# System 32 shelf-pin holes: 32 mm pitch, 37 mm setback, 5 mm and 1/4 in holes, depth + drilling templates

> What spacing and hole size do 5 mm and 1/4 in shelf pins need in the 32 mm system?

- Category: Hardware › Furniture & cabinet hardware
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: Wikipedia's 32 mm system page and four tool-maker pages (Rockler, Kreg, Veritas, Shaper) for the grid; McMaster's category for inch pin sizes. Files: two drilling templates (5 mm and 1/4 in) at the published pitch and setback, plate and fence are Xem choices
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/system-32-shelf-pin-holes/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=system-32-shelf-pin-holes · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/system-32-shelf-pin-holes/sheet.txt
- License: dimension sheet CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio); files CC BY 4.0 or their publisher's license
- Use in every chat: add https://xemstudio.com/mcp as a connector (https://xemstudio.com/use-with-ai/)

## Overall (mm)

| length | width | height |
|---|---|---|
| 328.0 | 60.0 | 14.0 |

**Exact dimensions.** Every file is drawn at true size with no tolerance added. The holes and pins that meet another part are listed below under Mating features, with the fit each joint needs; open those by your process's clearance before making the part.

## Notes

- The 32 mm system puts holes on a 32 mm pitch in columns set 37 mm from the front edge of a cabinet side; shelf pins sit in the 5 mm holes (or 1/4 in holes for inch jigs) in the same grid. The 5 mm pins themselves (diameter and length variants) are on the page shelf-pins-5mm; this page adds the grid and the 1/4 in hole.
- Agreement: 32 mm pitch (five pages), 37 mm setback (four pages), 5 mm hole (three pages). Rockler also prints a 64 mm setback for its farther row; Veritas prints 8 mm holes for fittings alongside the 5 mm. Hole depth appears only on Wikipedia (12–14 mm); Rockler, Kreg, Veritas and Shaper pages do not print it, so it is a single-source figure. Wikipedia's pin length (15–16 mm) and flange (about 7 mm) are likewise single-source.
- Hole sizes on the template files are the published 5 mm and 1/4 in (6.35 mm). The plate is 60 mm wide and 6 mm thick with ten holes and a 14 mm fence on the front edge; 20 mm end margins. Those are Xem choices (Rockler's jig plate is 6 mm thick and 20 in long, which is not copied). Print the template and use it as a drill guide with a stop for the depth.
- Inch shelf pins: McMaster-Carr's category lists peg diameters of 1/8, 3/16, 9/32 and 1/4 in and peg depths of 5/16, 3/8 and 7/16 in; it prints no separate hole size, so the peg diameter is treated as the hole size only for the 1/4 in pin that matches Rockler's 1/4 in bit.
- Not here: the 5 mm pin shapes (see shelf-pins-5mm), any hole spacing for rear rows beyond 64 mm, and a pitch for a 1/4 in grid other than 32 mm.

## Mating features (exact size; open press / slide / run / socket by your process clearance, leave designed and clamp as drawn)

| feature | exact | mates with | fit | files |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hole grid | 32 pitch; first column 37 from the front edge (second 64, Rockler); hole depth 12–14 (single source) | shelf pins in Ø5 holes (or Ø6.35 for inch jigs); Ø8 holes are for fittings, not pins | designed | shelf-pin-template-* |

## Sizes

| quantity | value | source |
|---|---|---|
| hole pitch in a column | 32 mm | Wikipedia; Rockler (32 mm on centre); Kreg (1-1/4 in = 32 mm); Veritas; Shaper |
| shelf-pin hole diameter | 5 mm | Wikipedia; Shaper; Kreg 5 mm jig |
| shelf-pin hole diameter, inch jigs | 1/4 in (6.35 mm) | Rockler: 1/4 in and 5 mm bits and indexing pins at 32 mm spacing |
| fitting hole diameter (not for pins) | 8 mm | Veritas: system uses 5 mm and 8 mm holes |
| first column from the front edge | 37 mm | Wikipedia; Rockler; Veritas; Shaper |
| second column from the front edge | 64 mm (Rockler's 'farther row') | Rockler |
| hole depth | 12–14 mm | Wikipedia only (the other pages read give no depth) |
| shelf pin length / flange | 15–16 mm / about 7 mm | Wikipedia (for 5 mm pins) |
| McMaster pin peg diameters | 1/8, 3/16, 9/32, 1/4 in | McMaster-Carr shelf-pin category |
| McMaster peg depths | 5/16, 3/8, 7/16 in | McMaster-Carr shelf-pin category |

