Free wall cabinet plans for a single 600 mm-wide, 720 mm-tall frameless upper kitchen cabinet (a "cupboard" if you learned your woodworking east of the Atlantic) - two doors, two adjustable shelves, and a pair of hang rails that carry the whole load into the wall studs. You get the parts list, dimensions, material breakdown, and an optimized cutting diagram you can download as a PDF.
The entire cabinet cuts from one sheet of 18 mm plywood - all 11 parts, kerf included. Uppers are shallower than base units (320 mm here vs 580), which is what makes the single-sheet trick work. Building the lowers too? See the base cabinet plans for one unit or the kitchen cabinet plans for a full 10-foot run.
Cut list for a wall cabinet
The full cut list for this wall cabinet is 11 parts across 6 part types: 2 side panels, a top and a bottom, 2 adjustable shelves, 1 back panel, 2 doors, and 2 hang rails. Every dimension is in mm so you can move straight from cut list to saw fence without converting.
Wall cabinets get a full top and bottom (unlike a base cabinet's stretchers) because both faces show and both carry shelf loads. The hang rails are the part most plans forget: two 80 mm strips let you drive screws through solid material into studs instead of hoping the back panel holds. The optimizer below nests all 11 parts on the sheet with kerf applied to every cut.
What's in the PDF
- Parts list with dimensions - 11 parts total across 6 part types. Every part labeled, quantified, and dimensioned in mm.
- Optimized cutting diagram - all 11 parts nested on a single 18 mm plywood sheet (2440 × 1220 mm / 4'×8'), color-coded by part type.
- Sheet count and material cost estimate - one sheet, one price; the PDF shows the exact layout.
- Kerf accounted for - 3.2 mm (1/8") default, adjustable to your blade.
Click "Open in Optimizer" below - your parts and stock are pre-filled, you just download the PDF. No signup needed for a single optimization.
Tools you'll need
- Table saw or track saw - one sheet means one afternoon of cutting
- Drill driver plus a 35 mm Forstner bit for hinge cups
- Pocket-hole jig and a shelf-pin jig
- Edge-banding iron and flush-trim bit
- Stud finder, level, and long screws (5×70 mm minimum) for hanging
- A second pair of hands or a cabinet lift for the hanging step
Time estimate
An afternoon to cut, band, and drill; an evening to assemble and hang the doors; half an hour on the wall. The hanging step is the only part you shouldn't do alone - a finished upper is awkward overhead even before you load it with plates.
Build sequence
1. Cut the sides, top, and bottom first - the carcass parts share the 320 mm depth rip, so run them at one fence setting.
2. Cut the shelves, back, doors, and hang rails. Doors get the cleanest cuts; the rails come out of offcuts.
3. Edge-band the front edges of sides, top, bottom, and shelves, plus all door edges.
4. Drill shelf-pin rows and hinge cups before assembly - a wall cabinet is too small to drill comfortably from inside once glued up.
5. Assemble the carcass - top and bottom between the sides, pocket screws and glue, diagonals checked.
6. Fit the hang rails tight under the top and above the bottom at the back, screwed into the sides. They're what the mounting screws pass through.
7. Screw on the back panel. It squares the box and stops dust drifting down onto your dishes.
8. Hang it: level line, studs marked, screws through the top rail into every stud it crosses, then through the bottom rail. Check level again before the final torque - walls lie.
9. Hang the doors and adjust. Upper doors sit at eye level; sloppy reveals show here more than anywhere else in the kitchen.
Hanging it so it stays hung
A loaded wall cabinet holds 30-40 kg of crockery, so the mounting is the actual engineering. The two hang rails put 36 mm of solid material behind every mounting screw. Standard height: bottom of the cabinet 1370-1400 mm from the floor, which leaves about 450 mm of clearance over a 915 mm counter. Find every stud across the cabinet's width and use them all - two screws per rail minimum, into wood, never just drywall anchors. If your studs don't line up with the cabinet, screw a French cleat to the studs first and hang the cabinet on the cleat.
Material options
- Plywood (18 mm) - the default, and the right call for uppers: it holds screws better than any substitute, which matters when the screws are what's between your dishes and the floor.
- Melamine - works and matches commercial kitchens; keep the hang rails plywood if you can. See the melamine cut calculator.
- Glass doors - swap the plywood doors for framed glass bought from a glazier and the cut list drops to 9 parts. The carcass doesn't change.
Common mistakes
Hanging into drywall anchors. Anchors hold a picture frame, not 40 kg of plates on a lever arm. Studs or a cleat - no third option.
Skipping the hang rails. Screwing through a 6 mm back panel works right up until the first full load of dishes. The rails exist so the screws bear on 18 mm of solid material.
Mounting the cabinet before checking the ceiling gap. If you're running crown or a soffit scribe, dry-fit the height first - moving a mounted upper 20 mm is a whole afternoon.
Drilling shelf pins after assembly. There's no room to swing a drill inside a 320 mm-deep box. Drill the rows flat on the bench, step 4, not after step 5.
FAQ
Are these wall cabinet plans really free?
Yes. The plans, parts list, dimensions, and PDF cutting diagram are all free during early access. No card, no part limits, no watermarks.
What does the PDF include?
The optimized cutting diagram (all parts nested on one sheet, color-coded), the full parts list with dimensions, kerf settings, and sheet count. Designed to print at letter or A4 and be readable next to a saw.
How many sheets do I need?
One. All 11 parts of this wall cabinet nest on a single 4'×8' (2440×1220 mm) sheet of 18 mm plywood with kerf accounted for - the layout is in the PDF.
How high should a wall cabinet be mounted?
Bottom edge 1370-1400 mm from the floor - roughly 450 mm above a standard 915 mm counter. Go higher over a cooktop (check your hood's clearance spec) and lower where there's no counter below.
How much weight can a wall cabinet hold?
Built and mounted as drawn - screws through both hang rails into studs - 30-40 kg of dishes is routine. The limit is almost always the mounting, not the box, which is why the rails and studs are non-negotiable.
Is this the same as a kitchen cupboard?
Yes - "wall cabinet" (US) and "kitchen cupboard" or "wall unit" (UK) are the same box. These plans are metric, so they translate without conversion.
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