How to Measure a Room for Joinery in 60 Seconds (Australia)

The short answer

The 60-second version

Do this and you have enough to start

Measure the wall width in three places (floor, waist, ceiling) and take the smallest. Measure floor-to-ceiling height at both ends, smallest again. Measure how far cabinets can project as your depth. Note windows, power points, switches, skirting, cornice and door swings. Write every number in millimetres — not "about a metre".

Step by step

Six measurements, done properly.

A wardrobe or kitchen is only as good as the numbers it is built from. Take these six the right way and the design fits the wall the first time.

01

Measure the wall width in three places

Measure the wall width at three heights — at the floor, at waist height, and near the ceiling — then use the smallest number.

Why: walls are rarely square. A cabinet built to the widest point will not slide into the narrowest, so the smallest reading is the one that actually fits.

02

Measure the height at both ends

Measure the floor-to-ceiling height at both ends of the wall, and again take the smallest of the two readings.

Why: floors and ceilings run out of level. Sizing to the lowest point stops the top of the robe or the bulkhead from jamming on the way in.

03

Measure the depth available

Measure the depth available — how far the cabinets can come out from the wall without blocking a door, window or walkway.

Why: depth decides whether a robe (usually around 600 mm) hangs clothes properly or a bench is usable. Check nothing you open or walk past gets fouled.

04

Note every obstacle

Note every obstacle: windows, power points, light switches, skirting, cornice, air-conditioning, and any doors and the way they swing.

Why: these are what turn a clean plan into a site headache. Marking them now means the design works around them instead of into them.

05

Work in millimetres and write it down

Work in millimetres, not 'about a metre', and write every number down as you go.

Why: millimetres remove the guesswork joinery runs on. "Roughly a metre" becomes a gap or a clash; 980 mm is a cabinet that fits.

06

Enter the numbers into the free planner

Enter the numbers into the free planner and the design redraws to your real wall in 3D.

Why: once the sizes are in, you can see the wardrobe or kitchen on your actual wall and adjust it before anyone cuts a sheet.

Watch out for

Common measuring mistakes.

Every one of these is easy to make and easy to avoid. They are the usual reasons a design has to be re-cut on site.

Measuring the wall only at the floor and trusting that single number.
Forgetting the skirting board and cornice, which eat into the real opening.
Forgetting a door needs clear space to swing into the room.
Assuming the wall is square when it almost never is.
Rounding to the nearest 100 mm instead of writing the real millimetre.

Questions

Straight answers.

What do I measure first?

Start with the wall width, and measure it in three places — near the floor, at about waist height, and near the ceiling. The smallest of the three is the number to design with, because that is the point the cabinet actually has to fit.

Why measure the wall in three places?

Because walls are almost never perfectly square or plumb. The width near the floor can differ from the width near the ceiling by several millimetres, so building to the widest reading means the cabinet will not fit the narrowest point. You always use the smallest.

Do I need to be exact to start?

No. Rough tape-measure numbers in millimetres are enough to start designing, and you can refine them later. Final sizes for a real job are always confirmed by a cabinet maker after a proper site measure.

What obstacles matter?

Windows, power points, light switches, skirting boards, cornice, air-conditioning units, and any doors and the way they swing. Anything that sits on the wall or opens into the space changes what can be built there, so note each one with its position.

Should I include skirting?

Yes. Skirting boards and cornice reduce the usable opening, so measure them and note their heights. Cabinets are usually scribed or set around skirting rather than over it, and forgetting it is one of the most common measuring mistakes.

What do I do with the measurements?

Enter them into the free planner in millimetres and the design redraws to your real wall in 3D. From there you can adjust bays, doors and finishes, then share the plan with a cabinet maker who confirms everything on site.

Standard cabinet dimensions Built-in wardrobe cost guide Free wardrobe planner

How to measure a room for joinery in 60 seconds