Spice rack depth

[Mark Gibney]

I'm making spice racks for a client's pantry.
How deep are they typically? - my search results seems to show they usually have from 2 1/8" to 2 1/4" open for the small jars, but I cannot find anything definitive.

Anyone have experience of this? We don't have spice racks in our own home to use as a template. Thanks!

[Michael Drew]

I just made one for my kitched a couple weeks ago. I used some jars that we have for templates to figure out shelf depth and height. Also, we have a multitude of different containers of various sizes we've accumulated over the years..... There really is no 'right size' for these things and you just have to size it to be useful and still not look out of place. If it helps, I ended up building the rack 3.5" in total depth, 24" in height and about 22" in width. Shelves are about 4" in height, and I made 1/2" deep X 3/4" high wood pieces that are glued to the leading edge of each shelf to keep the jars from falling out (earth quakes zone where I live). I'll take a picture of it tomorrow.

[Mark Bolton]

I agree with Michael about no default size anymore especially with so many people/places now using the large plastic bulk containers (sams club et' al'). My default when they come up is to make them wide and adjustable height so people can use the large plastic bulk containers where they want, the smaller standard 3" tall jars, and also the very short 1.5" tall jars. It makes it difficult on the shop side but it seems making your spice shelves to accommodate the small standard containers we all knew as kids doesnt make a lot of sense anymore when people are buying a #1 box of basil, garlic powder, etc. and they are not transferring it to a smaller regular use container.

Its a customer conversation issue in my world.

[Richard Coers]

If you do a Google image search, you'll find commercial units from 2 1/4" deep to 4 1/4" deep. There is no definitive answer. Ask the client for the dimension they want.

[Matt Day]

You need to make either different sizes or ask the client to use one specific jar for all spices. I made one years ago for a client and they used the same jars for all their spices - dumped whatever they bought into said jars.

[Bradley Gray]

Wide enough for a a quart canning jar is a good size.

[Mark Gibney]

Thanks everyone, all good advice. I guess I'll be making different sized racks based on what my client will store there.

[Michael Drew]

We've been transitioning to these little glass jars. I think they are about 2.5" wide at the base, so I used that as a general guide for shelf depth. I was also constrained to the area I had to work with on this cabinet pannel. Used a hidded French cleat for hanging it.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Mark, mine is approximately 3 3/4” deep in the top section and 4 3/4” in the bottom section.

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[Mark Gibney]

Michael, Rod - thanks. Who knew there was such variation in a simple addition to kitchen storage?

[Michael Drew]

Michael, Rod - thanks. Who knew there was such variation in a simple addition to kitchen storage?

The only constaint I've discovered, is there is never enough kitchen storage...... My next house will have a walk-in butler's pantry.

[David Utterback]

This one is made to hold 2 rows of the most common sizes on each level. To fit those properly, it should have been at least 3-3/4" deep. We keep them sorted in rough alphabetical order to save time. The top shelf is left open for larger containers. It is also used for all the different peppers that we have. Good luck! (Sorry for the three rotation versions.)

[Jim Becker]

The only constaint I've discovered, is there is never enough kitchen storage...... My next house will have a walk-in butler's pantry.

Yea, I'm feeling that pain big-time here at our new place where the kitchen is half the size and because of the layout, the available storage space is extremely limited. I use a lot of different kinds of herbs/spices when I cook and even that is significantly compromised from a convenience standpoint right now...working on a pull out design for the one, narrow upper cabinet I have to use for this stuff, myself, which is why I've been reading this thread. Fortunately, 99% of what I use is from Penzey's and in regular sized jars, so planning the storage is at least less complicated than having to deal with a bunch of odd shapes and sizes.

[Walter Mooney]

Not to change or highjack this thread, but I thought I’d throw in a design for adjustability in pantry / storage cabinet. I have a notched piece vertically in each corner of the cabinet, which were clamped together and gang cut for accuracy. The ‘drawer’ half of the FE slide is of course attached to the pull out. The ‘cabinet’ half of the slide is mounted to a piece of wood ~2-1/2” tall, with angled cuts on both ends. Its length fits between the vertical pieces.

[William Hodge]

It's worth it to know how the client cooks and stores stuff. Some people have a variety of spice and other containers of different sizes. People buy spices because they like the fancy jars, too. Also, it's improvement to know how people use spices. Some people just buy stuff and never use it, so they need a lot of room. Other people have just need salt and pepper by the stove. My mother had spices in little rectangular cans that had come from her Mother's kitchen. They all ate the most bland food you could imagine.

I make a lot of Indian food. I heat up the oil, and throw in spices before they burn. I have quart jars on the counter for access and speed. The lesser used spices are in little jars from Frontier Herbs, in a drawer.