Can Drawer Runners Be Base or Bottom Mounted? Fixing Options Explained

 

Short answer: all Eurofit drawer runners are side-mounting by design. The runner fixes to the cabinet side and to the drawer side. That does not restrict you to a cabinet with full side panels. Our mounting brackets carry the same runner and let you fix the assembly to a side, a base or the bottom of the structure instead. So the question is not which runner mounts which way; it is which bracket you need.

Please note: all specifications on this page are taken from the Eurofit 2026 catalogue and apply to Eurofit drawer runners only. Other manufacturers build to different profiles, fixing patterns and tolerances, so their figures will differ. If you are fitting another brand, work from that manufacturer’s own specification.

How does a side-mounting drawer runner work?

A side-mounting runner comes as a pair. One member screws to the inside face of the cabinet side; the other screws to the outside face of the drawer side. One pair carries one drawer.

There is a good engineering reason this is the standard. The cabinet side is the strongest place to transfer load into the structure and a vertical fixing face resists a drawer’s downward and tipping forces far better than a horizontal one. It is also the most forgiving arrangement if a carcase is slightly out of square.

Because the runner is side-mounting, the drawer box must be narrower than the opening. Across our range that deduction is the internal cabinet width less 26mm on DS35 and DS46 or less 38.4mm on DS53 and DS76.

Can you base or bottom mount a drawer runner?

Yes, not by choosing a different runner, but by adding brackets. A mounting bracket gives the runner a vertical face to fix to where the structure does not provide one, so the runner still works exactly as designed while the bracket takes care of getting it into position.

That covers the situations where there is nothing to screw into: an open frame, a platform, a plywood floor, a vehicle conversion, a shelf with no side panels or a run of drawers built into a structure rather than a carcase.

Our mounting brackets

Our mounting brackets are L-shaped, made from 3mm plated steel and supplied with a complete fittings pack so nothing else is needed to install them. The holes are pre-drilled to line up with the runner fixing positions and the plating is corrosion-resistant, which matters far more in a vehicle or a workshop than in a fitted kitchen. They can be used with our DS50, DS53, DS60 and DS76 series.

Eurofit mounting brackets
Code	Bracket length
DS90305	305mm
DS90406	406mm
DS90559	559mm
DS90711	711mm

 

They suit runner lengths from 304mm to 1524mm, work with both the DS76 Locking and non-locking runners, and can be combined, two or more brackets to a side to support the longer runners in the range. Note the lower limit: the shortest DS76 runner at 254mm sits below the bracket range, so bracket mounting starts at the 305mm runner.

How many brackets do you need?

Two things here catch people out on their first order.

Quantities are quoted per side, not per pair. A drawer needs brackets on both sides, so whatever the configuration guide says, you need that number twice over for one drawer.

Base fixing needs roughly twice as many brackets as side fixing. A base-fixed runner has less leverage available to it, so it needs more support along its length. As a rough guide from the configuration data:

Runner length	Brackets per side: side fixing	Brackets per side: base fixing
305–355mm	1 x DS90305	2 x DS90305
406–508mm	1 x DS90406	2 x DS90406
559–660mm	1 x DS90559	2 x DS90559
711–813mm	1 x DS90711	2 x DS90711
Longer runners	Combinations of two or more brackets	Combinations of two or more brackets

Above roughly 850mm the configurations mix bracket sizes, and the combination depends on the exact runner length. The full configuration guide covers every length in the range, ask us and we will work out the bracket schedule for your runner.

Which runners can be bracket mounted?

The brackets can be used with our DS50, DS53, DS60 and DS76 series. The hole positions are set out for the DS76 heavy-duty runner, which is the series most often used where there is no carcase to fix to: vehicle conversions, industrial storage, server racks and understairs storage and the published configuration guide is arranged by DS76 runner length. If you are bracket mounting a DS50, DS53 or DS60 runner, give us the runner length and we will confirm the bracket size and quantity.

Eurofit side-mounting runners
Series	Profile	Lengths	Load per pair at 450mm
DS35	35 x 12.6mm	400mm and 450mm from stock	35kg
DS46	46 x 12.7mm	250–750mm	30–45kg by variant
DS53	53mm high	350–1200mm	118kg
DS76	76 x 19.2mm	254–1524mm	227kg

Does the fixing method change the load rating?

The rating belongs to the runner and it assumes the runner is properly fixed to sound material. What changes with the fixing method is how much of that rating you actually realise.

A bracket bolted to a solid platform will let a runner perform as specified. The same bracket fixed through thin ply, into soft board or into a panel that flexes will not, however good the runner is. If you are bracket mounting a heavy drawer, the structure behind the bracket deserves as much thought as the runner itself.

Frequently asked questions

Do these figures apply to other brands of drawer runner?

No. The fixing patterns, bracket sizes and ratings here are specific to Eurofit and come from our 2026 catalogue. Use the specification for the runner you are actually fitting.

Do you supply bottom-mounted drawer runners?

Our runners are side-mounting by design and we supply mounting brackets that let you fix them in a side, base or bottom position. You get bottom mounting from the bracket, not from a different runner.

Are bracket quantities per drawer or per side?

Per side. Double the figure from the configuration guide to get what one drawer needs.

Why does base fixing need more brackets than side fixing?

A base-fixed runner is supported from underneath rather than from a full-height face, so it needs more fixing points spread along its length to stay rigid under load.

Browse the range

Platform mounting brackets, heavy duty runners, locking runners, medium duty runners and runners for vehicle conversions.

All specifications on this page relate to Eurofit drawer runners and are taken from the Eurofit 2026 catalogue. Figures for other manufacturers’ products will differ so always check the specification for the runner you are fitting.