Full overlay vs half overlay cabinet hinges
Updated: 23 October 2026
Two doors meet on one centre stile, or a door sits inside the opening, and the packet only says full overlay. Full overlay vs half overlay cabinet hinges is a crank question. The three sits need three arms. The adjustment screws move the door a few millimetres. They do not turn a straight arm into a half overlay arm. Most of the eleven amazon.co.uk listings in our [cabinet hinges comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/cabinet-hinges) say full overlay, or they do not say. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Two doors meet on one centre stile, or a door sits inside the opening, and the packet only says full overlay. Full overlay vs half overlay cabinet hinges is a crank question. The three sits need three arms.
Two doors meet on one centre stile, or a door sits inside the opening, and the packet only says full overlay. Full overlay vs half overlay cabinet hinges is a crank question. The three sits need three arms. The adjustment screws move the door a few millimetres. They do not turn a straight arm into a half overlay arm. Most of the eleven amazon.co.uk listings in our cabinet hinges comparison say full overlay, or they do not say. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Overlay | Type | Cup or leaf | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  HBL HBL 10-pack 110° full overlay clip-on | Full overlay only | Concealed clip-on | n/a | 9.6 | about £20.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Furniware Furniware 4-pack 110° full overlay | Full overlay | Concealed cup | 35 mm, 45 mm centres | 9.2 | about £12.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  DHSWNNG DHSWNNG 8-pack 90° hinges | Claims full, half and inset | Surface leaf | 11.2 x 4.3 cm | 0.0 | about £12.99 | View offer |
On this page
Three ways a door can sit
Look at the closed door, not the product photo. A full overlay door covers the cabinet side. Häfele’s UK FAQ calls that a zero crank, a straight arm. A half overlay door shares the centre panel, and Häfele names an 8 mm crank. An inset door sits inside the opening, and Häfele names a 15 mm crank. Essentials 110° clips are sold as 0 mm, 9 mm or 17 mm. Do not merge 8 mm with 9 mm, or 15 mm with 17 mm. Quest Hardware uses the same wording for Blum and Salice: straight arm, 0 mm crank, full overlay. Furnica, on a typical 19 mm side, describes about 17 mm of cover for full overlay and about 8 to 9 mm each when doors share the centre panel. The crank is the choice. The screwdriver is only the trim.
What the crank changes, and what it does not
The crank sets how far the door stands off the side. Plate height and the side screw only trim the gap. Häfele’s FAQ gives a minimum gap between half overlay doors of about 0.7 mm at 18 mm thickness, about 1.2 to 1.3 mm at 19 mm, and a trial mount at 22 to 24 mm. That table is Häfele’s. A straight arm cannot dial it in. Eurofit, for their hinges only, sets the plate 37 mm from the front for full and half overlay, and for inset adds door thickness plus 1 mm. 110° is the everyday concealed hinge. Wide-angle hinges around 155° to 165°, and bi-fold sets, are not in this comparison. If the doors still collide, or a full overlay door leaves the centre stile half bare, you bought the wrong crank.
What these listings actually say
Six listings state full overlay. HBL says full overlay only, and that the hinges are not for other cabinet styles. Furniware, GTV and Honeueuen state full overlay with a 35 mm cup. APACALI says full overlay in the title, and one bullet also mentions inset. Lashow’s bullets say half overlay and inset exist as other choices, so that packet is the full overlay version, not three arms. NANDEYIBI and PanBeiQi leave overlay blank. MUXHEL is a 112 x 44 mm surface leaf and does not state overlay. DHSWNNG’s bullets claim full, half and inset on an 11.2 x 4.3 cm 90° leaf. That sentence does not put three cranked cup hinges in the box. This comparison does not sell a named half overlay cup or a named inset cup. If your doors share a stile, a title that only says full overlay is the wrong arm.
How to check your cabinet
On a frameless UK kitchen, use millimetres. A door that covers the side is full overlay. Two doors on one stile are half overlay. A door inside the opening is inset and needs the deep crank, with the plate set further back. Kitchen Door Workshop’s example is a 500 mm cabinet with a door about 4 mm narrower so it misses the next door. That is door size, not the hinge. American guides that cite a half inch or 1¼ inch overlay are measuring a face frame. Do not convert those inches into Häfele’s 8 mm crank. Once the arm matches, mark the cup on how to fit cabinet hinges. A corner or bi-fold needs a joiner.
Common questions
What is a full overlay cabinet hinge?
It is the straight arm. Häfele’s UK FAQ and Quest Hardware’s Blum and Salice wording call that 0 mm crank. The door covers the cabinet side. Furnica describes about 17 mm of cover on a typical 19 mm side, with a small gap to the next cabinet. HBL, Furniware, GTV and Honeueuen state full overlay here. The side screw only trims that cover.
When do I need a half overlay hinge?
When two doors share one centre panel, usually in the middle of a run. Häfele names an 8 mm crank. Essentials also uses 9 mm for a half overlay arm, which is a different hinge, not a second name for 8 mm. Furnica’s figure is about 8 to 9 mm of cover on each door. A full overlay pack will not share that stile cleanly.
What does inset mean for a kitchen door?
The door sits inside the opening, near the face of the cabinet side, rather than lapping over it. Häfele names a 15 mm crank. Essentials also sells 17 mm, so check the arm. Eurofit, for their hinges, sets the plate at 37 mm plus door thickness plus 1 mm. None of the cup hinges in this comparison is sold as a named inset arm.
Can I adjust a full overlay hinge to work as half overlay?
No. The crank is formed in the arm. Plate height and the side screw change the gap by millimetres. Häfele’s half overlay gap table is under 2 mm at normal door thickness. That is a trim, not a conversion. If the doors share a stile, the full overlay pack is the wrong arm.
Do these packs include half overlay and inset?
Not as named cup hinges. The stated cup rows are full overlay, or they leave overlay blank. Lashow mentions half overlay and inset as other choices, not as the contents of that title. DHSWNNG claims all three on a 90° surface leaf, which is not a cranked cup set. If you need half overlay or inset, this table does not contain that arm.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Prices captured 20 October 2026. Updated 22.10.2026.
- Häfele UK, cabinet hinge FAQs (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Eurofit Direct, measuring and fitting kitchen hinges (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Quest Hardware, kitchen cabinet hinge types (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- BS EN 15570:2008 via NBS (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- DHF/GAI code of practice, hardware for fire and escape doors (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Furnica, soft-close hinge damping (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Blum, number of hinges (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22.10.2026)