Drawer slides are devices that allow drawers to slide in and out of furniture efficiently and easily. They are essential and used everyday and yet most people don’t even give their drawer slide hardware a thought. Most people don’t until there is a problem and their drawer stops functioning correctly. Drawer slides are also known as runners because they held the draw ‘run’ back and forth as it opens and closes. They are designed to allow for proper, smooth motion during both actions. Drawer slide hardware supports the weight of the drawer and greatly reduces the amount of friction caused by the drawer’s motion. This is a vital component of any drawer slide no matter how heavy the contents are.

Most slides can be mounted in a way so they remain hidden from view. We pride ourselves on providing the best in drawer slides. A leading drawer slide supplier, we can provide drawer slide solutions for any type of application. Reach out to us today for details.

Different Types of Drawer Slides

While there are dozens of drawer slide types, the most common are found below:

  • Undermount Slides
  • Roller Slides
  • Center Mount Slides
  • Ball-Bearing Slides
  • Pocket Door Slides
  • 2- Way Travel Drawer Slides
  • ¾ Extension Drawer Slides
  • Full Extension Drawer Slides

Which type is the appropriate one for your application? Why not contact us and make sure you are choosing the correct one. We are always here to help and with over forty years of experience there isn’t a drawer slider problem we can’t solve.

Different Drawer Slide Applications

When most people think of drawer sliders they only think of desks and kitchen cabinets. But sliders are found in many different places. Some of them are included in the list below:

  • Desk Drawers
  • Kitchen Drawers
  • Dressers
  • Emergency Vehicle Storage Drawers
  • Medical Beds
  • Medical Storage Units
  • Automotive Tools

How to Choose the Appropriate Drawer Slide

Do you need heavy-duty cabinet slides or side mounted slides? Do you even know the difference? It can be difficult to know which type of drawer slide hardware is needed to best serve your need. There are some considerations to keep in mind when trying to determine which slide would best work. Some of those considerations are listed below:

  • Load Rating
  • Drawer Movement Direction
  • Extension Length
  • Durability
  • Orientation

Load Rating

This is important when choosing the appropriate type of slide. How heavy are the items inside the drawer? There are three load ratings for slides. They are listed below:

  • Heavy-Duty Drawer Slides
  • Medium-Duty Drawer Slides
  • Light-Duty Drawer Slides

The lowest capacity slid is known as the center-mount. This provides only one slide and is meant for the lightest items. Heavier items need to have dual-rail side-mounted slides with ball bearings. This provides the best support for heavier objects. Linear guides can be added to provide additional support for the heaviest of items.

Drawer Movement Direction

This is can also determine the type of slide used. For instance the typical motion of a drawer is open and closed. This means the drawer is extended when opened and then when the drawer is closed it retracts. However, if the drawer needs to be opened on two sides of a cabinet, a two-rail travel drawer slide might be necessary.

Extension Length

This is determined by how far you want the drawer to open. Full extension slides are great for drawers that need to fully open and allow complete access to all contents. A ¾ extension drawer allows the drawer to open three quarters of the way. This is great for furniture such as dressers and chest of drawers. These types of slides also help in those areas where space is at a premium. Most guide rails for slides are approximately 20 inches in length. However, there are some heavy duty drawer slides Canada that offer 50 inches.

It should be noted that full extension drawers need to be properly supported if they are meant to be used in heavy-duty applications.

Durability

This is determined in what is known as dynamic testing. While slides can vary in durability ratings, ball bearing types tend to last longer than plastic slide types. The durability rating is determine based upon the number of cycles it can provide. One cycle is defined as opening and closing the drawer. For our intents and purposes, the expectations of our slides in the industrial market fall between 2,000 and 10,000 cycles. However, for the cabinet market, this cycle is between 50,000 and 75,000 times.

If your expectation is for the drawer to last for more than a decade, it’s important to choose a dual rail slider with ball bearing action.

Orientation

The orientation of the drawer is the direction that it opens. If you are installing cabinetry with drawers in a galley-style kitchen, you might want to have full-extension drawer slides because it’s possible they might crash into the drawers on the opposite side of the galley. For that application it might be better to choose a ¾ extension or less. On the other hand, if you are installing sliders for a garage with lots of space, the full extension slider might be appropriate.

When choosing drawer slide hardware, there are a lot of things to consider. Reach out to us to ensure your choice is appropriate for your application. We are your drawer slide solution provider.