IKEA FAKTUM vs METOD: differences, dimensions, compatibility

FAKTUM is the IKEA kitchen cabinet system sold until 2014, METOD is its successor sold since 2014. They look similar but differ in front dimensions, allowances, hole spacing and hinges, so the fronts of one system do not fit the other. The table below gathers all the differences in one place; the numbers come from the same source as our configurator.

How to identify the system in 30 seconds

Year of purchase. A kitchen from before 2014 is FAKTUM, from 2014 onwards METOD. For a kitchen from 2014, check the next points.
Holes in the cabinet side. Open the cabinet and look at the side next to the front: FAKTUM has one row of holes at the edge, METOD two rows in a 32 mm system.
Thickness of the cabinet side. FAKTUM 18 mm, METOD 16 mm.
Height of base doors and plinth. FAKTUM: door 70 cm and plinth about 16 cm; METOD: door 80 cm and plinth about 8 cm.

Not sure? Send a photo of the hinge and the inside of the cabinet to kontakt@ogony.pl, we reply the same day.

Do METOD fronts fit FAKTUM?

No. A METOD front has a different size (nominal minus 3 mm instead of minus 4 mm), different heights (80 instead of 70 cm) and different hinge hole spacing. There is no adapter. The only way is a front made in FAKTUM dimensions with holes for the hinges you already have. More in the article Do IKEA METOD fronts fit FAKTUM?.

What we make for FAKTUM and for METOD

For FAKTUM we make fronts to the old dimensions with holes for INTEGRAL hinges (cup Ø35 mm, 13 mm deep), for METOD to the current dimensions with holes for UTRUSTA. Our front is 18 mm thick instead of the original 16 mm; installation is identical. Equivalents of the discontinued FAKTUM series (LIDINGÖ, STÅT, ABSTRAKT and others) are in the model table in the FAKTUM collection.

IKEA, METOD, FAKTUM, INTEGRAL and UTRUSTA are trademarks of Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Ogony.pl is not affiliated with IKEA and makes its own replacement fronts.

FAKTUM vs METOD side by side

Feature	IKEA FAKTUM	IKEA METOD
Years sold	until 2014	from 2014
Hinge / cup hole	INTEGRAL, cup Ø35 mm, 13 mm deep	UTRUSTA, cup Ø35 mm, 13 mm deep
Rows of holes in the cabinet	one row at the front edge	two rows (32 mm system)
Cabinet side panel	18 mm	16 mm
Front size = nominal minus	4 mm	3 mm
Typical doors (W×H)	60×70, 60×92, 60×125 cm	60×80, 60×100, 60×140 cm
Drawer fronts (height)	13, 25, 38 cm	10, 20, 40 cm
Plinth height (base units)	approx. 16 cm	approx. 8 cm
Front thickness IKEA / Ogony	16 mm / 18 mm
Fronts interchangeable?	No: different sizes, allowances and hole spacing
Ogony fronts	to the old sizes, drilled for INTEGRAL	to METOD sizes, drilled for UTRUSTA

In 2014. Since then IKEA has not sold FAKTUM fronts, while FAKTUM cabinets still stand in many kitchens; replacing the fronts with made-to-measure ones is enough.

Yes. We drill FAKTUM fronts for INTEGRAL hinges: cup Ø35 mm, 13 mm deep, spacing as in the original. Unscrew the old front, screw on the new one.

Doors: widths 15-60 cm, heights 35, 57, 70, 92 and 125 cm; drawer fronts 13, 25 and 38 cm high. The actual size is the nominal size minus 4 mm, e.g. 60 cm = 596 mm, 70 cm = 696 mm. Always measure the existing front, because kitchens were often modified.

Doors 60×80, 60×100 and 60×140 cm (plus narrower and wider variants), drawer fronts 10, 20 and 40 cm. The actual size is the nominal size minus 3 mm, e.g. 60 cm = 597 mm, 80 cm = 797 mm.

Yes, side by side, but each cabinet gets the front of its own system. The difference in plinth height (16 and 8 cm) has to be levelled out, so when adding cabinets it is better to stay with one system.

No. The thickness changes neither the front size nor the hole spacing; the front protrudes 2 mm further from the cabinet edge. The stiffer board matters for tall doors of 92 and 125 cm.