There are several types of cabinet hinges to consider when installing your cabinets. There are a multitude of e-commerce companies selling a seemingly endless variety of top brand name hinges. It can be quite frustrating to narrow down the exact type of hinge needed for your application.

Here is a list of different types of hinges to make your search a bit easier:

European

The most popular hinge of the group, European hinges, are designed for heavy-duty use for overlay or pocket doors. Sometimes referred to as concealed hinges, European hinges are easy to install and adjustable, allowing installers to align and level cabinet doors. These pivot devices cannot be seen when the cabinet door is closed and are typically available in two sizes, 25mm and 36mm. These are amazing for adding a clean modern look to your cabinets.

Cover

Overlay hinges are designed for cabinet doors with a partial overlap. These wrap around two sides of the frame and two sides of the door, providing additional support. Also, it allows the cabinet door to overlap the frame. They have plates bent at a 90 degree angle to allow them to work with partial overlaps. There are four types of overlap: full overlap, half overlap, 3/8-inch inset, and full inset.

Glass door

Glass door hinges usually come with a small number of design elements. This creates a flat, utilitarian look that won’t scratch the surface of the glass. These normally consist of two clamps that have anti-slip material on the inside edges to prevent friction. The clamps have a screw that fits into a pre-drilled hole for stability that holds the clamps on either side. Also, you can get “No Bore” glass pivot hardware. The hardware is available in a variety of finishes such as bronze, black, nickel, chrome, and antique brass.

Knife

Knife Hinges is a free-swivel fixture that comes in a variety of finishes from burnished brass to white. Knife pivots work just as well as traditional hinges to keep cabinet doors in place and open smoothly when needed. They are strong, quite concealable, and are generally used in smaller cabinets. The straight knife hinge is typically used when the door overlaps the sides of the cabinet and is inset at the top and bottom. The offset blade hinge is typically used with fully flush doors.

Invisible

Invisible hinges cannot be seen when cabinet doors are closed. There are a few types, such as the barrel hinge, spring hinge, and pivot hinge. They are available in many different styles and materials as well. The Invisible type is usually quite easy to install and uninstall. Many times, the installer just needs to hook the hinge into the door frame and it’s installed. When it’s time to remove or change, the hinge can be easily removed from the frame. Invisible types cannot be seen when the cabinet door is closed. This makes the cabinet look neat, modern and neat.