01Set-out: the four numbers
Every domestic benchtop enquiry reduces to these, and they are decided in this order because each one constrains the next.
At 900 mm with 6 mm plate the carcass is 894 mm. That is a number the cabinet maker needs before cutting, and it is why we ask for both heights rather than one. Nobody builds an 894 mm carcass by accident.
02Depth and overhang
600 mm is the working default. 620 mm appears where the top has to overhang drawer fronts by 20 mm so the front line reads clean and the top catches drips before they reach the drawer.
| Situation | Depth | Front overhang | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard base run | 600 mm | 20 mm | Drawer fronts sit behind the drip line |
| Deep drawer run | 620 mm | 30–40 mm | Only where the aisle allows |
| Butted to a wall | 600 mm | 20 mm | Folded upstand closes the wall junction |
| Island | 600–900 mm | 300 mm for seating | Overhang is a structure question, not a depth question |
The overhang is also the place a benchtop deflects. A 40 mm overhang with nothing under it is a lever, and a hand pressing on it is a load on the fixing at the back of the top. We ask about the front line on the drawing because it decides where the fixing screws can go.
03The edge is the benchtop
On thin tops the edge is a cap. On solid plate it is the material, machined, and that is the whole reason the product exists.
- Folded front edge — our default. A 30 mm return stiffens the front and removes the exposed edge, at no extra material.
- Square machined — the industrial read, and the only edge inspected to ±0.05 mm.
- R3–R6 radius — where the top is at body height in a family home.
Finish is No.4 brushed with grain along the length. Two panels with grain in different directions read as two colours under a window, so the direction goes on the drawing and on the packing mark.
04Sinks, cooktops and the wall junction
Solid plate has one advantage that matters more in a wet area than anywhere else: there is no core to get wet. An aperture for a sink is cut to the sink maker's template at ±0.5 mm; a cooktop aperture is cut to the appliance sheet, with clearance to combustibles taken from the appliance maker rather than invented by us.
At the wall, a folded upstand has no silicone line to fail. A separate upstand strip sealed at the joint is cheaper and is the first line to darken — worth knowing before the inspection, not after.
We cut, machine, fold, weld and grain in one building in Foshan, quote in 24 hours and hold a 15-day lead time from a confirmed drawing. Grade is 304 or 316L — 316L where a benchtop meets brine or heavy sanitiser — and the mill certificate follows the parts. Packing is on-edge with edges protected, and the inspection sheet travels with the shipment; that sheet is what the warranty refers to.
Benchtops, AU and NZ · Splashback and upstand · Bench height by market · Send a drawing