| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| anti-racking | Anti-racking describes a mechanical device that keeps the drawer running straight as it moves in and out. These are often a rack and pinion device and requires some precision during installation. They are usually used to keep very wide drawers aligned so they can move freely without binding the slides. |
| Anti-tilt | A mechanical device that allows you to only open one drawer at a time, ensuring that heavy cabinets, like those used for filing or at libraries, do not tip over on you. |
| Assisted open or close slide | This type of slide offers a strong balance between convenience and control. With significantly more ease than non-assisted products, you can open and close the slide as you desire. There are several facets to the system that balance out the overall experience for you, the end user. Once an assisted open slide is about halfway open there is a static zone where the drawer is somewhat stationary and remains static. Beyond that, at about 3/4 of the way open, the drawer assistance mechanism finishes the process. This makes for a seamless experience where you can grab what you want with little effort. When closing, the drawer lets you shut it as you please and only takes over about 3/4 of the way through, past the static zone. |
| Ball Bearing Drawer Slide | Slides with ball bearings offer the ideal mixture of value and strength under heavy loads. Typically ball bearing slides are made of carbonized or stainless steel. They are better than many earlier types of drawer slides because they stand up extremely well to wear and are an ideal solution for load bearing capacity. The ball bearing slides run within ball bearing retainers, basically grooves, between the telescopic parts of the slide |
| Center Mount Slides | Center mount slides are single slides which are intended to mount under the drawer. These are the ideal type of slide to flat mount and are ideal for situations that do not need a great deal of dynamic load. |
| Soft close | A drawer equipped with dampened closing keeps you from slamming your drawer by making the closing of it into a smoothly controlled motion. |
| Deflection | Deflection is the level to which a slide has moved under a given load. Typically, this is the difference between the height, or angle of a slide when unloaded and then after a certain period of load placement. This is a useful measure specifically when trying to work in tight areas or highly technical environments. |
| Detent | The detent is a component on a slide that generates the mechanical force necessary to keep slides in a desired position, usually closed, until the user applies more force. These are usually a rubber component. |
| Disconnect | The disconnect allows the user to remove the inner mount of the slide from the chassis of the slide. Common types of disconnects include rail disconnects, lever disconnects, or friction disconnects. |
| Dynamic Load | The dynamic load is the weight of a fully assembled and installed unit being cycled in and out with its moving load. Given the needs of a particular industry, the dynamic load helps you to assess the maximum weight your new pair of slides will carry over a prescribed amount of time, or through its expected "life". |
| Flat mounting | Horizontal mounting of a slide under a drawer. Most slides are not intended to be used in this position, and though it can be done, usually the total amount of weight capacity that a slide can bear suffers. Rule of thumb is a loss of 66% of the rated capacity. |
| Friction Disconnect | Friction Disconnects operate by allowing the user to keep pulling the drawer out to overcome the resistance offered by its detents on the bearings. Friction disconnects do not offer levers or latch mechanisms and instead operate purely through the friction of the system. These are usually only used on center mount drawer slides where access to the slide is limited. |
| Full Extension | Allows drawer to open the full length of the slide, providing greater access and making it easier for you to use in general. Full extension slides are ideal for kitchens and any other areas where you might want unobstructed access to the tool you are looking for. |
| Groove Drawer Slides | Grooved drawer slides are ideal for a variety of applications where the amount of space in the cabinet and drawer is minimal compared to other formations. Grooved drawer slides are generally intended for living rooms, bedrooms, and home offices, and thus have extremely smooth lateral motion |
| Handed slide | Handed drawer slides are designed for usage on either the left or right. Unhanded, or non-handed drawer slides can be used on either side and are more popular. |
| Heavy Duty Drawer Slides | Heavy duty drawer slides range in size from 10" up to 60", with a weight capacity up to 149lb, 220lb, and typically up to 500 lbs. Heavy duty drawer slides are commonly used in applications that demand quick access to heavy equipment and tools. Heavy duty drawer slides are commonly found within industrial settings like machinery, safety gates, motion guides, toolbox drawers, commercial restaurant equipment, freezers, fixtures for automotive Heavy duty drawer slides range in size from 10" up to 60", with a weight capacity up to 149lb, 220lb, and typically up to 500 lbs. Heavy duty drawer slides are commonly used in applications that demand quick access to heavy equipment and tools. Heavy duty drawer slides are commonly found within industrial settings like machinery, safety gates, motion guides, toolbox drawers, commercial restaurant equipment, freezers, fixtures for automotive assembly lines, & deep storage drawers for large fixtures, dies, and maintenance parts. Additionally heavy-duty locking drawer slides are commonly used for mobile applications where stability after accessing an item is absolutely necessary. Thus, heavy duty locking drawer slides can commonly be found in service utility truck beds, fire trucks, SWAT vehicles, expedition vehicles, toolboxes for truck beds, slide outs for recreational vehicle (RV) basements, trailers, yachts, and other applications that require the drawer stay secure. Assembly lines, & deep storage drawers for large fixtures, dies, and maintenance parts. Additionally heavy-duty locking drawer slides are commonly used for mobile applications where stability after accessing an item is absolutely necessary. Thus, heavy duty locking drawer slides can commonly be found in service utility truck beds, fire trucks, SWAT vehicles, expedition vehicles, toolboxes for truck beds, slide outs for recreational vehicle (RV) basements, trailers, yachts, and other applications that require the drawer stay secure. |
| Hold-in | A hold-in is a type of detent specifically designed to keep a slide closed until you exert enough force to open it. |
