Most kitchen cabinets only need a standard hinge. But in nearly every kitchen there’s at least one awkward door: the blind corner, the diagonal corner unit, the bi-fold door or the carousel cupboard that never seems to open properly. Fit a standard straight-arm hinge there and you get doors that clash, don’t close flush or won’t open far enough to get anything out.
This guide explains what the angle on a specialty hinge actually means, which angle suits which cabinet, and what to check before you order. It’s written for Auckland and Hamilton homeowners, DIYers and builders working on a kitchen renovation or a new cabinet fit-out.
First, the basics: overlay and opening angle
Two terms cause most of the confusion when people shop for hinges:
- Overlay describes how the door sits over the cabinet frame. A full overlay door covers the side panel completely. A half overlay door covers half of a shared partition, so two doors can hang side by side off one centre panel.
- Opening angle describes how far the door swings open, for example 110° or 155°.
The specialty hinges in this guide add a third variable: the angle of the hinge arm. A 45° or 90° hinge isn’t about how far the door opens. It’s about the angle between the door and the cabinet side it’s mounted to. That distinction matters, so it’s worth keeping in mind as you read on.
Standard doors: 110° full or half overlay
For the majority of base and wall cabinets, a 110° concealed soft-close hinge is the right choice. Use a full overlay hinge where a door covers the end of the cabinet, and a half overlay hinge where two doors share a single centre partition.
If you’re unsure which one you need, measure the thickness of the panel the door will sit against and compare it with how much of that panel the door needs to cover. A door that covers the full panel edge is full overlay; two doors meeting in the middle of one panel are half overlay.
Diagonal corner cabinets: the 45° hinge
A diagonal corner cabinet has a door face set at 45° to the cabinet body, so the front of the unit cuts across the corner instead of forming an L. A straight-arm hinge can’t mount correctly to a side panel at that angle.
The DTC PIVOT-PRO C80 45° angled hinge (model C80E676F) is made for this situation. It has a 45° hinge arm, opens 110° from closed and includes an integrated soft-close damper, so the angled door closes as quietly as the rest of the kitchen.
Blind-corner base cabinets: the 90° hinge
Blind-corner cabinets sit in the corner of an L-shaped kitchen, partly hidden behind the cabinet that runs the other way. The door is often mounted at a right angle to an adjoining panel or filler rather than straight onto the cabinet side.
The DTC PIVOT-PRO C80 90° angled hinge (model C80J676F) handles that configuration. Like the 45° version, it opens 110° from closed and has an integrated soft-close damper.
Bi-fold corner doors: the 135° hinge
Some corner units use bi-fold doors: two narrow panels joined together that fold back on themselves as the door opens. The hinge joining those two panels needs to let them fold without binding against each other.
That’s the job of the DTC PIVOT-PRO C80 135° angled hinge (model C80H676). Note that this model is standard-close, without a soft-close damper, so plan your door set-up with that in mind.
Deep corners and Lazy Susans: the 155° hinge
Here the number does refer to how far the door opens. Deep corner storage and carousel (Lazy Susan) units are frustrating when the door only swings to 110°, because the door itself gets in the way of reaching inside.
The DTC 155° corner hinge opens a full 155°, giving much clearer access to the back of the cabinet. It’s a full overlay, self-closing hinge (it pulls the door shut in the last part of its travel but doesn’t have a soft-close damper).
Quick reference
| Cabinet situation | Hinge | Closing action |
|---|---|---|
| Standard door covering the cabinet end | 110° full overlay | Soft-close |
| Two doors sharing one centre panel | 110° half overlay | Soft-close |
| Diagonal corner cabinet | 45° angled | Soft-close |
| Blind-corner base cabinet | 90° angled | Soft-close |
| Bi-fold corner door | 135° angled | Standard close |
| Deep corner / Lazy Susan | 155° wide-opening | Self-closing |
Will these fit my existing cabinets?
All of the PIVOT-PRO C80 hinges above use a 48cc cup that suits a standard 35mm boring, along with a cam-adjustable snap-on mounting plate. If your doors already have 35mm cup holes, that’s a good starting point, but it’s still worth checking:
- Cup hole diameter: measure the existing hole in the back of the door. It should be 35mm.
- Door thickness: very thin or very thick doors can affect how a concealed hinge sits.
- Mounting plate position: if you’re swapping from another brand, the plate screw holes may not line up exactly, so you may need to drill new pilot holes.
- Number of hinges: taller and heavier doors need more hinges. Count what’s on the door now before ordering replacements.
- Pack quantity: check each product page for whether you’re buying a single hinge or a pair.
Adjusting once they’re in
Cam-adjustable hinges let you fine-tune the door after it’s hung, so you don’t need to get every hole perfect first time. Small turns of the adjustment screws move the door side to side, in and out, and up and down. Work on one hinge at a time, make small adjustments and check the gap to the next door as you go. Corner doors in particular benefit from a careful final adjustment, because they sit close to neighbouring doors and drawers.
Pair your hinges with the right drawer runners
If you’re updating corner cabinets, it’s often a good time to sort out the drawers too. Our guide to choosing soft-close drawer runners for NZ kitchens covers lengths, extension types and fit, and you can read more about the hardware range in why builders and DIYers are switching to DTC.
See them in person in New Lynn
Not sure which hinge your corner cabinet needs? Bring a photo and measurements of the cabinet to our New Lynn showroom at 24 Croydon Road. Visits are by appointment, which you can book online. Builders and cabinetmakers working on multiple kitchens can book a trade / bulk order consultation instead.
We deliver across Auckland (excluding Waiheke Island), and our Hamilton and Waikato customers can get in touch about options for their area. You can browse the full range of hinges and runners in our kitchen hardware collection.