Measuring the niche dimensions of a built-in freezer: how do you do that?

Luuk5 FEBRUARY 2026

Content

What is the niche size of a built-in freezer?
Niche dimensions of a freezer
Which door system does your built-in freezer have?
Built-in freezer in an IKEA kitchen
Our installation service for your freezer
Our advice for measuring the niche dimensions of a built-in freezer

Open, empty refrigerator with white shelves. Adjacent wood-paneled cabinet. Plant visible near the fridge's open door.

Looking for a new built-in freezer? Carefully check beforehand whether the freezer you have in mind will fit in your kitchen niche. You do this by measuring the niche dimensions and then choosing a built-in freezer that fits. In this article, you will learn how to accurately measure the niche dimensions for your built-in freezer.

What is the niche size of a built-in freezer?

A black-and-white line drawing shows an object with blue arrows indicating dimensions. Some lines are dotted.

Unlike freestanding freezers such as tabletop freezers or upright freezers, you install a built-in freezer in your kitchen niche or cabinet. For this, you need niche dimensions. These are the dimensions of the space where you will place a built-in freezer. Once you know these niche dimensions, you will also know which size freezer to look for. On the product page of every built-in freezer, you will find the installation drawing showing the minimum and maximum niche dimensions. This allows you to check whether the built-in freezer you have in mind actually fits in your kitchen niche.

Niche dimensions of a freezer

The niche dimensions of a built-in freezer consist of the niche height, niche depth and niche width. You measure most accurately when there is no appliance in the niche. Therefore, make sure you properly defrost your old freezer and remove it from the niche. If this is not possible, measure the cabinet doors of your kitchen instead. You take the niche dimensions as follows:

Technische tekening van een inbouwkoelkast met maten voor nishoogte, diepte en breedte, inclusief minimale afstanden voor de deur

Measure the niche height

The standard niche heights for built-in freezer cabinets are 88, 102, 122, and 178 centimeters. Here is how to measure the height of your built-in cabinet:

Use a tape measure or ruler.
Measure from the bottom to the top of the niche. Keep your measuring instrument taut and straight.
Note the height in centimeters.

Technische tekening van een inbouwkoelkast met aangegeven nisdiepte, breedte en hoogte, plus minimale ruimte voor deur en ventilatie

Measure the niche depth

The niche depth is the space between the back of your niche and the front of the kitchen panel. You measure this as follows:

Keep your tape measure taut and level.
Measure from the back of the niche to the front. Is there a built-in freezer in the niche? Then measure the side of the kitchen panel from back to front.
Note the niche depth next to the niche height.

Technische tekening van een inbouwkoelkast met maten voor nisbreedte, hoogte en diepte, plus minimale ruimte rond de deur

Measure the width

Finally, measure the niche width. By default, this dimension is between 55 and 60 centimeters, but always double-check this in your kitchen.

Measure from one side of the niche to the other.
Keep your tape measure or ruler level and note the niche width.

Which door system does your built-in freezer have?

Schematic drawing compares door-on-door and sliding door systems, with two hinged refrigerator doors and arrows showing the movement.

After checking the niche dimensions, examine the type of door system on your current freezer. This largely determines which system your new freezer should have. There are two systems: the door-on-door and the sliding door system. With the door-on-door system, the freezer door is fixed to your kitchen panel. With the sliding door system, the freezer door is attached to the panel door using guides. When you open the cabinet door, the freezer door moves along the guides separately and opens simultaneously. It is highly recommended to use the same door system for your new built-in freezer as for your old one.

Built-in freezer in an IKEA kitchen

White built-in freezer in a sleek kitchen wall, door open so that three transparent drawers with LowFrost label and food packaging are visible.

Would you rather not install your freezer yourself? Then enlist our professional help. When ordering your built-in freezer online, select our installation service. With this service, our technicians will come to your home to install and fit your freezer. They will take your old built-in freezer back with them at the same time, if you wish. The installation service does not apply to Marketplace products.

What is the best temperature for a freezer?

Our installation service for your freezer

A woman points inside an open refrigerator while a man looks on in an appliance store. Rows of refrigerators line the background.

Our advice for measuring the niche dimensions of a built-in freezer

Modern, light kitchen with low cabinets; in the center stands an open built-in freezer under the window, in which neatly filled drawers are visible.

To check if a new built-in freezer will fit in your kitchen, accurately measure the niche height, niche depth, and niche width. Ideally, do this in an empty niche. If this is not possible, use the front panel as much as possible for your measurements. In addition to the freezer's niche dimensions, consider the door system. Does your current freezer have a door-on-door system? Then ensure your new freezer has this system as well. The same applies to a sliding door system. This type of door system is also always chosen for an IKEA kitchen. Need to measure even more niche dimensions? Discover how to do this for your built-in refrigerator, built-in oven, built-in dishwasher, and built-in hob.

All about niche dimensions of your appliances