When a cabinet shop outsources doors, the quality of the finished order is decided before a single blank is cut — it's decided by the information on the order. A complete, unambiguous spec means the doors show up right the first time, on the sizes and details you expected. An incomplete one means phone calls, guesswork, and rework. This is a practical checklist of what to include with every custom door order so nothing gets lost in translation.
Sizes, and how to write them
Every door and drawer front needs a finished size written as width × height (W × H), in inches and fractions, always in that order. Reversing width and height is the single most common ordering error, and it turns a tall pantry door into a wide one. If you measured openings rather than finished sizes, say so explicitly and state the overlay you want applied.
Provide a clean cut list or a marked-up elevation, not a pile of loose numbers. Group like sizes, note quantities per size, and flag any pairs that meet on a shared opening so the gap between them is accounted for. Our measuring guide covers overlay math if you need a refresher.
Style, profile, and material
Specify the door style and profile precisely — Shaker, raised panel, slab, flat panel, or glass frame — and the panel type. If you're picking from a known profile, name it; if you have a sample, reference it. Trinity Doors machines the full range shown on our profiles page.
State the material clearly: species for stain-grade work (maple, oak, cherry, hickory, alder), or MDF for paint-grade. If the door mixes materials — say, an MDF panel in a hardwood frame — spell that out. Door thickness matters too; most are ¾", but note anything different, because hinge cups depend on it.
Overlay type and outside edge
Tell the manufacturer whether the doors are partial overlay, full overlay, or inset, and give the exact overlay amount if it's non-standard. Inset especially needs its reveal specified, because the doors fit inside the opening rather than on top of it and there's no room for guesswork.
Also specify the outside edge profile — square, eased, radius, or a decorative edge. This detail is easy to forget and hard to fix after the fact, so it belongs on every order. If the doors need to match an existing run, note that up front.
Hinge boring and hardware drilling
If you want concealed cup hinges bored, provide the hinge brand and model (Blum, Grass, Salice, etc.), the overlay, and the bore location. Different hinge systems use slightly different specs, and boring to the wrong one means the door won't sit right. If you're drilling hinges yourself, say the doors should ship un-bored.
Note any handle or knob drilling you want done in the shop, with placement dimensions — though many shops prefer to drill pulls on site for placement control. Being explicit either way prevents assumptions. If drawer fronts need slide clearance or applied-front screw holes, include that too.
Finish, quantity, and delivery details
Confirm whether you're ordering doors unfinished (sand-ready) or with a finish applied, and if painted or stained, provide the exact color or a sample. Total the quantities so the manufacturer can confirm material and plan the run. For high-volume shop work, our cabinet doors for cabinet shops page explains how we handle repeat and bulk orders.
Finally, include your contact info, PO or job name, and delivery preference. A clean order with all of this in one place gets quoted and built faster. Send it to us and we'll review it before anything goes into production — request a quote to start.
Frequently asked questions
What's the most important thing to get right on an order? The sizes and the overlay type. Written as W × H with the correct overlay, they determine whether the doors fit. Everything else is style; sizing is fit.
Should I send finished sizes or opening sizes? Either works, but be explicit about which you're sending. If you send opening sizes, state the overlay so we can calculate finished dimensions. Never mix the two on one order without labeling them.
Do I need to specify hinge boring? Only if you want it done. If so, include the hinge brand, model, and overlay. If you're boring in-house, tell us to ship the doors un-bored.
Can you match an existing door style? Often, yes — send a physical sample or detailed photos and measurements. See our guide on matching an existing cabinet door for what we need to reproduce it accurately.