Handles are the one part of a cabinet you touch every single day — and the part most people spend the least time choosing. Get the size wrong and the drawer looks off balance. Get the quality wrong and the finish wears through inside a year. Here's how to get both right, from a company that's been supplying furniture hardware since 1980.
Start with the measurement that actually matters
Before style, before finish, before anything else: hole centres. This is the distance from the centre of one screw hole to the centre of the other, and it's the single measurement that decides whether a handle will fit your existing holes.
People routinely measure the overall length of the handle instead. That number is almost never the same as the hole centres, which is why handles arrive and don't line up. Measure centre-to-centre, not end-to-end.
Common hole centre sizes in the UK:
- 76mm — small drawers, cup handles, compact cabinetry
- 96mm — standard cabinet doors and mid-size drawers
- 128mm — the most widely used size for kitchen drawers
- 160mm and 192mm — wide drawers, pan drawers, tall wardrobe doors
Replacing rather than fitting new? Measure the existing holes first and buy to match. Changing hole centres means filling and redrilling the door face, which is a much bigger job than swapping hardware.
Matching handle size to drawer width
If you're drilling fresh holes, you have a free choice — and the proportions matter more than most people expect. A handle that's too short on a wide drawer looks mean; too long on a narrow one looks clumsy.
A reliable starting point is to span roughly a third of the drawer width:
| Drawer or door width | Suggested handle |
|---|---|
| Up to 300mm | Knob, or 76–96mm pull |
| 300–450mm | 96–128mm |
| 450–600mm | 128–160mm |
| 600–900mm | 160–192mm |
| 900mm and over | Two handles, evenly spaced |
Weight is the other factor. A single knob on a heavy pan drawer puts all the load through one screw and one hand position. Two-screw pulls spread that, and they're noticeably more comfortable to open.
The five handle styles, and where each one works
Bar handles
The default for modern kitchens. Straight, clean-lined, and available in longer lengths than most other styles, which makes them the natural choice for wide pan drawers and full-height wardrobe doors. T-bar and knurled variants add texture without breaking the minimal look. Browse bar handles.
Cupboard knobs
One screw, quick to fit, and hard to get wrong. Knobs suit shaker kitchens, bedside cabinets, and any small door where a long pull would look oversized. They're also the cheapest way to transform flat-pack furniture — swapping the knobs on a plain chest of drawers changes the whole character of it. Browse knob handles.
Cup handles
The shell-shaped classic, strongly associated with farmhouse and traditional shaker cabinetry. Typically fitted with 76mm hole centres. Worth knowing: cup handles are directional — they only work one way up — so they suit drawers far better than doors. Browse cup handles.
Bow handles
A gentle curve away from the door face, giving more finger clearance than a flat bar. A good middle ground if you find bar handles too stark but knobs too traditional. Often the most comfortable option for anyone with limited grip strength. Browse bow handles.
Pull handles
The broad category covering everything designed for a full-hand grip — usually the choice for heavier drawers and doors where leverage matters. Browse pull handles.
Choosing a finish that lasts
Finish is where the quality difference between cheap and well-made hardware shows up fastest. A coated handle can look identical to a solid one on day one and completely different two years later.
- Matt black — the strongest contrast against white, grey and pale wood cabinetry. Shows dust more than fingerprints.
- Brushed brass and gold — warm and current, particularly good against navy, forest green and darker painted units.
- Stainless steel and chrome — the hardest-wearing option and the safest bet for a busy family kitchen. Wipes clean, resists corrosion, doesn't date.
- Pewter, antique copper and bronze — for heritage, rustic and industrial schemes where a uniform modern finish would look out of place.
- Brushed nickel and inox — softer and less reflective than chrome, which hides marks better.
Whatever you pick, clean it with a soft damp cloth. Abrasive sponges and harsh chemicals cut through protective lacquer and plating, and once that's gone the finish underneath corrodes quickly.
Why the hardware underneath matters more than the finish on top
This is where M4TEC comes in. It's a name that's earned a strong reputation across the furniture trade for quality hardware — and we've used it on our own furniture for years, which is the honest reason we stock it.
The difference is in the construction. M4TEC handles are made from solid steel, aluminium and zinc alloy rather than hollow or thinly coated fillers, and the hole centres are held to accurate tolerances across the whole range. That second point sounds dull until you're fitting twenty handles and every one lines up first time.
It isn't a trade-only brand either. The same hardware that fitters and cabinet makers use daily is available to anyone upgrading their own kitchen, bedroom or bathroom.
M4TEC goes well beyond handles. The range also covers the hardware that never gets seen — heavy-duty shelf brackets, furniture fixing L brackets, plug-in shelf supports, angled assembly brackets, and finishing tools like the wax crayon applicator for touching up scratches.
Alongside it we stock Reisser Cutter Screws and Space Plugs, so a whole install can come from one order instead of three suppliers.
Fitting them properly
Most handle replacements need nothing more than a screwdriver. Drilling new holes takes a little more care:
- Mark positions with a pencil and square, and check the measurement twice before drilling once
- Put masking tape on the back face where the bit will exit — it dramatically reduces breakout on veneered and melamine doors
- Drill from the front face through to the back, not the other way round
- Check your screw length against your door thickness. Most handles ship with screws sized for 19–20mm fronts; thicker doors need longer screws
- If you're fitting more than a handful, a drilling jig pays for itself immediately — it removes measuring error and keeps every handle at exactly the same height
That last point is worth taking seriously. Handles fitted at slightly different heights across a run of units is the sort of thing you can't unsee once you've noticed it.
Browse the full M4TEC range — handles, brackets, fixings and finishing tools, backed by a 2-year warranty and our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Explore M4TEC hardwareFrequently asked questions
How do I measure cabinet handles?
Measure the hole centres — centre of one screw hole to centre of the other. Never measure the overall length. If you're reusing existing holes, this measurement has to match exactly.
What's the difference between a knob and a pull handle?
A knob uses one screw and suits doors and small drawers. A pull uses two screws and gives a wider, more comfortable grip — better for heavier drawers. Knobs are easier to fit since there's only one hole and no alignment to get wrong.
Can I use kitchen handles on bedroom furniture?
Yes. Cabinet hardware isn't room-specific. Bar handles work well on tall wardrobe doors, and knobs are an easy refresh for a chest of drawers. Only the scale changes — bigger doors carry longer handles better.
Which finish is most durable?
Stainless steel and chrome hold up best in high-traffic areas. Matt black and brushed brass are durable too, but their coating wears if cleaned abrasively. Soft damp cloth only, whatever the finish.
Do handles come with screws?
M4TEC handles include fixing screws sized for standard 19–20mm cabinet fronts. If your doors are thicker than that, you'll need longer screws — worth checking before you start.