| Hold-out | A hold-out is a type of detent designed to ensure that the drawer is kept open until you exert enough force to close it fully. |
| Installation Width | The distance between the side of the drawer box and the cabinet where the slide is attached. This is often a limiting factor in replacing slides but is key to calculate when figuring out what kind of slide you will need. Learn more about the importance of installation width from our Drawer Slide Installation Width Guide. |
| Intermediate member | Is the part of the drawer slide between the cabinet member and drawer member, that attaches to the drawer. The Intermediate member is what makes a full extension drawer slide. Two intermediate members are used in 150% extension over-extension drawer slides. |
| Keyboard Slide | Working long hours at an uncomfortable workstation is an unnecessary evil that too many Americans unfortunately opt for. OVIS offers an affordable and adjustable keyboard tray so that users can quickly and cheaply fix any issues with typing at an uncomfortable desk. |
| Lever Disconnect | Drawer removal is achieved by releasing a lever and pulling the drawer away from the cabinet. |
| Load rate | The load rating is the capacity for a slide to withstand a certain amount of weight safely and repeatedly as specified by the manufacturer when fully extended. Factors such as deflection and dynamic load are used to calculate this figure. |
| Lock-in | A lock-in is the mechanism which keeps a slide locked close until you pull the lever to release it. |
| Lock-out | A lock-out is the mechanism which keeps a slide locked open until you pull the lever to release it. |
| Over Travel | Over travel, or over extension drawer slides open beyond full extension, giving you total visibility and access for your tools. Over-travel drawer slides are especially ideal in situations where a large countertop or some other ledge might keep you from being able to full see the contents of the drawer. |
| Part or Partial extension | The slide has only 2 members and as a result has an under-travel because it has no intermediate member. You could see these described as ¾ extension slides. |
| Progressive Movement | Progressive movement is a result of all slide members moving simultaneously. This type of movement provides extremely smooth, quiet movement. |
| Push to open | A push to open slide allows you to easily open a drawer up by pressing the front of it. |
| Rail disconnect | A rail disconnect mechanism on a drawer slide provides a rail with latch that usually rests on top of the drawer slide that allows you to easily lift a drawer from a slide. |
| Screw head clearance | Screw head clearance refers to the internal distance, or clearance, between a slides inner member and its chassis. This allows you to figure out what the maximum fastener height that can be accommodated inside of a drawer slide unit without interfering with the motion of the ball retainers. |
| Self - close | A self-closing drawer has an added spring mechanism which allows the drawer to keep itself closed thus preventing any bounce back or slamming that might otherwise occur. |
| Shock blocks | Shock blocks are essential for the long durability of your slides as they minimize vibration and pressure on the components of a slide during closing. |
| Side Clearance | Side clearance specifies the amount of space needed on each side of a drawer unit pair in order to mount it without interference from the cabinet. |
| Side Mount Drawer Slide | A slide that mounts to the side of the drawer and to the side of the cabinet or the cabinet face frame. Learn more about choosing the correct side mount drawer slide in our Definitive Guide to Drawer Slides. These are available in either ball-bearing or roller mechanisms, and require that you mind the side clearance between the sides of the drawer and the cabinet. |
| Side mounting | Mounting the slide in the vertical plane, along each edge of the cabinet. This is ideal in terms of strength but may not be the best choice if you want to highlight the quality of the wood used in the cabinetry. |
| Side Space | Side space is the amount of space needed to accommodate the thickness of the slide in your cabinet. This distance can be measured by subtracting the outside dimension of the drawer from the inside dimension of the cabinet, and then dividing that amount in half. |
| Slide | Slide is the blanket term used in the industry for all ball bearing slides, telescopic slides, drawer runners, linear slides, rails, and various other guides. |
| Slide Movement | Slides movement describes exactly how the slide operates inside of the cabinet. Typically this is either telescoping movement, which occurs in stages or progressive movement where the various slide members move simultaneously. Learn more about selecting your ideal slide movement in our Definitive Guide to Drawer Slides. |
| Static load | The resting maximum load capacity of a given pair of slides when extended. This is typically used to assess safety limits for a slide and doesn't take into account dynamic load, or how much weight a slide is rated for while moving. |
| Telescopic slide | A slide made up of 2 or 3 members which then allows it to extend beyond the length of the slide in a static state. The members are usually nested one inside the other. |
| Telescoping Movement | Telescoping movement occurs in stages. The drawer member extends fully and then picks up the intermediate member, pulling it to the end of the travel. |
| Telescoping slides | Telescoping slides are full extension slides, which similar to a telescope, extend in sections. Essentially the drawer, or inner member travels fully, while the intermediate member then creates the space for travel from the outer member attached to the cabinet. |
| Undermount Drawer Slide | An undermount drawer slide, or bottom mount drawer slide, is typically mounted in a horizontal position underneath the chassis of your drawer. Undermount slides are specifically designed for this task, and are ideal when aesthetic or space issues are paramount. The only downside is that the horizontal configuration of undermount slides typically reduces their load bearing efficiency compared to more common slides. Learn more about choosing the right under drawer slide in our Definitive Guide to Drawer Slides. |
| Under-Travel | Under-travel, is a little used term now and is the measurement of the distance that a slide travels which is less than the total length of the slide. A 3/4 or partial extension slide would have an under-travel equivalent to approximately 1/4 of the slide's total length. This is also called a partial extension. Generally, a slide that is partial extension will specify the "extension loss" which is the length of the slide minus the travel. |
Drawer Slide Terms & Definitions