Drawer runner
load ratings.
A sagging drawer is almost never a fitting problem. It is a runner that was never rated for what went into it.
The short answer
A drawer runner’s load rating is the weight the manufacturer certifies it to carry over its rated cycle life, usually expressed in kilograms per pair. Quality kitchen runners are typically rated around 30 to 50kg per pair, which is well beyond what a household loads into a drawer. Unbranded runners often carry no published rating at all. The symptom of an under-rated runner is a drawer that drops at the front, binds when opened, and eventually stops closing flush.
What the rating actually covers
Two things: the weight, and the number of open-close cycles at that weight. A runner rated to 40kg is not rated to hold 40kg once; it is rated to carry it repeatedly for a tested life. That second half is what separates a branded runner from an unmarked one, and it is the half that never appears in a sales description.
Where it matters most
Pot drawers under a cooktop, which carry cast iron. Pantry drawers, which people fill more heavily than they expect. Wide drawers, because the same weight on a longer runner puts more leverage on the mounting. A 900mm drawer full of crockery is the test case for whether the specification was honest.
How to tell before buying
Ask the brand and the rating, and ask for it in writing on the quote. A supplier who names Blum, Hettich or Grass and gives a figure is telling you something checkable. A supplier who says "soft close runners" and nothing further is telling you something too. Our full-extension runner guide covers the other half of the specification.
What we fit
Blum full-extension runners with soft close as standard on every drawer, at no separate line. The brand and the rating go on the quote so you can hold them against any other quote you get.
Sizes, hardware and services
More in this series: Standard cabinet sizes · Bench height · Hinge overlay · Benchtop thickness · Drawers vs cupboards · Appliance cut-outs · Undermount vs topmount · Under-cabinet lighting · Soft close vs push to open · The work triangle · Power point placement.
Frequently asked
Common questions
If your question is not here, call the studio. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
Ask us directly →What is a drawer runner load rating?
The weight a manufacturer certifies a pair of runners to carry, over a tested number of open-close cycles.
Why do drawers sag?
Almost always an under-rated or unbranded runner, not bad fitting. The front drops, the drawer binds, and eventually it will not close flush.
What load rating does a kitchen drawer need?
Quality kitchen runners are typically rated around 30 to 50kg per pair, which is comfortably beyond normal household loading. The issue is runners with no published rating at all.
Does the rating matter for small drawers?
Less, but wide drawers and pot drawers are where it shows. A 900mm drawer full of crockery finds out whether the specification was honest.
Delivered assembled
The assembly is done
before it arrives.
Carcasses built square on a bench, Blum hardware fitted, doors hung and adjusted to even gaps. On site you are fixing finished cabinets to a wall, not building them on the floor. Our own team fits it in Central Queensland; your installer fits it anywhere else in Australia. Prefer to build it yourself? The same kitchen ships flat pack.
American oak and stone
Black joinery, marble bar
Concrete-look doors, matte black hardware
Specification
The same three answers,
on every quote.
Board thickness and moisture rating, edging method, hardware brand. Ours are printed on the quote so you can hold them against anything else you are offered.