Twenty-four inches: the module a kitchen is measured in
Reviewed September 2026 · Captivating Cabinets
Twenty-four inches is as wide as a base cabinet is deep, which is why the number turns up everywhere in a kitchen: the depth of the boxes, the depth option on the tall cabinets, the width of a dishwasher, the width of most under-counter appliances. Nine different boxes are made at this width — more than at any width below 30 — and the most important thing about the number is that one 24-inch stretch of every run belongs to no cabinet at all.
Nine boxes want this width
This is the deepest bench on the board outside the corner widths, and the range runs from a bench seat at $338.00 to a two-drawer bank at $724.75. They are not substitutes for one another.
| SKU | Displayed price | What it is | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| DBS24 | $338.00 | A drawer bench seat | You are building banquette seating — not a counter run; confirm the height |
| B24FD-12D | $396.50 | Full-height door, 12-inch depth | A shallow leg where full depth would crowd a walkway |
| B24FD | $403.00 | Full-height door, full depth | Tall flat storage, or a run with drawers elsewhere |
| SB24 | $403.00 | Sink base | A small single bowl or a prep sink — not a 33-inch double |
| B24 | $471.25 | The standard drawer-over-door base | The default. Most 24-inch slots want this |
| BRA24 | $588.25 | Base return angle | The end of a peninsula or an island that has to turn |
| BMC24 | $614.25 | Base microwave cabinet | A built-in or drawer microwave below the counter — confirm the bay |
| DB24 | $705.25 | Three drawers | A cutlery drawer on top and two deep ones under it |
| DB24-2 | $724.75 | Two drawers | Pots and pans only. Nothing small lives here well |
The 24 inches that must stay empty
A dishwasher occupies a 24-inch opening and it is not a cabinet. This sounds obvious written down and it is the single most common error in a cabinet order: the run is measured, the boxes are listed off the plan, and a B24 gets ordered for the slot the appliance was always going to fill. The box arrives, the appliance has nowhere to go, and the run is now three inches too long for the wall.
Leave the opening. Then check the appliance spec sheet rather than assuming, because a number of models want slightly more than a flat 24 inches for the door hinge and the anti-tip bracket, and the tolerance has to come from somewhere — usually a filler at the end of the run.
DB24 or DB24-2?
Nineteen dollars and fifty cents apart, and the difference is real. DB24 divides the box into three: a shallow top drawer that will take cutlery and utensils, and two deeper ones below. DB24-2 divides it into two, both deep enough for stockpots, casseroles and a stand mixer standing up.
Our default is the three-drawer version, because a kitchen needs somewhere for small flat things and a two-drawer bank gives it none. Take the two-drawer version when the bank sits beside the range and its whole job is pans, or when there is already a cutlery drawer within arm's reach.
The three specialists
BRA24 is a base return angle at $588.25 — the box that turns the end of a peninsula so the run resolves into the room instead of stopping dead. BMC24 is a base microwave cabinet at $614.25, built with a bay for an under-counter microwave; the bay opening is not published on the listing, so measure your appliance and confirm before ordering. DBS24 at $338.00 is a drawer bench seat, meant for banquette seating rather than a counter run — it is not a low-priced base cabinet, and it will not line up with one.
The mistake at this width
Ordering SB24 for the main sink. It is a sink base, it is $403.00, and it is sized for a small bowl. The sink most kitchens install — a 33-inch double, or a large single around 30 — will not fit it. The main sink sets its own cabinet width, and that width is usually 33 or 36 inches. Everything else on the wall arranges itself around that decision.
Common questions
- How wide is a dishwasher opening?
- Twenty-four inches, with no cabinet in it. Confirm the exact requirement on the appliance spec sheet before finalising the run — some models need a fraction more, and the slack has to be planned in rather than discovered.
- Is a 24-inch base cabinet 24 inches deep?
- Yes — every base box here is 24 inches deep and 34½ inches high before the countertop, so at this width the cabinet is square in plan. A 12-inch-deep variant is also made if you need a shallow leg.
- What is a base microwave cabinet?
- A base cabinet built with an open bay for an under-counter microwave, at $614.25 in the 24-inch width and $695.50 at 30. The bay dimensions are not on the listing, so match them to your appliance before ordering.
- DB24 or DB24-2 — which drawer base should I buy?
- DB24 splits into three drawers and gives you a shallow one for cutlery; DB24-2 splits into two deep ones for pots. They are $19.50 apart, so choose on what you will store, not on price.
- Will a standard kitchen sink fit a 24-inch sink base?
- Usually not. A 24-inch sink base suits a small single bowl or a prep sink. A standard 33-inch double bowl needs a 33 or 36-inch box, and most large singles need at least 27.
Keep reading
The guides behind the numbers on this page.
- Kitchen dimensions to settle before buying cabinets
Appliance openings, aisle widths and counter heights — the numbers this width depends on.
- Kitchen dimensions guide
A deeper reference for the clearances around a dishwasher door once it is open.
- Kitchen layouts guide
Where the dishwasher belongs relative to the sink, which decides which side the 24s land on.
- Cabinet sizes and specs
The full size grid, including the depths that make this width square.
- Kitchen island clearance guide
Relevant if the return angle box is turning an island rather than a peninsula.
- What a 10x10 kitchen costs
The benchmark quote most of these boxes appear in, so you can see the width in context.