Pull Out Spice Racks: Which Type Fits the Cabinet You Have
Short answer: A pull out spice rack has to fit the narrowest part of the cabinet opening. That is usually the face frame or a hinge, not the cabinet’s listed width. A “9-inch” cabinet often has only about 5½ inches of clear opening, so the racks sold for it are about 5 inches wide. Before you buy, measure that narrowest gap, the depth to the closed door and the height under the shelf above. Then check whether the cabinet has a lip at the front. Some low-cost slide-out racks are sold for frameless cabinets only and will catch on a framed cabinet’s lip. In an existing kitchen, a slide-out rack that sits inside the cabinet is the usual choice. Full-height pull-outs and 3- or 6-inch fillers are mostly cabinet or remodel parts.
Three kinds of pull out spice rack
Shoppers use the same name for three very different products. Picking the right family first saves most of the returns.
| Type | Best for | Skip if |
|---|---|---|
| Slide-out rack inside an existing cabinet (about 4 to 7 inches wide, one or two tiers, sits on the shelf or cabinet floor) | Upper cabinets and narrow lower cabinets you already have; renters who can get approval for a few screws, or who have frameless cabinets for adhesive models | The opening is narrower than the rack plus its slides, or the front lip blocks the glide |
| Full-height pull-out for a 9- or 12-inch cabinet (one tall unit, often attached to the cabinet door) | Homeowners with an empty narrow base or wall cabinet who want the whole cabinet to roll out | You rent, or the cabinet has a drawer or false front above the opening and you buy the wrong height |
| 3- or 6-inch filler pull-out (a slim unit that fills the gap between two cabinets) | New cabinets or a remodel, beside the range or fridge | Your cabinets are already installed with no planned gap; these are built in during assembly |
CliqStudios describes its 3- and 6-inch fillers as units installed between two cabinets during kitchen assembly, using the side panels of the cabinets next to them for support (CliqStudios). That is why most of this guide focuses on the first two types.
Why a 9-inch cabinet takes a 5-inch rack
A cabinet’s size name describes the outside of the box. The rack has to fit the inside of the opening, after the side walls and the face frame take their share.
The numbers from manufacturers show how much space disappears:
- Rev-A-Shelf’s 448-BCSC-5C base pull-out is listed as “designed for a full height 9″ cabinet with a 5.5″ opening.” Its minimum face-frame opening is 5½ inches wide, 21¾ inches deep and 25⅝ inches tall (CabinetParts listing).
- Cabinets To Go sells the same model as a pull out spice rack that is “5” wide and made for 9″ wide cabinets” (Cabinets To Go).
- A wall version for a 9-inch wall cabinet measures 5 inches wide, 10¾ inches deep and 26¼ inches tall (RTA Kitchen Cabinets Online).
So in these listings, about 3½ of the 9 inches went to walls and framing, and the rack lost another half inch to its slides. Made-to-fit racks follow the same pattern. Slide Out Shelves asks buyers to subtract ⅛ inch from the measured clear opening and says the usable inside width of the rack is about 1 inch less than the width ordered (Slide Out Shelves, 8–9 inch rack). If a cabinet “looks like” it can take a 7-inch rack, measure before you believe it.
How to measure for a pull out spice rack
Take three measurements inside the cabinet, the same three Vertical Spice asks for (Vertical Spice FAQ):
- Width at the narrowest point. Measure between the face frame and the hinge side, not wall to wall. Hinges and their mounting plates can stick into the opening.
- Depth. Measure from the back wall to the inside of the closed door. Upper cabinets are most often about 12 inches deep from front to back, and base cabinets about 24 inches (Bob Vila). The inside depth is less, so measure your own.
- Height. Measure from the shelf surface to the bottom of the shelf above. This matters most when shelves are fixed.
Then compare those numbers with the listing’s minimum opening, not the product size. One 2-tier rack lists the cabinet space it needs as 5.2 inches wide, 10.75 inches deep and 12 inches high with standard jars on the upper tier (SpaceAid). A single-tier Lynk model measures 4¼ inches wide, 10 5/16 inches deep and 2⅜ inches tall (Woot listing).