## Where the files are

- Wikipedia: [32 mm cabinetmaking system: 32 mm centres, 5 mm holes, first row 37 mm from the front edge, hole depth 12-14 mm, shelf pin 15-16 mm long, flange about 7 mm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/32_mm_cabinetmaking_system) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- Rockler: [Shelf Pin Drilling Jig: hole spacing 32 mm on centre, 37 mm or 64 mm row setback, 1/4 in and 5 mm bits and pins, plate 6 mm thick, 20 in long](https://www.rockler.com/rockler-shelf-pin-drilling-jig) — web — Maker page; numbers only
- Kreg (via Acme Tools): [Shelf Pin Jig 5 mm (KMA3232): guides on 1-1/4 in (32 mm) spacing, six holes per setup](https://www.acmetools.com/kreg-shelf-pin-jig-5mm-kma3232/647096811006.html) — web — Retailer page; numbers only
- Veritas (via Fine Tools): [Cabinetmaking System 32: 32 mm spacing, 5 mm and 8 mm holes, 37 mm to the front edge for European fittings](https://www.fine-tools.com/Cabinetmaking-System-32-Deluxe-VERITAS/325260) — web — Retailer page; numbers only
- Shaper Origin support: [System 32 walkthrough: 32 mm intervals, standard 5 mm diameter, first column 37 mm from the front edge](https://support.shapertools.com/hc/en-us/articles/8900620036379-system-32-walkthrough) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- McMaster-Carr: [Shelf pins for cabinets and bookcases (free STEP/IGES per part, for your own design use; no redistribution)](https://www.mcmaster.com/products/shelving-pins/) — STEP, IGES, PDF — McMaster-Carr site terms: personal design use, no redistribution (verify at link)

## Free STEP/STL (2 parts, CC BY 4.0, Xem Studio)

Index: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/system-32-shelf-pin-holes/index.json

- shelf-pin-template-5mm-32mm-pitch: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/system-32-shelf-pin-holes/shelf-pin-template-5mm-32mm-pitch.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/system-32-shelf-pin-holes/shelf-pin-template-5mm-32mm-pitch.stl) — drilling template, 328.0 × 60.0 mm plate, 6 mm thick, with a 14 mm tall front fence: ten Ø5 holes on a 32 mm pitch, 37 mm from the fence face; plate size, thickness and fence are Xem choices
- shelf-pin-template-quarter-inch-32mm-pitch: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/system-32-shelf-pin-holes/shelf-pin-template-quarter-inch-32mm-pitch.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/system-32-shelf-pin-holes/shelf-pin-template-quarter-inch-32mm-pitch.stl) — drilling template, 328.0 × 60.0 mm plate, 6 mm thick, with a 14 mm tall front fence: ten Ø6.35 (1/4 in) holes on a 32 mm pitch, 37 mm from the fence face; same layout as the 5 mm template

## Questions

**What is the hole spacing for shelf pins?**

32 mm between hole centres in a column, with the first column 37 mm from the front edge.

**What size hole does a shelf pin need?**

5 mm for 5 mm pins, 1/4 in for inch pins (Rockler's 1/4 in bit).

**How deep are System 32 holes?**

Wikipedia prints 12–14 mm; the tool-maker pages read do not print a depth.

## Fits with

- [Shelf support pins for 5 mm holes (32 mm system), plain and L-ledge](https://xemstudio.com/objects/shelf-pins-5mm/)
- [Furniture dowels Ø6, Ø8, Ø10 × 30–40 mm (the 8 × 30 flat-pack dowel)](https://xemstudio.com/objects/furniture-dowels/)
- [IKEA BILLY bookcase dimensions (80 and 40 wide, 202 and 106 tall) and shelf sizes](https://xemstudio.com/objects/ikea-billy/)
- [IKEA shelf boards: BILLY, PAX (KOMPLEMENT) and IVAR shelf sizes and thickness](https://xemstudio.com/objects/ikea-shelf-boards/)
- [Pegboard hole size and spacing: 1/4 in holes on 1 in centers (and 3/16 in), panel sizes, hook wire](https://xemstudio.com/objects/pegboard-standard/)