How-to guide · how to scale a kitchen block in autocad

How to scale a kitchen block in AutoCAD to the right module

DWGDXFFree1,139 words

By Sumana Kumar · Published 13 Aug 2025 · Updated 13 Aug 2025

Kitchens are built on a module, and that changes how you think about scaling. Unlike a tree or a sofa, a kitchen appliance shouldn't be scaled to whatever looks right — it should land on the standard module so cabinets and appliances line up into a continuous run with no awkward gaps. Most kitchen kit works to a 600 mm grid, with 300, 400, 500, 900 and 1000 mm variants, and your scaling job is to keep every block true to that grid.

This guide shows how to get kitchen blocks inserting at true module size, how to scale an appliance like a fridge to its real width when you need to, and how to keep a run on-grid so the drawing matches what a kitchen fitter will actually install.

Why the 600 mm module governs everything

Standard kitchen units and appliances are sized around a 600 mm module: base cabinets are typically 600 mm deep and come in widths of 300, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900 and 1000 mm. Hobs, ovens, dishwashers and most washing machines are 600 mm wide. Worktop height sits around 900 mm and base cabinet depth around 600 mm. American-style fridge-freezers are wider — often 900 mm or 1000 mm.

Because everything is modular, scaling a kitchen block isn't a free-for-all. The aim is to keep each block at a real module width so the run adds up. A cabinet scaled to 'roughly 580 mm' breaks the grid and leaves a gap a fitter can't close with a standard unit.

Step 1 — Set units so blocks land on-module

As with all the blocks here, kitchen blocks are drawn full size in millimetres, so set your insertion units first: type UNITS and set the insertion scale to Millimeters. With INSUNITS matched, a 600 mm cabinet block inserts as a true 600 mm cabinet and a 900 mm fridge lands at 900 mm — no scaling needed.

Getting this right up front is what keeps the run on-grid. If blocks arrive at the wrong size, fix the units rather than scaling each appliance by hand, because hand-scaling is exactly what knocks units off the module.

Step 2 — Scale an appliance to its real width by reference

Sometimes you have a block at one module and need it at another — a 600 mm fridge block where the spec calls for a 700 mm or 900 mm wide fridge-freezer. Measure the current width with DIST, then select the block, run SCALE, pick a base point at one front corner so it grows along the run, type R for Reference, click the two side faces as the reference width, and enter the real target, e.g. 900.

Scaling a fridge in plan also scales its depth, which is usually fine because deeper fridges genuinely do project past the 600 mm cabinet line — and showing that projection on the plan is useful, because it tells the designer the fridge will stand proud of the worktops.

Step 3 — Keep the run on-grid as you close gaps

Lay the cabinet and appliance blocks along the wall baseline and snap them end to end. When a gap doesn't divide neatly into standard widths, the honest fix is a filler panel or a non-standard end unit, not scaling a cabinet to a weird width to 'make it fit'. So insert standard-width blocks repeatedly, and where a remainder is left, drop in a filler block or note the gap rather than fudging a unit to 587 mm.

This matters because the plan is a buying and fitting document. If every block is a real module width, the joiner can order the units straight off the drawing. Scale a cabinet to a fictional size to close a gap and you've created a unit that doesn't exist.

Step 4 — Build plan and elevation from the same scaled blocks

Many kitchen blocks ship both a plan and an elevation view. Scale the plan to fix the layout, and the matching elevation carries the heights — base units within the 900 mm worktop run, wall units above with their 450–600 mm clearance gap, a range hood typically hung 650–750 mm above the hob. Keep appliances, base units, wall units and worktops on separate layers so you can produce a clean plan, a wall-cabinet plan and an elevation set from one drawing.

When you scale an appliance in plan, remember to keep its elevation consistent if both are in play — a fridge widened to 900 mm in plan should read 900 mm wide in elevation too, or the two drawings disagree.

Pitfalls when scaling kitchen blocks

The cardinal sin is scaling a unit off-module to close a gap — it breaks the grid and produces a cabinet nobody can buy. Always close remainders with fillers or note them. The second pitfall is non-uniform scaling: stretching a cabinet wider with a different X and Y factor distorts the door and handle detail; if you need a wider unit, insert the next module up or use STRETCH on a stretchable block.

Third, watch the depth when scaling a fridge or tall unit in plan — uniform scaling deepens it too, which is realistic for a big fridge but wrong for a unit that must stay flush at 600 mm; in that case change the block, don't scale it. And as ever, a block arriving wildly mis-sized is a units issue first — set INSUNITS before you touch SCALE.

Free download

Browse the full library — DWG & DXF, no signup.

Download CAD blocks

Questions

Frequently asked

What module are kitchen blocks built to?+

The standard 600 mm module. Base cabinets are typically 600 mm deep with widths of 300, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900 and 1000 mm, and most appliances are 600 mm wide. Keeping every block on that grid means the run adds up and a fitter can order standard units off the plan.

How wide should a fridge block be?+

A standard integrated or freestanding fridge is around 600 mm wide, while American-style fridge-freezers are wider, often 700 mm, 900 mm or 1000 mm. Scale the block to the real spec width using SCALE Reference, and accept that a deeper fridge will project past the 600 mm cabinet line on the plan.

How do I close an odd gap in a kitchen run?+

Use a filler panel or a non-standard end unit, not a cabinet scaled to a fictional width. Insert standard-module blocks end to end, and where a remainder is left, drop in a filler block or note the gap so the drawing still matches buyable units.

Why are my kitchen blocks the wrong size on insertion?+

It's a units mismatch. The blocks are drawn in millimetres, so type UNITS and set the insertion scale to Millimeters before inserting. With INSUNITS matched, a 600 mm cabinet lands at a true 600 mm and stays on the module without any manual scaling.

Related downloads