IKEA Kitchen Doors | Compatibility Guide

Furniture models, much like cars and televisions, do not stay consistent over time. With changing times come changing models. This is the case with IKEA kitchen systems, which were updated within the last decade. 

If you have an old IKEA kitchen system and need the cabinet door replaced, you are not facing a full kitchen re-do. Although dimensions vary across the different versions, replacement doors can be found and installed. Even if the replacements aren’t the perfect size, modifications can be successfully made.

Old IKEA Kitchen System

Rather than making slow transitions in how their kitchen systems are laid out, IKEA made an official transition from their old kitchen system, AKURUM, to their new kitchen system, SEKTION, on February 2, 2015. 

There isn’t anything inherently wrong with the AKURUM kitchen system. However, depending on when you purchased the AKURUM item, the warranty will differ from a SEKTION item. 

To tell the difference between an AKURUM and a SEKTION item, look at the holes on the inside of the cabinet. 

AKURUM cabinets have a single row of holes near the outside of the cabinet and SEKTION cabinets have a double row of holes near the outside. 

Comparing Dimensions Between Old and New Doors

Base Cabinet Doors

Cabinet	Old Door Height (inches)	New Door Height (inches)	Old Door Width (inches)	New Door Width (inches)
1 door, 1 drawer unit	24	20	15, 18, and 21	15, 18, and 24
2 door, 1 drawer unit	24	20	12	15 and 18
2 door, 2 drawer unit	24	20	15 and 18	15 and 18
2 door, 1 drawer sink unit	24	20	12 and 15	18
2 door, 2 drawer sink unit	24	20	18	18
Hinge-door corner unit	30	34½	18½	19
1 door corner unit	30	30	24½	23½
1 door unit	30	30	12, 15, 18, and 21	15, 18, 21, and 24
2 door unit	30	30	12, 15, and 18	12, 15, and 18

Wall Cabinet Doors

Cabinet	Old Door Height (inches)	New Door Height (inches)	Old Door Width (inches)	New Door Width (inches)
1 door unit	30⅜	20, 30, and 40	12, 15, 18, and 21	12, 15, 18, 21, and 24
2 door unit	30⅜ and 39⅛	15, 20, 30, and 40	12, 15, and 18	12, 15, and 18
1 door corner unit	30⅜ and 39⅛	30 or 40	12½	13
1 door glass door unit	30⅜ and 39⅛	30 or 40	15, 18, 30, and 36	15 or 18
2 door glass door unit	30⅜ and 39⅛	30 or 40	15, 18, 30, and 36	15
Sliding door unit	30⅜ and 39⅛	30 or 40	36 and 48	15
Fan/refrigerator unit	15¼	15	15 and 18	15 and 18
Small 1 door unit	17¾	15 and 20	24	30 and 36
Small 2 door unit	24	15 and 20	24	15 and 18
Microwave 1 door unit	30⅜ and 39⅛	N/A*	24 and 30	N/A
Microwave 2 door unit	30⅜ and 39⅛	N/A	12 and 15	N/A
Horizontal unit	15	15	30⅜ and 39⅛	24

High Cabinet Door

Cabinet	Old Door Height (inches)	New Door Height (inches)	Old Door Width (inches)	New Door Width (inches)
Top/bottom 2 door pantry unit (option 1)	15 (top) and 64 (bottom)	16 (top) and 64 (bottom)	15 and 24	15, 18, and 24
Top/bottom 2 door pantry unit (option 2)	24 (top) and 64 (bottom)	26 (top) and 64 (bottom)	15 and 24	24
Glass door 1 door pantry unit	79	N/A*	15	N/A
Glass door 2 door pantry unit	79	N/A	24 and 30	N/A
Top/bottom 3 door pantry unit	24 (top) and 64 (bottom)	N/A	24	N/A
Top/bottom 2 door with pull-out unit	15 (top) and 64 (bottom)	16 (top) and 64 (bottom)	24	24
Top/bottom 3 door with pull-out unit	24 (top) and 64 (bottom)	N/A	24	N/A
Top/bottom 4 door pantry unit (option 1)	15 (top) and 64 (bottom)	16 (top) and 64 (bottom)	30	30
Top/bottom 4 door pantry unit (option 2)	24 (top) and 64 (bottom)	26 (top) and 64 (bottom)	30	30
2 door 2 drawer pantry unit	64	50 and 60	30	30
Top/bottom 4 door oven unit	15 (top) and 24 (bottom)	16 (top) and 24 (bottom)	30	30
Top 2 door oven unit	15 and 24	20	30	30
Top/bottom 2 door, 2 drawer oven unit	15 (top) and 24 (botttom)	32	30	30
Top/bottom 2 door, 1 drawer oven unit	15 (top) and 24 (bottom)	20	30	30

