IKEA Sektion
Dovetail drawer boxes for IKEA Sektion cabinets
IKEA Sektion is a frameless cabinet system, and its Maximera drawer boxes are the first part to wear out in a busy kitchen. This guide is for anyone replacing a worn Maximera box with a real dovetail wood box: what a Sektion frame actually measures inside, which slides to add, and what to enter in our configurator so the box you order is the box that fits.
Quick answer. A 24 in SEKTION frame has a 22 1/2 in inside width, since its two 3/4 in frame sides take up 1 1/2 in total. A side mount box for that frame is 21 1/2 in wide; a Blum undermount box with 5/8 in sides is 22 3/32 in. IKEA sells the cabinet and the drawer front on their own, with no slide included, so fitting a wood box with standard slides is a normal swap, not a workaround.
Ready to build it? Measure your frame’s inside opening and the configurator prices the box live.
SEKTION frame sizes and the box that fits
IKEA sells SEKTION base cabinet frames in white in 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 30 and 36 in widths, every one of them 30 in tall with a 24 in system depth and a 3/4 in thick particleboard frame, per IKEA’s own product pages. Subtract the two 3/4 in frame sides and every width’s inside opening is the frame width minus 1 1/2 in. That inside width, not the number on the SEKTION label, is the opening your drawer box has to fit.
| SEKTION frame width | Inside width | Side mount box width | Blum undermount box width (5/8 in sides) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 in | 10 1/2 in | 9 1/2 in | 10 3/32 in |
| 15 in | 13 1/2 in | 12 1/2 in | 13 3/32 in |
| 18 in | 16 1/2 in | 15 1/2 in | 16 3/32 in |
| 21 in | 19 1/2 in | 18 1/2 in | 19 3/32 in |
| 24 in | 22 1/2 in | 21 1/2 in | 22 3/32 in |
| 30 in | 28 1/2 in | 27 1/2 in | 28 3/32 in |
| 36 in | 34 1/2 in | 33 1/2 in | 34 3/32 in |
None of our standard box only widths, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29 and 32 in, line up with a Sektion frame’s inside width. Take the 24 in frame from the table: its 22 1/2 in opening calls for a 21 1/2 in side mount box. The nearest standard size below, 20 in, leaves about 1 1/4 in of gap on each side, far more than the 1/2 in a side mount slide needs. The next size up, 23 in, is wider than the 22 1/2 in opening itself and will not go in at all. The same gap shows up at every Sektion width in the table, which is why a custom box, entered to your exact opening, is the box that actually fits.
Measure your frame, not the catalog number
A SEKTION frame’s label gives you the overall size, such as 24x24x30, not the clear opening a new slide and box have to share. Measure the inside width between the two frame sides yourself, or use the frame width minus 1 1/2 in rule above, then take 1 in off that for a side mount box, or 13/32 in off for a Blum undermount box with 5/8 in sides.
Do not measure the old Maximera box and copy its width. Maximera is sized for IKEA’s own runner, not for a side mount or undermount slide, so its number will not match the deduction your new slide needs. Measure the frame’s inside opening itself instead, at the top, middle and bottom: cabinets are not always perfectly square, and the narrowest of the three is the number to build to. The measuring guide covers the tape measure steps for any cabinet, frameless or face frame.
Which slides to use in a SEKTION frame
SEKTION is frameless, the plain cabinet style both slide types below are built for. Maximera runs on IKEA’s own metal runners, not a standard slide, so putting a wood box in a Sektion frame means fitting new slide hardware first, then building the box to match it.
- Side mount. A side mount ball bearing slide screws straight to the outside face of the frame’s 3/4 in melamine side, the same as on any frameless cabinet, and needs 1/2 in of clearance on each side. The box stays plain, with no notching or drilling. See side mount drawer slides explained and the side mount slides we stock.
- Undermount. An undermount slide mounts to the frame floor instead of the sides, runs closer to the full inside width, and needs the box notched and drilled at the back for the runner’s hook and clips. See undermount drawer slides explained, the Blum TANDEM plus BLUMOTION 563 notch spec, and the undermount slides we stock.
Soft close is available on either type and does not change the box: the damper lives inside the slide, not the drawer. Pick it when you order the slide, not when you order the box.
Depth and height
Box depth matches the slide length, not the cabinet’s outside depth. IKEA lists every SEKTION base frame at 23 5/8 in deep without the suspension rail and 24 in deep with it, the same figures across all seven widths, but that is the frame’s outside measurement. The slide’s own minimum inside cabinet depth is what actually has to fit: a 21 in Blum TANDEM plus BLUMOTION 563, for example, needs at least 21 15/16 in of inside cabinet depth per Blum. Measure the frame’s clear inside depth before picking a slide length; the measuring guide walks through it. That depth figure is the same at every SEKTION width, since IKEA only changes the width across the base cabinet lineup; the frame sizes table above only needed a separate column for width.
