Divider drawer guide

Dividers for deep kitchen drawers: pots, pans, lids and plates

By Dale McCoy, head of production · Updated October 2026

The deep drawer under the cooktop is the hardest drawer in the kitchen to keep in order. This guide is for the homeowner planning a deep drawer, 8 to 12 in tall, and the cabinet shop building one: what goes where, how tall and how thick the dividers should be, three layouts with the configurator numbers for a 30 in cabinet, and the slide ratings a drawer full of cast iron needs.

Ready to build it? The configurator prices every choice live and draws your box in 3D, dividers at full height, before you order.

How tall should the dividers be?

Full height, as standard: the top of every divider sits 1/8 in below the top edge of the box, so an 8 in box gets 7 7/8 in dividers, a 10 in box 9 7/8 in and our tallest 12 3/4 in box 12 5/8 in, and a tall divider braces a leaning pot along its whole side. Choose a lower height when you want skillet handles to cross a divider or want to see every bay from above; 4 in dividers in a 10 in box do both.

The lower height is one number for every divider, typed in decimal inches in 1/32 in steps from the bottom edge of the box, anywhere from 1 in up. It must stay at least 1/8 in below the box height; type a taller figure and the live preview shows a red warning and Add to cart is held until you fix it.

1/4 in or 1/2 in dividers for pots and pans?

Choose 1/2 in dividers wherever a pot leans on them and 1/4 in everywhere else. Our standard 1/4 in Baltic Birch dividers are stiff enough for lids, plates and bakeware, but a 10 in tall divider that a cast iron skillet rides against every day deserves the thicker section. Each 1/2 in divider takes 1/4 in more out of the clear width, and every crossing is half lapped.

Pair thick dividers with a 1/2 in bottom in a wide, heavy drawer; see bottom options. Keep 5/8 in sides on an undermount box unless your runner is a 19 mm model built for 3/4 in sides; the side thickness page has more, and all three thicknesses work with dividers.

Slides for a heavy divided drawer

Choose the runner by the maker’s published rating; the dividers add little weight, the pots add a lot, and we make no load claim for the box itself. Blum publishes a 100 lb static load rating for its TANDEM runners, including the TANDEM plus BLUMOTION 563 in our configurator, 125 lb for MOVENTO runners in 12 to 21 in lengths and 170 lb for heavy duty MOVENTO in 18 to 30 in lengths, and 135 lb for the MOVENTO 769R bottom mount set. Würth rates the PRO100 side mount slide at 100 lb. Blum and Würth runners and their locking devices are in our undermount slides, side mount slides and clips and brackets shops.

A pots drawer is often deeper than 21 in, and on an undermount box the depth comes from the runner’s length list: TANDEM 563 runs 9 to 21 in, Hettich Quadro V6 to 24 in, MOVENTO 763, Grass Dynapro and Salice Progressa+ to 30 in, and Wurth PRO600 Heavy Duty 24 to 30 in. For a runner not on the list, such as the 769R, choose “Other or unlisted slide model (I’ll enter it)” and type the model; we notch and drill to match. Our undermount slide guide covers the width deduction for each model.

Deep drawer divider questions

Can drawer dividers be full height in a deep drawer?

Yes, as standard. The top of every divider sits 1/8 in below the top edge of the box, so a 10 in box gets 9 7/8 in dividers and our tallest 12 3/4 in box gets 12 5/8 in. If you want lower dividers, for skillet handles to cross or to see over, choose a custom divider height anywhere from 1 in up to 1/8 in below the box top.

How thick should dividers be for pots and pans?

1/2 in. Our standard 1/4 in Baltic Birch dividers suit lids, plates and bakeware, but a divider that a cast iron skillet leans on all day should be 1/2 in. Each 1/2 in divider takes 1/4 in more out of the clear width than a 1/4 in one, and both sit in 1/4 in deep dados with every crossing half lapped.

What spacing do plates need standing on edge?

About 1 to 1 1/4 in per plate. In a multi groove box on 1 in centers, dividers in neighboring grooves leave a 3/4 in slot and dividers in every other groove leave 1 3/4 in, which takes one or two dinner plates. Because the configurator includes up to 6 loose dividers, that is 7 slots at most; for a full set, stack the plates flat in 11 x 11 in wells instead.

Can I rearrange the dividers in a deep drawer after it is built?

Only in a multi groove box, where the front to back dividers lift out and drop into any other groove on 1, 2 or 3 in centers; any side to side dividers in that box are fixed. Removable dividers in dados lift out but go back in the same place.

Does a divided deep drawer need heavy duty slides?

The dividers add little weight; the pots do. Pick the runner by the maker’s rating: Blum publishes 100 lb for TANDEM, 125 lb for MOVENTO in 12 to 21 in lengths and 170 lb for its heavy duty MOVENTO in 18 to 30 in lengths, and Würth rates the PRO100 side mount at 100 lb. We make no load claim for the box itself; name the runner in the configurator and we notch and drill for it.

How wide should a bay be for a pot?

The widest part of the pot plus about 1/2 in, with the handle pointing front to back. A 10 in skillet wants an 11 in bay, a 3 qt saucepan about 8 in, and a stock pot about 12 in. In a 28 1/8 in box for a 30 in cabinet, 26 7/8 in inside, two 1/2 in dividers with custom spacing give bays of 11, 8 and 6 7/8 in.