Drawer Slide How To Choose And What To Look For?

1、What Are The Dimensions Of The Drawer Slides?

1.1）、I often encounter customers asking me questions about the size of drawer slides. In my usual communication, some customers ask me like this: how big is our drawer and what size slide should I use? what are the requirements for load-bearing?

For everyone's question about the size of drawer slides, today aolisheng will give you an introduction.

In the industry, there are certain standards for the size of drawer slides. the most commonly used size ranges for slides are:10 inches, 12 inches, 14 inches, 16 inches, 18 inches, 20 inches, 22 inches, 24 inches. however, some shorter and longer slides can also be used for special applications.

For example: heavy drawer slides above 24 inches (the longest can reach 80 inches (2000mm)

2：Selection Skills

2.1）、Length (size):

For side-mounted and bottom-mounted slide rails, usually measure the distance from the front edge of the cabinet to the inner surface of the back of the cabinet, and then subtract 1-2 inches.

For under-installed drawers, please measure the length of the drawer. the length of the slide must be less than the length of the drawer to ensure normal operation. (It is best that the length of the drawer slide rail is less than the length of the drawer 1-3cm, which is the most suitable)

2.2）、It needs to be understood that the "inch" in the industry refers to the inch commonly used internationally.one inch is equal to 2.54 centimeters (cm), rounded up, one inch is approximately equal to 2.5 centimeters.for example, 14 inches is 35 cm (14 * 2.5 cm)

In the international unit, "millimeter" is usually used to indicate. the conversion table of inches and millimeters of the slide rail is as follows:

You can choose different sizes of slide rails for installation according to the length of the drawer slide rails. of course, the size is not as big as possible. In addition to length, there is also width. the installation width is the space that the slider separates the drawer from the drawer unit or cabinet, which largely depends on the installation width.the size, fixed position and rated load of the slider.

3：Width Introduction

• 3.1）、Common sliding rail widths on the market are: 27mm, 30mm, 35mm, 40mm, 45mm (45mm is the most popular choice for many people) 51mm, 53mm. 71mm, 76mm (the latter is for the higher load-bearing requirements can be selected (51mm, 53mm, 71mm, 76mm) width
• 3.2）、Width selection: If the drawer slides we want to buy are used for bedside cabinets, computer desks, kitchen drawer cabinets and other household drawer cabinets, or if they are not very heavy, 35mm (width) or 45mm (width) is appropriate. when we use it in a mechanical cabinet, the length and width of the rv cabinet are relatively large. we need to choose a drawer slide with a higher load-bearing capacity, such as 51mm wide, 53mm wide, 58mm wide, 71mm wide, and 76mm wide drawer slides.

4：Here I Introduce A Little Trick To Everyone (Hope To Help You)

1. Measure the longitudinal depth of the drawer first (for example, the depth is 28cm (280mm), choose 10 inch 250mm, if the difference is 10-20mm, it can be used (note: not equal)
2. Measure the width of the side panel of the drawer (refers to the width of the side panel installed in the drawer, generally the drawer can be installed)

Note: the user who replaces the computer keyboard drawer must measure the thickness of the previous track (that is, the gap between the two sides of the drawer, which was generally two-section track before)

5:Rated Negative Amount

5.1)、Rated load is an extremely important factor to consider when selecting drawer slides. in the drawer slide, we classify the slide rails into light, medium and heavy load ratings. the range of slide rails we selected is suitable for 10 kg slide rails for most kitchen drawers-250 kg heavy-duty slide rails for storing tools and industrial components.

Lightweight bearing drawer slide ：(10-15KG) (for example: 27mm, 35mm)
Medium-sized bearing drawer slide ：(35-45KG) (35mm, 45mm)
Heavy-duty bearing drawer slide ：(68-250KG) (51mm, 53mm, 58mm, 71mm, 76mm)

This applies to all drawer slide rails when fully extended and installed in pairs when they are installed on the side. please note that installing our slide rails on the base will reduce the load capacity by up to 80%

6：Fixing Method

• Screw: the most common fixing method (at most one is used for fixing on the market)
• Rivets: suitable for kitchen basket guide rails, slide rails installed at the bottom, and installed in iron boxes where screws cannot be driven.
• Clamp: Same as rivet installation

7：Fixed Position

Generally, there are two installation positions for drawer slide rails:

1. Side mounting: It is the most common and very convenient way we usually see. when you pull out the drawer, you will see the exposed surface of the slide rail. Side mounting is the best for load-bearing.
2. Bottom installation: if you choose the bottom slide rail for bottom installation, we can see the surface of the slide rail from the front, and it looks very beautiful, so naturally they are hidden at the bottom of the drawer. however, the bottom installation has higher requirements for installation, and it is necessary to accurately measure the installation position and hole distance on the drawer.

