Replace handles for your old kitchen cupboards
Swapping your handles is the fastest, cheapest way to transform a kitchen — no renovation, no fuss. The only thing you really need to get right is the fit. Here's how, step by step.
New hardware changes the whole feel of a room in an afternoon. And it's genuinely easy: since cupboard handles were standardised back in the 1980s, finding a modern replacement that fits your existing screw holes is simple — once you know the one measurement that matters.
What you'll need
- A tape measure or ruler (millimetres)
- A screwdriver
- Your new handles or knobs
The one measurement that matters: CC size
CC stands for centre-to-centre — the distance between the middle of one screw hole and the middle of the other. Match this and your new handles drop straight onto the existing holes. No new drilling, no filler.
The most common sizes are 64, 96, 128 and 160 mm. Measure and get 98 mm? You almost certainly have CC 96 — a couple of millimetres either way is just a slightly off-centre drill hole and nothing to worry about.
There's a neat logic to those numbers: kitchen cabinets are built on the 32 mm system — the furniture industry's long-standing standard — so the common CC sizes are simply multiples of 32 (64 = 2×32, 96 = 3×32, 128 = 4×32, 160 = 5×32). Once you know that, your size is easy to recognise.
1Measure the CC size
Open the cupboard or drawer and measure, on the back of the door, from the centre of one screw to the centre of the other. Work in millimetres. That number is your CC size — write it down.
2Check behind the old handle
Before you commit to a style, take one handle off and look at the door underneath. If there are marks, scratches or a shadow where the old handle sat, choose a new design with a base large enough to cover it. If it's clean, you're free to pick any shape you like.
3Filter our range by your CC size
Now the easy part. Head to our handles and use the CC-size filter to show only the pieces that fit your doors. Everything you see will drop straight onto your existing holes.
4Choose your look
With the fit sorted, narrow down by the things that make it yours — material, colour, finish and brand. Not sure whether to go for solid brass, a stainless-steel look, or warm wood? Our guide to handle & knob materials explains how each one looks, feels and ages.
5Match your knobs to your handles
Most kitchens use both — handles on drawers, knobs on doors (or the other way round). Once you've found handles you love, it's easy to complete the look: pick knobs in the same material and finish so everything ties together.
6Check the door thickness & order
One last check before you order: measure how thick your cupboard doors are. We include the standard M4 machine screws that fit doors of 16–19 mm — if yours are thicker, just let us know and we'll pop longer M4 screws in with your order.
That's it. Your new handles arrive with everything you need to fit them, and an afternoon later your kitchen looks brand new.
Shop handles & knobsA few last tips
Measure more than one handle. On older kitchens the CC size is usually consistent, but it's worth checking two or three in case a previous owner mixed things up.
Order one first if you're unsure. If you're torn between finishes, order a single handle to try against your doors before buying the full set.
Take a photo. A quick picture of your kitchen makes it much easier to judge how a colour or finish will look before you commit.
1. Measure the distance between the current screw holes on the existing handles.
Since the beginning of the 80s the sizes of cupboard handles have been standardised. Before then it was almost impossible to find new handles with the the same measurement between the screw holes. The distance between the screw holes is called CC-size. CC stands for center to center, ie. the distance between the center of one screw hole to the center of the other screw hole. If your kitchen is from the 80s or newer, it will be very easy to change the handles on your cupboards or drawers. Start by measuring the distance between the screw holes. The easiest way to do that is by opening the cupboard/drawer and then measure the distance between the center of the screws on the backside. Measure the distance in millimeter between the two screws. The most common measurements are cc 64 mm, cc 96 mm, cc 128 mm and cc 160 mm. If you measure and get the distance 98 mm it’s most likely that you have cc 96. Either the holes were drilled a little bit off (or your measurement was a little bit off). But a few millimeters won’t make a difference and is nothing to worry about. [caption id="attachment_384" align="aligncenter" width="400"]
The picture shows a width of 64 mm cc for a handle.[/caption]
2. Remove a handle.
Before proceeding you should check for any damages behind the old handles. Remove a handle and inspect the area behind it. Sometimes there could be indentations or scratches. If you see any marks, be sure to choose a new handle that will cover the damage. If you don’t see anything, consider yourself lucky and choose any design you want for your new handles.3. Find a new handle with the same measurement between screw holes.
The easiest way to proceed is to choose a new handle with the same cc-size. Our product pages can be filtered based on several attributes, one being the measurement between screw holes. Choose “Handles and pulls” as category and then click on “cc size”. There you will find all cc-sizes we carry. Pick the one you measured in step 1. [caption id="attachment_387" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Picture describing how to filter based on cc-size[/caption]
4. Using filters and choosing a handle
After choosing your cc-size in step 3 you can now sort and filter on other attributes such as colour, material and brand. The more filters you have selected, the more specific the assortment of handles you’ll see. Click on the handle you think choose your needs to get more information about it. [caption id="attachment_391" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
The picture shows products with cc-size 128 mm and in polished brass[/caption]
5. Find knobs matching the handles you picked
Most kitchen have both handles and knobs on their cupboards, depending on if they’re equipped with doors or drawers. When you’ve found the handles you like it’s easy find other products that match the handles. For instance, if you chose a handle in polished brass you’ll find related products in the same material and style further down on the product page. [caption id="attachment_393" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
The picture show the knobs that will match handles in polished brass. [/caption]