Gas struts for kitchen cabinets
Updated: 23 October 2026
You are replacing the stay on an upward kitchen door, and the search mixes 100 N cupboard pairs with 450 N hatches and 1200 N bed pistons. Gas struts for kitchen cabinets are the short stays: 50 N, 100 N or 200 N, sold as a pair or a four-pack with plates or screws. A 100 N listing that also says 10 kg is not describing a 10 kg door. The wider table is on the [gas spring comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/gas-spring). Updated 23 October 2026 by Peter F. from the saved amazon.co.uk listings, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are replacing the stay on an upward kitchen door, and the search mixes 100 N cupboard pairs with 450 N hatches and 1200 N bed pistons.
You are replacing the stay on an upward kitchen door, and the search mixes 100 N cupboard pairs with 450 N hatches and 1200 N bed pistons. Gas struts for kitchen cabinets are the short stays: 50 N, 100 N or 200 N, sold as a pair or a four-pack with plates or screws. A 100 N listing that also says 10 kg is not describing a 10 kg door. The wider table is on the gas spring comparison. Updated 23 October 2026 by Peter F. from the saved amazon.co.uk listings, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Force | Opening direction | Fixings in the box | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Vinabo Vinabo 100 N cupboard pair | 100 N | Not limited in the listing | 10 screws and discs | 8.2 | about £11.47 | View offer |
| Alternative |  NUTKIT NUTKIT 50 N cupboard pair | 50 N | Upward only | Screws mentioned, not listed as a count | 6.5 | about £5.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  PanBeiQiWEU PanBeiQiWEU 100 N cupboard pair | 100 N | Not limited in the listing | Screws | 7.8 | about £5.49 | View offer |
On this page
What counts as a cupboard stay here
The cupboard files here are short stays: 100 N pairs with a large review sample, NUTKIT pairs at 50 N and 100 N that share one review pool, and four-packs at 100 N and 200 N.
Leave the rest of the comparison out of this decision. NIMOVA is a 350 N Fiat 500 tailgate pair. TOWEBOORY is two 450 N struts at 500 mm, with seized-rod reviews. AUTORCE's bed file is two 1200 N ottoman struts only. The AUTORCE eyelet is one strut, with a 200 mm title and a 1,000 mm field. MospdyGear prints 15 kg and no newtons. Adiwo is 420 mm and 200 N, closer to a caravan locker than a wall cupboard. Any of those will overpower a light flap or miss its brackets.
50 N, 100 N, and the 10 kg line
NUTKIT is the clearest pair of forces in this set, because the centres stay the same while the newton rating changes. The 50 N file prints about 5 kg. The 100 N file prints about 10 kg. Both are upward-opening only, and the 100 N bullet warns that lighter doors may be hard to close. The nine stored United Kingdom texts are identical across the two files, so you do not have 102 reviews.
DIHL's chart for its own 100 N stay maps that force to about 1.9–3 kg of door, and 50 N to about 0.9–1.5 kg. AUTORCE's kitchen guide is a different seller band: about 100 N up to 2 kg, then higher forces, divided by two for a pair. Do not average the 2 kg guide with the listing's 10 kg. Copy 50 N or 100 N from the old tube. A 100 N pair is the usual light cupboard stay here, and the wrong stay for a door you can barely lift.
Direction, screws and the door material
Direction is a separate failure from force. NUTKIT's bullet says upward-opening doors, not downward-opening doors. A 100 N upward stay on a drop-down door pushes the wrong way: it fights you on the way down or it will not hold on the way up. Bohaner and Vylro claim both directions. Bohaner's claim sits next to a weight field of 4 kg and a bullet of 10 kg. Treat both directions as a sentence on the page until a review or your old stay confirms it.
Screws are listed on Vinabo (10 screws and discs) and Bohaner (20 screws and eight discs). PanBeiQiWEU's components line says screw. NUTKIT mentions screws and does not count them. A short screw in chipboard strips, and an aluminium locker skin needs the fixing it was built with. PanBeiQiWEU reviews include a flimsy camper door that felt a little strong, and brackets called thin.
Camper lockers and the edge of this page
PanBeiQiWEU's stored texts are the camper evidence in this cupboard group: motorhome and campervan lockers, smooth action on a conversion, and one 900 by 300 mm door on a single strut. That single-strut door was narrow. A wide locker still wants a pair, or the door twists. A camper locker that used to have a 100 N stay can take another 100 N stay. A locker whose old strut says 200 N or 450 N has already left this page.
If you are no longer looking at a short cupboard stay, match the old tube in how to choose a gas strut.
Common questions
Is 50 N or 100 N the usual cupboard stay?
100 N is what most cupboard pairs in this set print, and it suits a light upward door whose old stay says 100 N. NUTKIT also sells 50 N at the same 156 mm and 247 mm centres, for a lighter flap. DIHL's chart puts 100 N near 1.9–3 kg of door and 50 N near 0.9–1.5 kg.
Will a 100 N strut hold a 10 kg door?
Not as these listings imply. The 10 kg line is a shorthand for the rod's push. On a hinge, DIHL's 100 N chart is about 1.9–3 kg of door, and AUTORCE's kitchen guide says about 100 N up to 2 kg before you split a pair. A door you struggle to lift is already past a 100 N cupboard stay.
Can I use one on a downward-opening door?
Only if the listing allows it and your old stay did. NUTKIT says no: upward only. Bohaner and Vylro claim upper and lower doors, with a weak or missing review sample behind that sentence. An upward stay on a drop-down door pushes the wrong way.
Do I need two, or is one enough on a camper door?
A pair is the normal fit, and it is what stops a wide door twisting. One PanBeiQiWEU review used a single strut on a 900 by 300 mm camper door. AUTORCE's kitchen note, as their rule of thumb, adds a second strut once the door is wider than about 500 mm.
Are screws in the box?
Vinabo includes 10 screws and mounting discs. Bohaner includes 20 screws and eight discs. PanBeiQiWEU lists screws. NUTKIT mentions screws without a count. Vylro's bullet claims screws and brackets, and the components line does not list them.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listings for these ASINs. Updated 23 October 2026.
- SpringFix UK gas strut force calculator (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- AUTORCE, how to choose a gas strut (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- AUTORCE, kitchen cabinet gas struts (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- DIHL 100 N cabinet lid stay (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Camloc, gas strut dos and don'ts (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Stabilus, gas spring service (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE, Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- PSSR 2000, Schedule 1 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- SpringFix UK, ottoman bed gas struts (retrieved 22.10.2026)