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17mm drawer runners

Updated: 23 October 2026

The balls are on the carpet, and the drawer side has a slot rather than a flat face for a kitchen slide. You need 17mm drawer runners that match that groove, at the old closed length, at about 10 kg, not a 45 kg pair that will not enter the slot. This page stays with that repair: flat-pack chests and older MFI, IKEA, Argos, or Habitat drawers whose side is grooved. The [drawer runners comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/drawer-runners) holds every row we recorded. Prices are amazon.co.uk figures from 19 October 2026. We did not lab-test the packs, and a qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The balls are on the carpet, and the drawer side has a slot rather than a flat face for a kitchen slide.

Our top picks

Häfele Häfele 278–452 mm metal pair

Best overall

Häfele Häfele 278–452 mm metal pair
6.4/10about £6.50
View offer
Emuca Emuca 17 × 278 mm, 5 pairs

Rank 2

Emuca Emuca 17 × 278 mm, 5 pairs
8.2/10about £10.41
View offer
LouMaxx LouMaxx 310 mm groove runners, 2 pairs

Alternative

LouMaxx LouMaxx 310 mm groove runners, 2 pairs
7.1/10about £9.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A slot, not a 45 mm slide
  2. 2.Measure the closed runner
  3. 3.The packs in this comparison
  4. 4.Holes and the old screws

A slot, not a 45 mm slide

A groove runner sits in a channel in the drawer side. Solmer describes a 17 mm high groove, about 17 mm by 9.8 mm on one listing. SDS London sells that idea for MFI, IKEA, and Argos, and also a 27 mm height. Extension is partial, so the back of a deep drawer stays in the cabinet. That suits clothes. It does not suit a pan drawer. Hettich's DIY page puts a 17 mm slot at about 10 kg and a 27 mm slot at about 12 kg. Solmer states 8 kg on one of its pairs. Do not merge that 8 kg into Emuca's 10 kg. A 45 mm kitchen slide needs about 12.7 mm of side gap. On one DIYnot MFI kitchen the fitter would have had to cut the drawer down.

Measure the closed runner

Measure the old runner closed, not the open travel and not the outside of the chest. Solmer and SDS say a replacement a little shorter than the cabinet is acceptable. A runner longer than the internal depth will not let the drawer shut. The closed lengths stated here are 278 mm for Emuca and HBL, and 310 mm for LouMaxx. Häfele's title runs 278–452 mm at 27 mm high, so that row is a range. A 310 mm pack in a 278 mm slot is the right family and the wrong length. If you are between two sizes, the shorter one still shuts. The level check is on the how to fit drawer runners page.
Häfele Häfele 278–452 mm metal pair

Testsieger

Häfele Häfele 278–452 mm metal pair
6.4/10about £6.50
View offer

The packs in this comparison

Emuca's five-pair pack is about £10.41, 4.4 from 8,107 reviews, partial, 10 kg, 17 × 278 mm. Model 3009805 on Emuca's UK page is that length, and the recommended M4 × 9 mm screws are not included. One buyer was three runners short, so count the drawers before you assume five pairs is enough. LouMaxx at about £9.99 is two pairs at 310 mm and 10 kg, with screws listed. One UK review says they were too short for an Argos pattern. Choose it when the old runner is 310 mm. HBL's five pairs are about £16.49, 5.0 from two reviews, and a dimension row of 10 × 10 × 10 mm cannot be a 278 mm runner. Häfele is about £6.50, titled 27 mm by 278–452 mm, with no kilogram stated.

Holes and the old screws

The usual return is the right family in the wrong hole pattern. DIYnot's MFI thread says the holes often do not all match. Fit the hole that does, mark the rest, and keep the runner parallel. That was one 27 mm kitchen, not a rule for every chest. A cocked runner sheds its balls again. SDS fits an M4 screw from inside the drawer. Emuca recommends M4 × 9 mm and does not include them. Keep the old screws until you have seen the new holes. Five Emuca pairs suit a chest of 278 mm slots. Two LouMaxx pairs suit one 310 mm drawer only when that is the closed length.

Common questions

What length do I measure, closed or open?
Measure the old runner closed. Open travel is longer and will make you order a size up. Compare that closed length with the clear inside of the cabinet. Solmer and SDS say a runner a little shorter than the cabinet is acceptable. In this set the stated lengths are 278 mm for Emuca and HBL, and 310 mm for LouMaxx.
What load can they take?
About 10 kg for a 17 mm groove on Hettich's DIY page and on the Emuca, LouMaxx, and HBL listings in this set. Hettich puts a 27 mm slot at about 12 kg. Solmer states 8 kg on one of its own pairs. Do not use Häfele's pair at about £6.50 as a 10 kg runner, because no kilogram is stated. A pan drawer is past this family.
Will they replace IKEA, MFI, or Argos drawers?
Often, when the slot height and the closed length match. SDS and Solmer sell 17 mm groove runners for those names, and Häfele's reviews mention MFI and IKEA. The brand on the chest is not the specification. A 310 mm Argos drawer will not take a 278 mm hole pattern cleanly, and one LouMaxx review said the included screws were too short for an Argos pattern.
What if the screw holes do not line up?
Use a hole that does line up, keep the runner parallel, and mark the rest. That is the method in one DIYnot MFI kitchen, not a guarantee for every chest. Drill the new positions rather than cocking the runner to chase every old hole.
Can I use a 45 mm kitchen slide instead?
Only if you can give it about 12.7 mm of side gap and you accept cutting the drawer down. DIYnot's fitter met that on one 27 mm MFI drawer, not as a rule for every chest. A 45 kg slide will not enter a 17 mm slot, and a 10 kg partial runner will not carry a pan drawer. Emuca does not include its recommended M4 × 9 mm screws.

Related pages

Drawer runners buying guide

Best drawer runners

Drawer runners

How to fit drawer runners so both sides stay level

Soft close drawer runners: a damper, not extra load

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 19 October 2026. Updated 22.10.2026.

  1. BS EN 15338:2024 preview (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. SI 2005/1803 General Product Safety (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. FIRA: furniture and product safety (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Trading Standards: Consumer Rights Act, goods (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Eurofit: what size drawer runners (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Albert Jagger: ball bearing slides explained (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. T&S Architectural: replacement drawer runners (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  9. amazon.co.uk drawer runner listing (retrieved 22.10.2026)