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Free DIY Ute Drawer Plans: Make a Cut List That Fits Your Ute
"Free ute drawer plans" usually means a forum thread with someone else's measurements, or photos that no longer load. Those plans were drawn for their tub, their liner and their runners. Copy them and you'll often find out at the wheel arch that they don't fit.
This guide covers what a usable drawer plan has to include, how to turn your own measurements into a cut list, and how the free RigBlueprint planner does the arithmetic for you.
What a good plan includes
A plan you can actually build from has five parts:
- Overall envelope: carcass length, width and height, set from your tub or boot.
- Panel list: every panel with its size, thickness and quantity (base, top, sides, dividers, drawer boxes, fronts).
- Sheet layout (nesting): how those panels fit onto 2400 x 1200 sheets, so you know how many to buy.
- Hardware list: runner length and pair count, latches, handles, fixings.
- Build order: which panels go together first, and where the runners go before you close up the box.
If a plan is missing the sheet layout or the runner length, you'll end up making the rest up yourself.
Step 1: Measure your vehicle (not someone else's)
Measure four things: width between the arches, usable floor length, height to the door or canopy opening, and the position of the tie-down points. Our measuring guide shows where to put the tape.
Then compare with the published figures on your vehicle page. For example, RigBlueprint's vehicle research lists 1100mm between the arches for an N70 Hilux dual cab and 1105mm for an N80 (Toyota UK 2011 brochure; CarsGuide). If your tape reads well under the published figure, a drop-in liner is usually the reason.
Step 2: Turn measurements into panel sizes
Work from the outside in:
- Carcass width = arch width – about 10mm clearance.
- Carcass length = floor length – tailgate or door clearance – any front cabinet.
- Bay width (per drawer) = (carcass width – side and divider thicknesses) ÷ number of drawers.
- Drawer box width = bay width – runner allowance (from the runner's spec sheet; it's usually given per side).
- Drawer box length = runner length. Runners come in fixed lengths, so pick the runner first. Bunnings sells Goliath pairs in 700, 800, 1000 and 1200mm (see Step 4).
Ply thickness changes every internal number, so decide it first. 12mm, glued and screwed, is enough for most carcasses (4WDing Australia). Use 15–18mm for a top you sleep on, because a 12mm base can sag under full drawers (NZ4WD).
Step 3: Nest the panels onto sheets
Lay out the biggest panels first (base and top), then the sides, then the drawer boxes in the offcuts. Leave room for the saw kerf on every cut (about 3mm for most circular-saw blades; check your blade). Current 2400 x 1200 sheet prices (checked 15 Oct 2026, RigBlueprint ply_prices.md):
| Market | Sheet | Price |
|---|---|---|
| NZ | Bunnings Tigerply 12mm | NZ$57.50 |
| NZ | Bunnings Tigerply 18mm | NZ$89.90 |
| AU | Bunnings CUSTOMply 12mm | A$46.00 |
| AU | Bunnings CUSTOMply 17mm (in-store) | A$71.40 |
Bunnings AU stocks 17mm rather than 18mm non-structural ply, so an 18mm plan needs its internal sizes reworked for AU sheets.
Step 4: Hardware list
Runner prices at Bunnings (checked 16 Oct 2026, RigBlueprint retail_prices.json):
| Runner (pair) | NZ | AU |
|---|---|---|
| Goliath 700mm | NZ$78.50 | A$74.97 lockable |
| Goliath 800mm | NZ$88.87 | A$139.81 extra heavy duty |
| Goliath 1000mm (90kg) | NZ$105.67 | A$99.97 lockable |
| Goliath 1200mm | price varies | A$195.35 extra heavy duty |
Check whether a product is listed as a pair or a single slide before you buy. Latches, handles and edge trim are covered in the drawer hardware guide.
Rough DIY totals from the same file: about NZ$224 for one drawer (one 18mm sheet, a 1000mm Goliath pair and screws) and NZ$420 for two. In AU it's about A$179 for one (17mm sheet, lockable 1000mm pair, screws) and A$351 for two. Bought equivalents cost NZ$449–699 / A$359–449 for a single drawer, and NZ$949–1,150 / A$718 and up for a twin set (retail_prices.json, 16 Oct 2026).
Step 5: Build order
- Cut and label every panel. Check it against the cut list before you glue anything.
- Fit the runners to the side panels and drawer boxes while the panels are still flat.
- Assemble the carcass: base, sides and divider, then the top.
- Slide in the drawer boxes, adjust, then fit the fronts.
- Seal, carpet or oil, then bolt the unit into the vehicle.
Greysand Projects has a good photo walk-through of the cutting and assembly (greysand.com.au).
Or let the planner do it
The RigBlueprint planner is free and needs no sign-up. Pick your vehicle, adjust the measurements to match your tape, and choose your modules (drawers, fridge slide, cabinet). It then gives you:
- a printable plan you can save as PDF, with elevations
- a panel cut list and sheet layout
- a hardware list and build order
Start from your vehicle: Hilux N80 · Hilux N70 · Ranger PX · Navara D40 · Patrol GU · Prado 150 · all vehicles