Cabinet hinges come in different overlay configurations to accommodate various door and cabinet relationships. Understanding full overlay, half overlay, and inset mounting helps you select the correct hinges for your cabinet design.
Full Overlay Hinges
Full overlay hinges allow the door to cover the entire cabinet face frame or the full thickness of frameless cabinet sides. The door overlaps approximately 3/4 inch on each side, completely hiding the cabinet opening. This is the standard configuration for frameless (European-style) cabinets and face-frame cabinets where doors cover the frame entirely.
The hinge cup mounts in the door, and the mounting plate attaches to the cabinet side. The hinge arm is bent to position the door the full overlay distance from the cabinet side. When doors close, they meet at the cabinet center with both overlaying their respective sides fully.
Half Overlay Characteristics
Half overlay hinges work for situations where two doors share a common center partition. Each door overlays approximately 3/8 inch, allowing both doors to close against the shared center panel without interfering. The total overlay from both doors equals approximately 3/4 inch—matching the partition thickness.
The hinge arm is bent differently than full overlay hinges to reduce the overlay distance. You can’t interchange full and half overlay hinges—they’re designed for specific applications. Using full overlay hinges where you need half overlay results in doors that won’t close properly or hit each other at the center.
Inset Door Applications
Inset hinges mount doors flush with the face frame or cabinet front. The door sits inside the cabinet opening rather than overlaying it. This traditional style shows the full face frame around each door, creating a furniture-like appearance.
Inset mounting requires precise door sizing and installation. Gaps around the door must be uniform—typically 1/16 to 1/8 inch—which demands accurate cutting and hinge positioning. Overlay styles are more forgiving since the door covers any irregularities in the cabinet opening.
Face Frame vs Frameless
Face frame cabinets with overlay doors use hinges designed to account for the frame thickness. The mounting plate positions the hinge behind the face frame, allowing the door to overlay the frame front. Standard face frame hinges work with 3/4-inch frame thickness.
Frameless cabinets mount hinges directly to the cabinet side panel. The mounting plate screws to the panel edge, and the hinge positions the door to overlay the panel thickness. Frameless hinges are not compatible with face frame applications—they position the door incorrectly.
Hinge Cup Size
Most cabinet hinges use a 35mm hinge cup that requires a 35mm Forstner bit for drilling. The cup depth is standardized at 12-13mm regardless of overlay style. The hinge arm and mounting plate vary between styles, but the cup size remains constant.
This standardization means you can drill all cup holes identically regardless of which overlay style you’re using. The specific hinge type determines the final door position, not the cup mounting.
Mounting Plate Options
Different mounting plates work with the same hinge cups to create various overlay amounts. Some manufacturers offer 0mm, +3mm, and -3mm mounting plates that adjust the door position slightly without changing hinges. This allows fine-tuning door fit after installation.
The plates typically use the same screw hole pattern, making them interchangeable. If doors don’t quite align correctly after installation, swapping mounting plates may fix the problem without re-drilling hinge cups or relocating plates.
Adjustment Capabilities
Quality cabinet hinges provide three-dimensional adjustment: in-and-out (depth), up-and-down (height), and side-to-side (lateral). Adjustment ranges are typically ±2mm in each direction. These adjustments correct for minor installation errors and allow doors to be perfectly aligned.
Depth adjustment changes how far the door projects from the cabinet or how tightly it closes. Height adjustment levels doors vertically. Lateral adjustment shifts doors side-to-side to center them in the opening or align them with adjacent doors.
Cheap hinges often lack adjustment capability or provide only single-axis adjustment. The inability to adjust makes proper door alignment nearly impossible without perfect initial installation.
Opening Angles
Standard cabinet hinges open approximately 95-110 degrees. This provides adequate access to cabinet interiors for most applications. The door clears the opening and allows reasonable access without opening to a full 180 degrees.
Wide-angle hinges open to 165-175 degrees, useful when you need full access to cabinet interiors—pantry cabinets, for example. The wide opening allows removing large items without the door interfering. These hinges cost slightly more than standard-opening versions.
Soft-Close Features
Soft-close hinges include a damping mechanism that slows the door during the last few inches of closing. This prevents slamming and reduces wear on cabinets and hinges. The feature adds $3-8 per hinge compared to standard versions.
The soft-close mechanism works regardless of overlay style. Full, half, and inset versions are all available with soft-close. The damping occurs in the hinge arm, not the mounting plate, so the feature works identically across hinge types.
Load Ratings
Standard cabinet hinges support doors up to approximately 30-35 pounds per pair of hinges. Larger or heavier doors require either additional hinges or heavy-duty versions rated for higher loads.
The overlay style doesn’t significantly affect load rating—a full overlay hinge has similar load capacity to a half overlay hinge of the same quality and design. Weight capacity depends on hinge construction quality and arm strength, not the overlay configuration.
Selection Guidelines
For frameless cabinets: Use full overlay hinges on exterior doors. Use half overlay hinges where doors share a common partition. Verify the hinges are designed for frameless application.
For face frame cabinets: Specify face frame versions in the appropriate overlay style. Full overlay is most common. Inset requires face frame-specific inset hinges. Standard frameless hinges won’t position correctly on face frame cabinets.
Measure your specific application if you’re unsure. Full overlay should cover the face frame or panel edge completely. Half overlay should allow two doors to close against a shared partition. Inset should position the door flush with the face frame surface. Select hinges designed for your measured requirements.
