Furniture cam lock connectors

01

Match housing diameter, panel thickness and drilling distance

Häfele's furniture fittings catalogue gives a complete drilling pattern for its Minifix cam connectors. The Minifix 15 housing is Ø15 mm, made of zinc alloy, for a minimum wood thickness of 12 mm, with drilling depths of 9.5–22.5 mm set by the housing chosen and the panel thickness. The bolt hole is Ø5, 7 or 8 mm depending on the connecting bolt, and drilling distance B — from the centre of the housing to the panel's front edge — is 24 or 34 mm, also set by the bolt. Dimension A, from the bolt-hole centre to the housing's top edge, is 6 mm. The smaller Minifix 12 housing is Ø12 mm, zinc alloy, for wood from 12 mm, with a 9.5+0.2 mm drilling depth. [1]

For rimless Minifix 15 housings Häfele lists drilling depth against minimum wood thickness: 15 mm → 12.0+0.5 mm, 16 mm → 12.5+0.5 mm, 18 mm → 13.5+0.5 mm, 19 mm → 14.0+0.5 mm, 23 mm → 16.5+0.5 mm, 26 mm → 18.5+0.5 mm and 29 mm → 19.5+0.5 mm; a rimmed housing for 34 mm wood is drilled 22.5+0.5 mm deep with dimension A of 17.0 mm. Finishes listed are zinc alloy bright, black and nickel plated. [1]

Titus's 2022 cabinet connector catalogue shows the same 24/34 mm pattern: its Quickfit dowels come in 5, 8 and 10 mm diameters and 24 and 34 mm lengths and are compatible with Titus Ø15 mm cams, and its Cam5000 is a Ø15 mm cam made of zinc, with drilling depth tabulated against panel thickness. [2] Häfele's Red Jig drilling jig, offered with a Minifix 12/15 drill guide and a 15 mm multi-spur drill bit, is described as adapted to system 32 with a 5 mm hole system. [3]

Editorial calculation: in a 19 mm panel the rimless Ø15 mm housing is drilled 14.0 mm deep, leaving 19 − 14.0 = 5.0 mm of board below the housing; in a 16 mm panel the 12.5 mm depth leaves 3.5 mm. [1]

Give the supplier the panel material and thickness, housing diameter (Ø12 or Ø15 mm), rim or rimless, drilling depth, drilling distance (24 or 34 mm), bolt type and thread (special thread for a Ø5 mm hole, M6 thread, spreading or capped bolt), bolt-hole diameter, drive (PZ2, flat blade, hexagon), finish, cover caps, packing and quantity.

02

Check tightening travel and joint strength

Häfele describes its Minifix housings as giving more than 5 mm of tightening travel from half a turn, compensating drilling-distance tolerances from +1 mm to approx. −0.5 mm. Its clockface divides the travel into a closing distance of 0°–75° (3.2 mm pull), a tightening distance of 75°–165° (2 mm pull, with tightening starting at 120° when the specified drilling distance is held) and a retightening distance of 165°–195° (0.5 mm pull) for drilling tolerances, repeated disassembly or heavy loading. [1] Titus lists a drilling tolerance of +1/−1 mm for its Quickfit TL dowels and a lock position at 2 o'clock for its cams, and offers zinc+steel combi dowels whose steel neck and head are described as resisting torsion and pull-out. [2]

Janíková et al. (2025) tested L-shaped joints of 18 mm three-layer particleboard (type P2 to EN 312) at an 8 mm/min feed rate, using Minifix 15 housings (262.26.034) with unglued beech dowels and different bolts. Mean maximum bending moment was 19 Nm in compression and 16 Nm in tension with the S100 steel bolt, 18 Nm and 16 Nm with the S200 bolt, 15 Nm and 14 Nm with an M4 bolt in an insert nut, and 47 Nm and 31 Nm with a capped bolt. [4]

None of the reviewed catalogues publishes a pull-out or tensile rating in newtons for cam connectors; Häfele marks pull-out strength only as a selection category and Titus recommends assessment by testing in the application. [1] [2]

Editorial calculation: the three Häfele clockface segments add to 3.2 + 2 + 0.5 = 5.7 mm of pull, consistent with the stated travel of more than 5 mm. [1]

03

Drawings, finishes and joint test data to ask each cam-lock bidder for

When requesting quotations, ask each supplier for housing and bolt drawings with drilling patterns, material and finish, the panel thicknesses covered, and any joint or pull-out test report with the board type and test method stated.

04

Cam housing, connecting bolt, spreading dowel, wooden dowels, cover cap and drilling jig

Housing and bolt work as a pair, and the bolt sets the 24 or 34 mm drilling distance, so order them as one matched set rather than by housing alone. [1]

05

Housing diameter, bolt thread, drilling depth, finish, tolerance and joint strength for a cam-lock order

The joint-strength row has no catalogue rating to copy: the only figures are bending moments of 14–47 Nm measured in 18 mm particleboard, and Titus leaves strength assessment to testing in the application. [4] [2]

06

Send the panel, drilling pattern and bolt together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Panel: [material; thickness mm]
Housing: [Ø12/Ø15 mm; rim; drilling depth]
Drilling distance: [24 / 34 mm]
Bolt: [thread; hole Ø; type]
Material and finish: [zinc alloy; plating]
Strength data: [test method; board; N or Nm]
Quantity: [pieces; packing]

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