A drawer runner that is convenient and useful can make your life easier. What makes good heavy duty drawer runners? And how can you select the best one for your needs?

Here’s a guide to help explain the basics of drawer runners, and how you can choose the right one to suit your application.

Let’s Get To The Basics

These slides have lubricated roller bearings that move drawers in a straight line. They allow for easy opening and closing. The bearings are enclosed in metal ball retainers that fit between the profiles and make a sure smooth and quiet movement.

A simple drawer runner has two profiles. There is one profile (inner), that attaches the side to a drawer box; and another profile (external) that attaches to the cabinet’s/application’s inner wall surface within the drawer opening. Only one of the slide members (draw) is capable of opening a drawer.

A more complex structure for drawer runners will include at least three or four profiles with an intermediate

Between the drawer and cabinet profiles are two or more profiles. Only the drawer profile and the intermediate profile can move while the cabinet member stays fixed to its position within the cabinet.

Drawer Runner Weight Classes

It is determined by the application type and the load capacity that you will find suitable drawer runners. When choosing the right slide, it is important to know how much load capacity you require.

Light-Duty Drawer Runners: These runners can support up to 78 kg weight and are intended for domestic purposes such as drawers within kitchen furniture.

Medium Duty Drawer Runners: Supports 51-99 kg. These runners are used for draws that contain heavier items, like pots and saucepans.

Heavy-Duty Drawer Runners: Some heavy-duty drawer runners from TRI can hold loads of up to 2000 kilograms. Heavy-duty applications are pull-out trays on emergency and recreational vehicles.

The product selector has been created to assist you in choosing the right drawer runners.

Drawer Runners Are Also Classified Based On The Way They Mount.

There are two options for drawer runners: side-mount and below the mount. Side mount drawer runners are simple to install and offer excellent visibility of the drawer contents.

An underneath mount drawer runners such as the mount are in a place that allows a specially-designed drawer to sit on top, unlike side mount drawer runners. An under-mount drawer runner is useful when the drawer slides are hidden from view. As they don’t distract from the cabinet design, many high-end kitchen cabinets have under-mount drawer runners.

You can use several fixations to mount the drawer on the cabinet/application: countersunk, holes, press inserts, or studs.

Extensions For Drawer Runners

Extension of travel refers to the distance a drawer runner can extend or move. An easy drawer runner, which only has two members, an inner member, and an outer member, will generally provide a 75% extension. This means the moving drawer profile travels at 75% of the slide’s length. These drawer runners can also be called “single-extension”. This drawer slide can be used for small retail displays.

Three to four profile drawer slide assemblies have three or more moving components, the drawer, and intermediate member.

Full-length drawer runners provide easy access to contents. These include kitchen utensil storage and point-of-sale trays. If you need additional drawer access, the drawer must be opened beyond the cabinet’s front.

Additionally, there are two direction travel drawer runners. These can be used for entertainment bars and kitchen islands where there is no direct access on one side of the unit.