Last, check your tallest jar. Vertical Spice says its racks hold standard jars up to 2 inches across and 5 inches tall. A tall grinder or a big bottle can stop a tier from sliding under the shelf above. Our general measuring guide covers the tape-measure steps in more detail: how to measure kitchen cabinets for organizers.
| Measure | Where | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| Narrowest width | Face frame to hinge side | Rack width (rack + slides must clear it) |
| Depth | Back wall to closed door | Rack depth, door closing |
| Height | Shelf to shelf above | One tier or two, tallest jar |
Does your cabinet have a lip?
This is the check most product pages bury at the bottom. Cabinets come in two basic types, framed and frameless. A framed cabinet has a face frame, a wood frame around the front of the box. Slide Out Shelves says the gap between the edge of the face frame and the side wall is “usually 1/4 inch up to 2 or three inches depending on the cabinet” (Slide Out Shelves). On some framed cabinets the bottom of the frame also sits a little above the cabinet floor or shelf. That raised front edge is what listings call a “lip”.
Why it matters:
- Some low-cost slide-out racks are made for frameless cabinets. One adhesive-or-screw model says it is “designed for use with frameless cabinets only” and that a framed cabinet “may prevent the rack from sliding out properly” (Kohl’s listing). Another says plainly that it is “NOT suitable for a cabinet edge with lip” (Walmart listing).
- Other racks are raised to clear it. A SpaceAid buyer wrote that the base has a rise so it “glides right over the lip of the cabinet.” Treat that as one buyer’s report, and check the listing or ask the seller.
How to check in a minute: open the door and lay a ruler flat on the cabinet floor or shelf so it runs out past the front edge. If the frame’s bottom rail sits above the ruler, you have a lip. Note its height. Then look at the sides: if the frame overlaps the inside walls, your clear width is the frame-to-frame (or frame-to-hinge) distance, not the wall-to-wall distance.
If you have a lip and the rack is not made to clear one, the usual fix is a raised base or a spacer under the rack. Do not force it, because a rack that drags on the lip will wobble and can tip jars.
Pull out spice rack for upper cabinets
Upper cabinets are where slide-out racks make the most sense. The shelves are shallow, so the problem is not depth. The problem is that jars at the back hide behind the jars at the front.
What to look for:
- Depth range. In the listings we checked, slide-out racks for uppers were about 10 to 11 inches deep (10 5/16 to 10.75 inches). The Lynk listing on Woot says its glide adjusts for different upper cabinet depths. Check that the rack’s shortest setting still lets the door close.
- One tier or two. Measure shelf to shelf first. A two-tier rack needs the full height of both tiers plus your tallest jar.
- Two narrow racks or one wide one. If the cabinet is wide, two narrow racks side by side leave room for bottles that will not fit on a rack.
- The cabinet over the range. The narrow upper beside or above a stove is tempting, but McCormick advises keeping spices away from heat. Our spice drawer organizer guide sums up what McCormick and Texas A&M AgriLife say about storing spices away from the stove, dishwasher and sink.
Height matters as much as width. Jars on a top shelf that you cannot see without a step stool are only a little better than jars at the back.
Base cabinet and 9- or 12-inch pull-outs
Full-height pull-outs turn a whole narrow base or wall cabinet into one rolling unit. They are a homeowner project. Rev-A-Shelf’s 9-inch base model needs the included door-mount brackets to work, so the cabinet door becomes the front of the pull-out (CabinetParts listing).
Two details decide the fit:
- Height. Slide Out Shelves sells an 18-inch height for base cabinets with a drawer or false front above the opening, and a 25-inch height for cabinets without one (Slide Out Shelves). Look at your cabinet front before you order.
- Depth. Base pull-outs need a deep opening. The Rev-A-Shelf example above lists 21¾ inches of minimum depth.
A buyer note worth repeating: tall, narrow base pull-outs mean bending down to read labels. Several people in a Reddit thread about spice pull-outs said the novelty wore off for that reason, while others loved theirs. Labels on the lids help. So does keeping the most-used jars on the top shelf.
