Soft-Close Drawer Runners & Slides

Soft-close drawer runners are the quickest upgrade you can make to a kitchen or bedroom: the drawer glides on ball bearings, slows itself in the last few centimetres and shuts without a bang. Every pair here is a genuine GTV runner, held in stock in the UK and sold as a left-and-right set for one drawer.

Which runner do you need?

• Versalite PLUS soft-close runners – the standard kitchen and bedroom runner. 45 mm high, full extension, 12.7 mm clearance each side, 250–600 mm long, in zinc or matt black. Fits cutlery drawers, pan drawers, bedroom drawers and most replacement jobs.
• Versalite PRO push-to-open runners – the same slide with a sprung push-to-open mechanism and soft close. For handleless kitchens, media units and anywhere a handle gets in the way. 300–700 mm.
• H53 heavy-duty runners – 100 kg per pair, 2 mm steel, full extension, 700–1200 mm long. For van racking, workshop and tool drawers, pull-out larders, under-bed storage and appliance trays.

Getting the length right

Runner length is the closed length. Measure the internal depth of the cabinet from the front edge to the back panel and choose the longest runner that is 5–10 mm shorter than that. A standard 560–570 mm deep kitchen base unit takes a 450 mm or 500 mm runner; a 300 mm bedside unit takes a 250 or 300 mm runner. If you are between sizes, go shorter. Each product page has a "Will it fit?" checker that does the sum for you, and our guide Which drawer runner do I need? goes through every step.

Clearance and drawer box width

Side-mount runners sit between the drawer box and the cabinet side, so the box must be narrower than the opening: 12.7 mm each side for Versalite (box = internal width − 26 mm), 19.5 mm each side for the H53 (box = internal width − 39 mm). If you would rather not build drawer boxes at all, an Axis Pro drawer system has the runners built into metal sides and only needs a base and back cut from 16 mm board.

Replacing old runners

Not sure what you have? The replacement runner finder asks three questions and names the exact swap.

Measure the closed length of the old runner and check its height. Most 45 mm ball-bearing runners share the same fixings, so a Versalite PLUS will usually screw into the existing holes. If the old runners are the white roller type, the drawer will need re-sizing – it is a good moment to switch to Axis Pro.

Buy 10 or more pairs and 10% comes off automatically; trade accounts get a further 10% on every order. Same or next working day dispatch from Peterborough, tracked by Parcelforce 48, free UK delivery over £150.

Not sure which range? The runner comparison table puts Versalite PLUS, Versalite PRO, heavy-duty H53 and Axis Pro boxes side by side – lengths, loads, closing and clearances.