Are the Doors Compatible?

As the tables above show, the heights and widths vary widely between AKURUM and SEKTION items, giving them lots of variety. The result is that there are only a few perfect matches or near-perfect matches. 

The doors of the wall cabinets of the two sets are closer in size than those of the base cabinets and high cabinets, which are more difficult to match. 

One of the reasons for this is most likely the changing trends over the years. It seems that base cabinets have been shrinking in size while high cabinets have been growing in size. 

This could be happening because larger base cabinets are not needed if people prefer higher storage space (I know that I certainly do). Ceiling height might also be increasing and high cabinet height could be growing with it. 

To evaluate how compatible the doors are, we must determine how much leeway will be given for door compatibility, so let’s say that door dimensions within a half inch of each other will mean good compatibility (although this may not work in all cases).

Door dimensions that differ more than a half inch can create some problems.

Problems if Doors Are Not Compatible

If the door is too small, a large gap can be aesthetically displeasing. 

A large gap can also allow dust and bugs to easily access the inside of the kitchen cabinets. This is especially a concern since kitchen cabinets contain food and dishes, both of which, when covered in dust or bugs, can be pretty gross to eat or eat with. 

If the door is too large, the assembly of the kitchen cabinets can prove difficult.

Too much overlap can mean cabinets not fitting correctly or not closing properly. This is especially true for double-door cabinets. If the two doors are too large, they will not close properly and will overlap where they meet. 

However, there is some leeway with single-door cabinets since there is no other door to run into. Instead, the door might just extend past its intended place. As long as it’s not sticking out past the cabinet itself, there’s nothing wrong with this.

Another thing I should note is that the new range of kitchen cabinets does not include a few of the old range cabinets. It is safe to assume that this is because these styles are less popular. 

Either this or styles, such as glass cabinets and cabinets including microwaves, are too difficult for IKEA to manufacture. 

Additionally, although they are more compatible, very few of the high cabinet doors actually have suitable replacements in the new range of doors. 

The new IKEA kitchen system focused on revamping the high cabinet doors so that there was less of a range in design, which made manufacturing easier. This would account for the lack of compatibility. 

Below are the tables showing which new doors can and cannot be used on the old cabinets.

Base Cabinet Doors

Cabinet	Compatible Door(s)	Notes
1 door, 1 drawer unit	-*	No doors available that are within a half inch of 24 inches
2 door, 1 drawer unit	–	(see above)
2 door, 2 drawer unit	–	(see above)
2 door, 1 drawer sink unit	–	(see above)
2 door, 2 drawer sink unit	–	(see above)
Hinge-door corner unit	VEDDINGE, HAVSTORP
1 door corner unit	–	(see above)
1 door unit	VEDDINGE, HAVSTORP
2 door unit	VEDDINGE, HAVSTORP

