The most common replacement enquiry we get is "I need this one, the same one" — followed by a blurry photo. Then five rounds of back and forth, and everyone is tired.
It really only takes four sets of measurements. Get them right and the match is close to certain.
1. Overall size: length × width × height
Measure the body with callipers — not the protruding hook or rod — in all three directions.
Note whether your measurement includes the housing or trim cap. That difference is often 2–3 mm, which is easily enough to stop it fitting.
2. Stroke — the most important, and the most often measured wrong
Stroke is not the length of the part. It is the distance over which it actually works.
How to measure it: push the slider fully in and mark the housing; pull it fully out and mark again. The distance between the two marks is the stroke.
The common mistake is measuring overall length only. Two parts of identical length can have very different strokes — and the result is a part that fits but does not damp.
3. Mounting holes
Measure centre to centre, not edge to edge.
If there are two or more holes, give the full set (for example "32 mm centres, 3.2 mm hole"). One number alone leaves the supplier guessing about the other end.
4. Where it engages
This is the one nobody mentions, and the one that decides how it feels.
How to measure it: fit the old part, push the drawer or door slowly, and find the point where resistance starts to rise. Measure how far the slider still is from the end of the housing at that moment.
That number tells us which part of the travel the new unit should start acting in.
Photographs that actually help
Three are enough, but each needs a reference:
- Front — with callipers in shot (readable) or a coin for scale.
- Side — so the thickness and housing profile are visible.
- Installed, in context — include the drawer or door joint. This single photo helps more than the other two.
Shoot in daylight, without flash — reflections hide the surface detail.
Three things to tell your supplier
- What is wrong now: no soft close / noisy / will not close fully / hard to pull. Different faults point at different parameters — they are not the same problem.
- Volumes: trial order and typical monthly use. This decides which specification band is right.
- Target market: say so up front if certification is involved, so samples and paperwork do not get out of step.
Those four measurements, three photos and three sentences are enough for us to say whether we can match it — or which one item has to change.