Box Joint vs Dovetail Drawer Boxes
Updated November 22, 2024
Compare box joint and dovetail drawer boxes across appearance, durability, customizations, and price to find the best fit for your projects.
As a cabinet maker or contractor, you’re no stranger to the countless details that go into kitchen renovations. From selecting appliances to finalizing cabinet door designs, every decision shapes the final product. But one detail that often goes unnoticed -yet plays a critical role in functionality and durability – is the type of drawer boxes you choose.
At Cutting Edge, we’re experts in drawer box craftsmanship, producing over 3,500 drawer boxes last year alone. With this experience, we’ve seen firsthand the pros and cons of different styles and know where each option performs best.
In this article, you will learn how box joint drawers compare to dovetail drawers in four categories:
What Is the Difference Between Box Joint and Dovetail Drawer Boxes?
Both box joint and dovetail drawers serve one purpose: to provide an easily accessible storage area behind a drawer front.
So what’s the difference? The joinery.
Box Joint Drawer Boxes Have Box Joints
Box joint drawer boxes have box-shaped interlocking joints. The interlocking pieces can be rectangular or square, and you can see the joint from both the front and sides of the drawer box.
Dovetail Drawer Boxes Have Dovetail Joints
Shocking, right? Carpenters call them dovetail joints because they look somewhat like a dove’s tail. Typically, you can only see a dovetail joint from the side of the drawer box.
Category 1: Appearance
So which drawer box looks cooler? It’s a matter of opinion, but here’s the facts:
Box Joint Drawer Boxes
The box joint is more modern and simple. Because it’s visible from both the front and sides, they are more eye-catching than dovetail drawers, particularly in open cabinet designs.
Dovetail Drawer Boxes
Dovetail joints have a more detailed and traditional appearance than box joints. The interlocking angled joints make the drawer box appear to require more craftsmanship. However, dovetail drawers are more common than box joint drawers, which makes them less unique.
In addition, because you can’t see most dovetail joints from the front of the drawer box, they aren’t as immediately attention-drawing as box joints.
Category 2: Durability
The durability of box joint and dovetail drawer boxes is highly contested between people within the woodworking industry. Some factions consider box joint drawer boxes more durable, while others support dovetail drawers to their dying breath.
At Cutting Edge, we believe dovetail drawer boxes to be the more durable option; here’s why.
Box Joint Drawer Boxes
Typically, box joint drawer boxes have more interlocking pieces per joint, which means the joint has more gluing surface. As long as you use strong-adhering glue, box joint drawer boxes are very durable.
However, the box joints are simply rectangular pieces. Before you glue the joint together, you can easily slide the pieces apart. Thus, without glue, box joints are much weaker than dovetail joints. And, even with glue reinforcing the joint, box joints still don’t resist horizontal forces (like opening and closing a drawer) as well as dovetail joints. They rely on the glue to withstand those forces.
Dovetail Drawer Boxes
Here’s our champion!
Dovetail drawers have an angled, interlocking joint – the dovetail joint. Dovetail joints have fewer interlocking pieces per joint, which means the joint has less gluing surface than a box joint.
However, due to the construction of dovetail drawer boxes, the gluing surface is a moot point.
Done right, you can’t even put the angled interlocking pieces together without force. Although you can line up and start putting the joints together, they require a few forceful hits to lock fully into place.
And they are equally difficult to take apart. Indeed, the only way you can pull an unglued dovetail drawer box apart is by pulling on the sides first. If you try yanking a dovetail drawer box apart front to back, you will break the interlocking pieces (and that requires significant force, much more than average use).
That’s before you even add any glue to the dovetail joint. Quality dovetail drawer boxes can easily last the lifetime of a kitchen, between 10 and 25 years.
Category 3: Customizations
This one’s pretty simple. What you can do to a solid wood box joint drawer, you can also do to a solid wood dovetail drawer.
Customizations include adjusting the size and shape of the interlocking pieces, combining wood types, adding hand scoops, and more!
Category 4: Price
While we can’t speak for other drawer box manufacturers, Cutting Edge charges the same price for box joint and dovetail drawers. Neither option is trickier to produce than the other if you have the right machinery.
So, as long as you make the same choices of wood type, base thickness, finish type and other details, your price is the same for both options.
Who Are Box Joint Drawer Boxes Right For?
Box joint drawer boxes are an excellent choice for people wanting a unique kitchen. They aren’t as common as dovetail drawers, making them more eye-catching. However, ensure you have the budget to allow for the initial purchase and understand that you may need to replace box joint drawer boxes sooner than other drawer box options.
Who Are Dovetail Drawer Boxes Right For?
Dovetail drawer boxes are ideal if you want an extremely durable or a more traditional drawer box option.
Dovetail drawers might be the best option if you use your kitchen frequently and need the drawer boxes to last a long time.
Learn More About Box Joint and Dovetail Drawer Boxes
Choosing the right products for your kitchen projects can feel daunting with so many options on the market. As professionals, you know that making informed decisions is critical to meeting client expectations, maintaining your reputation, and staying on budget. That’s why understanding each product’s features and applications is essential.
So, now that you understand the basics of box joint and dovetail drawers, it’s time for you to dive deeper with our help. Next, learn more about box joint drawer boxes or dig into dovetail drawer boxes!