Most custom pull-outs are made to order. Slide Out Shelves, for example, accepts no changes, cancellations or returns once a made-to-fit order is placed, so measure twice.
Renters: screws, adhesive and what needs permission
Almost every pull out spice rack attaches to something. The Lynk single-tier rack uses two screws (Woot listing). Vertical Spice says its racks mount with the supplied self-tapping screws or with tape (Vertical Spice). Some low-cost models offer adhesive strips or screws, with the frameless-only limit described above.
For renters, that means:
- Screws in a cabinet floor or shelf are a change to the landlord’s cabinets. Ask first and keep the answer in writing. Full-height pull-outs that attach to the door are a bigger change and need a clear yes from the landlord.
- Adhesive is not automatically damage-free. Strong strips can lift a cabinet finish when removed. Test on a hidden spot if you can, and follow your lease.
- Adjustable shelves can shift. One Simplehuman buyer noted that a pull-out mounted on an adjustable shelf may need locking shelf pins so the shelf does not move when the tray is pulled out (Simplehuman).
If you cannot attach anything, skip the slide-out rack. A drawer insert or a tiered shelf riser gives most of the visibility without hardware. Our list of no-drill kitchen storage ideas for renters has more options.
Is a pull out spice rack worth it?
It is worth it when:
- You have a narrow upper or lower cabinet that is hard to use any other way.
- Your spice collection is about the size the rack holds. One Reddit user said a pull-out by the stove holds most everyday spices, about 30 bottles; another said there were too many spices to fit.
- You can see the labels without bending far, or you will label the lids.
Skip it, or choose something else, when:
- You have a free drawer near the prep area. Several Reddit commenters preferred jars in a regular drawer because every label is visible from above. Our spice drawer organizer guide explains which drawer insert fits which drawer.
- The only spot is right beside the range. Heat is a problem for spices, and one Reddit user said a pull-out beside the range got greasy even when closed.
- The cabinet lip, hinges or a fixed shelf leave too little room for any rack in the listings you checked.
If your cabinets are a general mess rather than a spice problem, start with a layout plan: how to organize kitchen cabinets.
FAQ
How wide is a pull out spice rack?
In the listings we checked, slide-out racks for existing cabinets ran from about 4¼ inches (a single-tier Lynk) to around 7 inches wide (Vertical Spice’s wider models are 6.9 inches). Full-height racks for a 9-inch cabinet are about 5 inches wide. Fillers come in 3- and 6-inch widths. Always go by the listing’s minimum opening.
Can a pull out spice rack go next to the oven?
It can fit there, but heat shortens spice life. McCormick and Texas A&M AgriLife both advise against storing spices near the stove or other heat sources. If the spot beside the range is your only option, keep less-used spices elsewhere and buy them in smaller amounts.
How much weight can a pull out spice rack hold?
It depends on the model. Simplehuman lists up to 20 pounds for its 9-inch pull-out organizer. Slide Out Shelves and Vertical Spice list slides rated at 100 pounds, and CliqStudios says most quality kitchen pull-outs are rated for 75 to 100 pounds. One Rev-A-Shelf listing shows two different ratings (75 and 110 pounds), so check the manufacturer’s sheet. The shelf or cabinet floor it is screwed to must also hold the load.
How do you organize a pull out spice rack?
Put everyday spices on the tier you see first, and group the rest by cuisine or use (baking, Mexican, Italian). Same-size jars with labels on the lids make the rack faster to scan. Keep tall bottles on the bottom tier or in a separate rack.
How we put this guide together
This guide is based on manufacturer and retailer specifications and published guides, opened on November 3, 2026: Rev-A-Shelf data on CabinetParts, Cabinets To Go, RTA Kitchen Cabinets Online, Slide Out Shelves, CliqStudios, Vertical Spice, SpaceAid, Simplehuman, a Lynk listing on Woot, product listings at Kohl’s and Walmart, and cabinet sizes from Bob Vila. Buyer comments come from product reviews and a public Reddit discussion, and are reported as individual experiences. We did not install or use these racks. Specifications change, so check the current listing before you buy. The diagrams are our own illustrations based on the listed measurements.
