Pantry Shelf Spacing
Shelves for spices and cans may need no more than 6 inches front to back.
Pantry shelf spacing. Glass particleboard solid lumber plywood and other common shelving materials can have span limits that can range from 18 inches to almost 5 feet. Differing package sizes matter a lot less if you have your own containers. The shelves can be filled all the way to the back and it pulls out towards you so that even the back items are easy to see and access at a glance. Start with bottom shelves 16 to 18 inches deep and spaced about 18 to 24 inches apart for bulky items.
Plan out how you want your shelves to be installed in the pantry. We installed two 15 inch deep shelves at the bottom and left 16 18 inches of shelf space between each shelf for storing large items like cereal boxes tall bottles and small appliances. Make shelves at eye level 12 to 14 inches deep and spaced 14 to 16 inches apart to fit cereal boxes and canisters. Our favorite method of pantry shelf spacing is to plan shelf spacing based on containers that you select to store foods instead of planning pantry shelf spacing based on commercially packaged food.
On the source page you will see a pantry where the shelving only goes part way so that a pull out shelf could be installed increasing storage space. Allow 14 to 16 inches for cereal boxes. Allow 18 to 20 inches for large items like bins of potatoes. The span limit is defined as the maximum distance apart that you can place the shelving supports.
Another pantry storage idea is converting a cupboard into an expanded spice cupboard. The ideal overall depth of a reach in pantry with shelves is between 22 and 24. All shelves should be adjustable. Allow 6 5 to 7 inches for a shelf of canned goods.
Deep set shelves on sliders allow you to maximize the space of a small cabinet or large pantry closet.