UTRUSTA hinges: how many you need, and how to fit them to an oak front

It is the question we hear most often on the phone: "your fronts come pre-drilled, but what do I actually need to buy from IKEA?" Here is the full answer — how many hinges per door, which ones, what is already done on our fronts, and what is left to you.

1. Why hinges are not supplied

Our fronts come pre-drilled for IKEA's UTRUSTA hinges, but we do not sell the hinges themselves. That is deliberate.

In most projects the cabinets are already in place and so are the hinges: you take off the old front, replace it with ours, and reuse the existing hinges. Buying them again would mean paying twice. And where you do need some, IKEA sells them individually, usually for less than we could resell them.

So the rule is simple: count what you have, compare it with the table below, and buy only the difference.

2. How many hinges per door: the official table

The number depends on the height of the door, not its width. The taller a door, the heavier it is and the more it tends to warp: the extra hinges are there as much for flatness as for load.

Source: IKEA customer service, consulted in September 2026. Check with IKEA when you buy — these recommendations change.

3. The table applied to our 19 sizes

Our doors come in 19 sizes. Here is the number of hinges to allow for each one.

Our double corner doors, 25 × 80 cm in pairs, follow the 80 cm rule: two hinges per leaf. To find the exact size of each of your cabinets, the simplest route is the IKEA planner — we explain how to send us your project in two clicks.

4. Watch the fitting on video

A UTRUSTA hinge clips on, adjusts on three axes, and releases by pressing a tab. It is simple once you have seen it done, and far less so when you only read about it. This video shows the whole fitting.

"Pose des charnières IKEA UTRUSTA", by Jerome Quelo. Nine minutes, in French, from unboxing to final adjustment — the hands on screen tell you everything you need.

What matters most is the final adjustment: three screws, three axes — sideways, depth, height. That quarter of an hour spent across the whole kitchen is what separates a correct alignment from a cabinetmaker's one.

5. What is already drilled on our fronts

Our doors arrive drilled to take UTRUSTA hinge cups directly, to IKEA's standard, and in the right number for the height. Nothing to drill, nothing to measure, nothing to mark out: you clip on and adjust.

One exception worth knowing: the dishwasher front is supplied undrilled. It takes no hinges but fixes to your appliance's own system, which varies from brand to brand. It is also the hardest-working front in the kitchen, and the one that comes loose most often: we have given it a whole article.

Filler strips, plinths and finishing panels take no hinges either: they screw or clip on, and can be cut down with a circular saw fitted with a fine-toothed blade.

6. Drawers: MAXIMERA runners

Drawer fronts follow a different logic. They take no hinges but fix to IKEA drawer runners — MAXIMERA, or Exceptionnell on more recent ranges. Our drawer fronts are pre-drilled for both systems.

As with hinges, the runners are not supplied: in a renovation you keep the ones already fitted in your cabinets. Our twelve drawer front sizes, from 40 × 10 cm to 80 × 40 cm, match the usual METOD drawer heights.

The same drilling suits lift-up doors mounted on gas struts.

7. Your IKEA shopping list

Before ordering from us, take stock of what you are missing from them.

For doors: UTRUSTA hinges, in the quantity given by the table above, only for doors you are adding or whose hinges are worn. IKEA offers several models depending on the cabinet — straight, corner, lift-up — with or without integrated soft-close. Check your cabinet's product page or ask in store.

For drawers: MAXIMERA runners, only if you are creating drawers that did not exist before.

For plinths: nothing. They clip onto the existing METOD legs, by inserting the black plastic ring into the groove in the plinth.

For handles: your choice, ours in solid oak or theirs. Our plain fronts are supplied without handle holes, which leaves you free on placement.

To price the whole thing, our three example kitchens costed line by line give real totals, from €973 to €2,986.

8. The four most common mistakes

Counting hinges by width. Height is what decides, never width. A 60 × 40 cm door takes two hinges; a 40 × 200 cm door takes four.

Buying hinges you already had. In an ordinary renovation the hinges in place can be reused. Take off one old front before ordering: you will see immediately what you have.

Mixing cabinet generations. The older FAKTUM range, discontinued in 2013-2014, has neither the same drilling nor the same hinges as METOD. If you are unsure, the test takes thirty seconds: count the rows of holes inside your cabinets.

Skipping the adjustment. A UTRUSTA hinge adjusts on three axes. Five minutes of adjustment across a whole kitchen is the difference between a correct alignment and a cabinetmaker's one.

Frequently asked questions

Are hinges included with Jacamar fronts? No. Our doors are pre-drilled for IKEA's UTRUSTA hinges, but the hinges themselves are for you to provide. In most renovations the ones already fitted can be reused.

How many hinges for a 200 cm tall cabinet door? Four, according to IKEA's recommendations.

Do I need to drill the fronts myself? No, except for the dishwasher front, supplied undrilled because every appliance has its own fixing system.

How long does fitting take? About two minutes per door once the hinges are in place, adjustment included. A complete kitchen goes up in half a day with two people. The detailed guide is in our step-by-step fitting article.

Are my cabinets compatible? The full list of compatible METOD cabinets answers cabinet by cabinet.

Conclusion

Replacing METOD fronts needs no special tooling: a screwdriver, a driver for the adjustments, and the right number of hinges. Everything else — the drilling, the dimensions, the compatibility — is already done by the time the front reaches you.

The only real calculation is the one in the table above. Do it before you order, not after.

Read next: FAKTUM or METOD: which kitchen do you have?, The list of compatible METOD cabinets, Fitting your fronts step by step, The IKEA planner guide and Three kitchens costed line by line

Luc Deniel — Founder, Jacamar