Wall Cabinet Doors

Cabinet	Compatible Door(s)	Notes
1 door unit	AXSTAD, ENKOPING, VOXTORP, ASKERSUND
2 door unit	AXSTAD, VEDHAMN, ENKOPING, VOXTORP, ASKERSUND
1 door corner unit	AXSTAD, VEDHAMN
1 door glass door unit	AXSTAD, VEDHAMN, ENKOPING, VOXTORP, ASKERSUND
2 door glass door unit	AXSTAD, VEDHAMN, ENKOPING, VOXTORP, ASKERSUND
Sliding door unit	-*	There doesn’t seem to be replacement sliding doors available
Fan/refrigerator unit	ASKERSUN, RINGHOLT, BODBYN
Small 1 door unit	–	The nearest is 20” in height (more than a 2” difference)
Small 2 door unit	–	Nearest is 20×24 (more than a 2” difference)
Microwave 1 door unit	N/A**	No microwave units available in new range
Microwave 2 door unit	N/A	(see above)
Horizontal unit	–	Nearest is 20×24 (more than a 2” difference)

High Cabinet Door

Cabinet	Compatible Door(s)	Notes
Top/bottom 2 door pantry unit (option 1)	AXSTAD, ENKOPING	No doors compatible with bottom door (closest is 60”)
Top/bottom 2 door pantry unit (option 2)	–	Closest to top door is 24×20, closest to bottom is 24×60
Glass door 1 door pantry unit	N/A	No glass door pantry units in this new range
Glass door 2 door pantry unit	N/A	(see above)
Top/bottom 3 door pantry unit	N/A	This particular pantry is not available in this new range
Top/bottom 2 door with pull-out unit	–	Closest to the top is 15×20 and closest to bottom is 24×60
Top/bottom 3 door with pull-out unit	N/A	This particular pantry is not available in this new range
Top/bottom 4 door pantry unit (option 1)	–	In this new range, there are no doors wider than 24”
Top/bottom 4 door pantry unit (option 2)	–	(see above)
2 door 2 drawer pantry unit	–	(see above)
Top/bottom 4 door oven unit	–	(see above)
Top 2 door oven unit	–	(see above)
Top/bottom 2 door, 2 drawer oven unit	–	(see above)
Top/bottom 2 door, 1 drawer oven unit	–	(see above)

Comparing Drill Patterns Between Old and New Doors

The drill patterns are part of what distinguishes the old and new doors from each other. 

The holes in the pattern are meant to be helpful guidelines of where to install screws but they do not limit where you can install screws. Because of the nature of the wooden material, screws can be installed practically anywhere you’d like.

So, why change the design? Well, each hole stabilizes the screw while it spins, whether you are installing it with a screwdriver or a drill. 

Without this hole, the screw can slip and slide, making installation more difficult. They also prevent the splitting of the wood as the screw is placed.

The new doors most likely have the drill pattern that they do because that drill pattern was found to be the most secure for the shelves or other components inside. Making sure their products are well-priced but durable is a trademark of IKEA. 

To sum this up, whether you have an old or a new drilling pattern, screws can be installed wherever the consumer pleases so the change is not very important and does not affect the assembly much. 

How to Make New Doors Work

Unfortunately, many old IKEA kitchen system doors do not have compatible new system doors. 

Because of this, consumers may have to purchase a door that is too small or too large and make do.

If the door dimensions are an inch or less different, it is unlikely that the difference will impact the door fitting very much. 

However, if the door dimensions are an inch or more off, problems with fitting and aesthetics can arise. 

For a door that is too large, the door could possibly be cut to size. 

There can be a few problems with this since the door will lack certain details in appearance since a painted and rounded edge will be removed. 

However, if this is the only option, sanding and repainting the door can improve its appearance. 

Before the door is cut, it is important to measure twice and cut once since cutting the door too much can produce the opposite problem.

For doors that have a pattern on the front, don’t just take from the one side. Cut off even portions from either side so that it doesn’t look lopsided.

For a door that is too small, the options are a bit more limited. 

Regular doors, rather than kitchen cabinet doors, can use metal devices called door expanders that allow doors to fit better into the frames. 

Kitchen cabinet doors are not fitted for door expanders, but if you have the tools to shape metal into the expander you need, this could be the solution for you.

Sources

https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/rooms/kitchen/information-on-akurum-ikea-s-previous-kitchen-system-pubaa596c21

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/11747345/akurum-kitchen-system-ikea-fans

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/sektion-kitchen-cabinets-system-23598/