Cup hinges

All cup hinges

Cup hinges are the type of hinge used today by most furniture and cabinets. These types of cup hinges are usually seen on kitchen and bedroom furniture doors, always being discreet, easy to install, and offering many alternatives and different ways of opening (and closing) at a good price. Even so, there is also another great variety of special cup hinges to achieve different types of opening: furniture with miter joints, soft-close cup hinges, overlay hinges, etc. The choice of hinge will depend above all on 2 factors: the position of the door when it is closed and the degrees of opening that the door needs to open.

The position of the door

Depending on the type of furniture or cabinet we are referring to, where it is installed, the way the door is mounted, or the style it follows, the cup hinge should be full overlay, half overlay, or inset. This can be accompanied by older or decorative cup hinge styles to match the door. We leave you a photo to know what type of door your furniture has and therefore what type of cup hinge would suit it well. An important nuance: within the jargon of the world of hinges, when we refer to full overlay, half overlay, and inset cup hinges, it is the same as saying 0-crank, 9-crank, or 18-crank cup hinges. Once you are clear on the hinge model, you will have to decide on the diameter of the cup which will be either 35 mm or 26 mm (which will depend on the door recess to embed the hinge), the type of base (with 3D adjustment, without adjustment, or cup hinge without base), or whether the hinge will be installed with a dowel or not. Normally, if you are making custom furniture, we recommend using a special type of drill bit or router bit to make the hole for the cup hinges.



You can always add accessories to the cup hinge such as a soft-close damper, a cover cap, or a clip to be able to hook it to the base more easily, and even choose a plastic cup hinge to further embellish the furniture. In any case, these are optional, non-essential extras, and we will recommend one feature or another depending on the intended use of said hinges. Even so, we repeat that what is essential is the position of the door when closed, the diameter of the cup, and the type of base.

Hinge opening degrees

The door, depending on where it is located and the space available, may open more or less. That is why there are different opening degrees for cup hinges. For example, the 180-degree opening cup hinge is very practical for opening the door completely, leaving it flush against the edge of the furniture. In this way, you will provide more space to your home.

There are also 90-degree opening cup hinges in case the cabinet has more limited opening capacity, 165-degree, 45-degree, etc.

Buy the best cup hinge

The installation of the cup hinge has a particularity that generally occurs in the world of hinges: adjusting to the millimeter is important to leave the furniture or cabinet well-finished. If it is not installed well, situations arise such as the cup hinge not closing, the door hitting too much, or it may be that you have to repair a cup hinge that has been ripped out due to poor installation. Therefore, whether it is a small or large cup hinge, if you do not have experience, we recommend using a template to properly install any 35 mm or 26 mm cup hinge in your doors, always keeping their measurements clear. Then, you can add accessories to the cup hinge such as soft-close and others to perfect its operation.

The material of the door and its thickness are also important elements to take into account. The standard is always easy to control, but sometimes the installation may involve a cup hinge for 12mm MDF (thinner than usual thickness) or a cup hinge for a metal frame.

The material of the cup hinge will also determine its useful life and its resistance. A stainless steel cup hinge will always perform better than a steel hinge, although, logically, the price will be slightly higher.

Cup hinge brands

We do not carry all cup hinge brands here, but we do carry all models and types of hinges. In addition, we cover all ranges and qualities, from the best quality and resistance to the budget-friendly inset cup hinge. The brands are numerous, but in general, the market trend is to install Hafele, Hettich, Emuca, Blum, or Ducasse brand cup hinges, which are the ones that offer the greatest guarantee and quality.

We hope that this short guide manages to orient you to know minimally how to install a cup hinge on your own, or at least that by using a diagram you are able to fix your furniture on your own. Installation is simple as long as you are clear about which hinge you need.