Height is your call, the same as on any frameless cabinet: measure the gap you want the drawer front to fill between the frame’s rails, leaving room to clear the rail above. Our boxes run 2 to 12 3/4 in tall, standard or custom.
What to pick in the configurator
1. Notching
Choose None for a side mount box with plain sides, or Notched & Drilled For Undermount Slides if you are fitting an undermount runner to the frame floor.
2. Slide brand and model
Undermount only. Pick your runner from the list, for example Blum TANDEM plus BLUMOTION 563. Not sure yet? Pick the entry for an unlisted brand and tell us the model, and we match it. Side mount skips this step.
3. Width, depth and height
Enter the outside box size you measured, to the 1/32 in. For a 24 in Sektion frame on side mount, that is width 21 1/2 in; on Blum undermount with 5/8 in sides, width 22 3/32 in. We build the exact size you enter.
4. Wood and sides
Baltic Birch (Our Standard) or (Select) Hard Maple, with sides at 5/8″ Thick Drawer Sides (Our Standard), 1/2″ Thick Drawer Sides (Thin) or 3/4″ Thick Drawer Sides (Thick). Any side thickness works with side mount; undermount notch dimensions are cut for the runner you picked in step 2. Baltic Birch ships in about 2 to 4 days and Hard Maple (Select Grade) in about 4 to 5; the wood box carries a lifetime warranty, the hardware one year.
Ready to order. Measure your Sektion frame’s inside opening, pick side mount or undermount, and the configurator prices a Baltic Birch box from $46.99 (current as of October 2026) as you build it.
Questions
Can I put a dovetail drawer box in an IKEA Sektion cabinet?
Yes. SEKTION is a frameless cabinet system, the same kind of opening a dovetail box is built for every day. The Maximera box that ships with it comes out, standard slides go in, and a Baltic Birch or Hard Maple (Select Grade) box takes its place. Keep the cabinet, the frame and your drawer fronts.
What size drawer box fits a 24 inch Sektion frame?
A 24 in Sektion frame has a 22 1/2 in inside width, 24 in minus two 3/4 in frame sides. For side mount slides, order a 21 1/2 in wide box. For a Blum TANDEM plus BLUMOTION 563 undermount slide with 5/8 in sides, order 22 3/32 in. Measure your actual opening before ordering.
Do IKEA Maximera drawers fit standard slides?
No. Maximera is IKEA’s own metal sided drawer system, running on its own runners, not a standard side mount or undermount slide. Replacing a Maximera box with a wood box means fitting standard slides to the frame first, then building the box to match them.
Which slides work in a Sektion frame?
Both kinds. Side mount ball bearing slides screw straight to the outside of the frame’s 3/4 in melamine sides, the same as on any frameless cabinet. Undermount slides mount to the frame floor and need a notched, drilled box. Neither reuses Maximera hardware; both are new slides you add to the frame.
Can I keep my IKEA drawer fronts?
Yes. A wood replacement box takes a front screwed to its face, the same way the Maximera box does. Measure the gap your current front sits in and the screw pattern on the back of the front, then order the box to match. We do not have IKEA’s own front dimensions to quote, so measure the front itself.
How deep should the box be for a Sektion base cabinet?
As deep as the slide you install. IKEA lists the SEKTION frame’s actual depth at 23 5/8 in without the suspension rail and 24 in with it, but that is the cabinet’s outside measurement, not the clear room for a runner. Measure the inside depth yourself; a 21 in Blum TANDEM, for example, needs at least 21 15/16 in of inside cabinet depth per Blum.
Is a standard size box cheaper than custom for a Sektion frame?
Rarely a fit either way. Our standard box only sizes run 14 to 32 in wide in fixed steps, and none of them line up with a Sektion frame’s inside width. A 24 in frame needs 21 1/2 in for side mount, which falls between the 20 and 23 in standard steps: 20 in is too loose and 23 in is wider than the frame’s own 22 1/2 in opening. A custom box, from $46.99, cut to your exact opening, is the box that actually fits.
Related reading
Each guide below covers its slide or measuring step in more depth than this page can. For the slide itself, see side mount drawer slides explained and undermount drawer slides explained. Measuring any cabinet, Sektion or not, starts at how to measure. Browse every size and species on custom drawer boxes, or start from a worn box on replacement drawer boxes.
Replace the Maximera box, keep the cabinet
Keep the Sektion frame, the hinges and your drawer fronts. Swap the worn Maximera box for a dovetailed Baltic Birch or Hard Maple (Select Grade) box, cut to the 1/32 in, built in our Las Vegas shop.