a pair of doors, mirror them and measure both from the outside edges, not from the meeting point in the middle.
On appliance fronts — integrated dishwashers and fridges — handles are usually longer and often have a fixed CTC dictated by the appliance. Check the appliance manual before assuming a standard size fits.
Projection and clearance, which people forget
Projection is how far the handle stands off the door face. Two things depend on it.
First, grip. Under about 25 mm of clearance behind the bar, larger hands struggle to get four fingers in. If anyone in the house has big hands or reduced dexterity, aim for 30 mm or more.
Second, collisions. In a corner run where two cabinet doors meet at ninety degrees, a deep handle on one door can foul the other when it opens. The same applies where a drawer sits beside a wall or an appliance. Check corners specifically before ordering a full set — it is the one place a handle choice can stop a door working.
Materials and texture
Zinc alloy dominates the market. It takes plating well and holds detail. Judge it on the plating quality rather than the base metal.
Solid brass feels notably heavier in the hand, which reads as quality every time you open a drawer. Unlacquered brass darkens where fingers land; lacquered brass keeps its colour but the coating eventually wears at contact points.
Stainless steel is the practical kitchen choice — it shrugs off moisture and cleaning products. Brushed hides fingerprints far better than polished.
Knurled finishes, where the bar is machined with a fine diamond pattern, have become extremely popular and there is a functional reason as well as a visual one: knurling grips reliably with wet or greasy hands, which is exactly the condition a kitchen handle meets.
Leather-wrapped handles look superb on wardrobes and bedroom furniture and are less suited to a kitchen, where they will absorb whatever your hands are carrying.
Knurled brass grips well with damp hands, which is why it has stayed popular past the point of being a trend.
Finish consistency
Match your handles to the largest and most visible metal item in the room — usually the tap in a kitchen. Small metal items can differ; large ones fighting each other is what looks unresolved.
If you are combining knobs and pulls, as most kitchens do, they must be the same finish and ideally the same range. Two different brass tones across one kitchen is very visible in daylight even when both looked identical in a product photo.
Finish naming is not standardised between manufacturers. Antique brass from one supplier can be a different colour to antique brass from another. If you are buying across ranges or topping up an existing set, order one sample first and compare it in your own light before committing to twenty.
Screws and installation
Handles usually ship with M4 machine screws in a standard length suited to doors around 18–20 mm thick. Measure your door thickness before ordering. The screw needs to pass through and engage 8–10 mm into the handle post; too long and it bottoms out and the handle stays loose no matter how hard you turn.
For installation, make a card or hardboard template with both holes marked and use it for every door of the same type. Drilling two holes accurately, in line, at the same height, twenty times over is not something to do by eye. A cheap two-hole jig is worth buying if you have more than about ten to fit.
Drill from the face into scrap wood clamped behind to stop the bit chipping the back as it exits. Tighten by hand at the end rather than with a driver.
Ordering
Count doors and drawers separately, decide knob-or-pull for each, then list the CTC sizes you need and the quantity of each. Add roughly ten percent spare. Ranges get discontinued, and replacing one broken handle four years later with a non-matching substitute is more visible than you would think.
The summary
- Measure centre-to-centre first, in millimetres, hole centre to hole centre.
- 96 mm is the most common size; match existing CTC if you want to avoid re-drilling.
- Length roughly one-third to one-half of drawer width; two handles over 36 inches.
- Horizontal and centred on drawers; vertical, 2.5–3 inches from the opening edge on doors.
- Check projection at corners before ordering a full set.
- Match the finish to the tap, and order a sample if buying across ranges.
Browse the full handles collection, or narrow to cupboard handles and wardrobe handles depending on the job. If you are fitting knobs rather than pulls, the sizing and placement rules are different — our guide to cabinet knobs covers those.