What is soft close?

Soft close is a cushioning action built into cabinet hardware. A small damper catches the door or drawer in the last few inches of travel and eases it shut quietly, so it settles instead of slamming.

The damper is usually an oil-filled cylinder set into the hinge arm, or a matching unit inside a drawer slide. Some designs use a calibrated spring, and some are clip-on units added to hardware that did not come with one. The mechanism varies; the result does not. A cabinet described as soft close normally has it on the doors and the drawers both.

Soft close is not the same as self close. Self close is spring-driven: it pulls the door the last part of the way and can still land with a tap. Standard hardware does neither and stays where you leave it. The reason soft close became the expected standard rather than an upsell is wear as much as quiet: every slam sends a shock through the hinge screws, the door and the box, and stopping it keeps a run of cabinets square for longer.

Soft close is standard on the framed and frameless painted RTA lines, which ship with 6-way adjustable concealed soft-close hinges and full-extension soft-close drawer glides; on the frameless lines those glides are undermount. The Unfinished Shaker line uses 3-way adjustable soft-close hinges. See European-style RTA cabinets for the hardware spec.

Related terms: Concealed hinge · Dovetail

For hinge types, adjustment and adding soft close to older cabinets, see the full guide to soft close cabinet hinges.

FAQ

What does soft close mean on a cabinet?

It means the hinges, the drawer slides, or both carry a damper that slows the last few inches of travel, so the door or drawer lands quietly instead of slamming. Most cabinets sold as soft close have it on both.

What is the difference between soft close and self close?

Both shut the door for you. Self close is spring-driven: it pulls the door the last part of the way and can land with a tap. Soft close is damper-driven: it resists the motion so the door settles without noise.

What are soft close cabinets?

Cabinets fitted with soft close hardware throughout, so no door or drawer in the run slams. The term describes the hardware, not the box or the door style: any cabinet line can be built with it.