The important factor to consider when installing the drawer slide rail is the position of the slide rail when it is fixed on the drawer unit. if the operation is not correct, the rated load will not be retained, otherwise the application will fail. please refer to the figure below, which illustrates the different combinations of installing drawer slides...
I recommend using the first column8：Material Craft Selection

Cold rolled steel: cold rolled steel is steel produced by cold rolling. cold rolling is a steel sheet that is further thinned to the target thickness of the no. 1 steel sheet under room temperature conditions. compared with hot-rolled steel sheets, cold-rolled steel sheets are more accurate in thickness, and have a smooth and beautiful surface. at the same time, they also have various superior mechanical properties, especially in terms of processing properties.because cold-rolled raw coils are relatively brittle and hard, and not suitable for processing, cold-rolled steel sheets are usually required to be annealed, pickled and surface smoothed before being delivered to customers. the maximum thickness of cold-rolled is 0.1-8.0mm or less, for example, the thickness of cold-rolled steel plate in most factories is less than 4.5mm; the minimum thickness and width are determined according to the equipment capacity of each factory and market demand generally, the drawer slides of most companies in the market are cold-rolled steel. there are three reasons. cold-rolled steel materials are much cheaper than stainless steel materials. secondly, the hardness will be higher than that of stainless steel. the anti-embroidery ability is worse than that of stainless steel, and other conveniences are in line with the requirements for daily steel products

 The special feature of stainless steel is determined by two elements, which are chromium and nickel. without chromium, there is no stainless steel, and the amount of nickel determines the value of stainless steel. there are many types of stainless steel, 200, 201, 202

300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 304 L, 304 N, 309, 309 S, 310, 316, 316 L, 321, 347, 400, 408, 409, 410, 416, 420, 430, 440, 500, 600

The two most commonly used in people’s lives are 201 stainless steel and 304 stainless steel:

201VS304 comparison:

• Mechanical properties: in terms of fatigue strength, 201 has a higher hardness, not as tough as 304, and 304 has better fatigue resistance;
• Price: take the square tube 50*50*1.4*6000mm as an example, the price of 304 is 248 yuan/piece, and the price of 201
• It is 124 yuan/bar; the quality of 304 stainless steel plate is better, but the price is more expensive, and 201 is worse. 304 stainless steel is +
• Imported stainless steel plate, 201 is domestic stainless steel plate.
• Color: 201 has high manganese content, and the surface is very bright with dark and bright, and high manganese content is easy to rust. 304 contains more chromium, the surface is matte and does not rust. the two are compared together.
• Anti-rust: stainless steel is not easy to rust because the chromium-rich oxide formed on the surface of the steel body can protect the steel body
• 201 stainless steel material belongs to high manganese stainless steel, which has higher hardness, high carbon and low nickel than 304 stainless steel.
• In the same outdoor environment without washing, 304 stainless steel will not rust for 3-4 years, and 201 stainless steel will rust after 6 months;
• Composition:the difference between 201 stainless steel plate and 304 stainless steel plate is the problem of nickel content:
• The composition of 201 is 17Cr-4.5Ni-6Mn-N, which is an alternative to 301 stainless steel. it is magnetic after cold working,
• Used in railway vehicles.
• The composition of 304 is 18Cr-9Ni, which is the most widely used stainless steel and heat-resistant steel. for food production equipment
• Equipment, general chemical equipment, nuclear energy, etc.
• The only difference is rust prevention. most household items on the market, such as water heaters, vacuum flasks, and the logistics used in relatively humid indoor places, are made of 304 materials, and the drawer slides are also made of 304 materials, but because of their the source material is more expensive, so many factories do not mass produce 304 slide rails.

9：Suggestion

Generally choose the material of the slide rail, you can choose cold-rolled steel or stainless steel according to the application scenario of the installation

Stainless steel selection: choose stainless steel in relatively humid environments such as kitchens and bathrooms, so don't get entangled.cold-Rolled steel selection: under normal environments such as bedrooms and wardrobes, cold-rolled steel can be selected for economical and practical use.

After the introduction and explanation of the drawer slides above, do you have a better understanding of the selection of drawer slides?

Whether to place light or heavy objects, determine the drawer slides that need to be purchased according to the load-bearing capacity and applicable scenarios.