Systainer3 Dimensions
Every standard Systainer3 size in one place: the M, L and XXL footprints and the six standard heights, given in both millimetres and inches, with the numbers you need to build a cabinet or cart around them.
Systainer3 sizes at a glance
A Systainer3 M has a footprint of 396 by 296 mm (about 15.6 by 11.7 in) and comes in six heights named for their height in millimetres: 112, 137, 187, 237, 337 and 437 mm. The L (508 mm long) and XXL (792 mm long) keep the same 296 mm depth and only grow across the front. That constant depth is why boxes of different lengths still line up on the same shelf.
| Common depth (all SYS3) | 296 mm, about 11.7 in, front to back |
|---|---|
| SYS3 M / S length | 396 mm, about 15.6 in, across the front |
| SYS3 L length | 508 mm, about 20 in |
| SYS3 XXL length | 792 mm, about 31.2 in |
| Standard M heights | 112, 137, 187, 237, 337, 437 mm |
| Organizer height | 89 mm, about 3.5 in (the shallow ORG tray box) |
| How they connect | Front latches plus a T-LOC style catch, so a stack locks as one unit |
In this guide
Footprints: how long and how deep
The first thing to know about the Systainer3 family is that the boxes all share one depth. Every Systainer3, from the shallowest organizer to the tallest XXL, measures 296 mm from front to back, about 11.7 inches. Festool prints this depth as the box "width" on its labels, which trips people up, so it is worth saying plainly: the front-to-back number never changes.
What does change is the length across the front, and that is what the size letter tells you. The M and the shorter S share a 396 mm length. The L stretches to 508 mm. The XXL is the long one at 792 mm. Because the depth is fixed, a shelf or a cart deep enough for one Systainer is deep enough for all of them, and a run of different lengths still presents a flat face.
| SYS3 S and M | 396 mm long by 296 mm deep, about 15.6 by 11.7 in |
|---|---|
| SYS3 L | 508 mm long by 296 mm deep, about 20 by 11.7 in |
| SYS3 XXL | 792 mm long by 296 mm deep, about 31.2 by 11.7 in |
The six standard heights
Height is the other half of a Systainer3 name, and Festool makes it easy: the number in the name is the height in millimetres. A SYS3 M 137 is 137 mm tall. A SYS3 M 437 is 437 mm tall. The M family runs across six standard heights, and the shorter organizer tray box adds one more shallow option at 89 mm.
| SYS3 M 112 | 112 mm tall, about 4.4 in |
|---|---|
| SYS3 M 137 | 137 mm tall, about 5.4 in |
| SYS3 M 187 | 187 mm tall, about 7.4 in |
| SYS3 M 237 | 237 mm tall, about 9.3 in |
| SYS3 M 337 | 337 mm tall, about 13.3 in |
| SYS3 M 437 | 437 mm tall, about 17.2 in |
| SYS3 ORG (organizer) | 89 mm tall, about 3.5 in, the shallow sorting tray |
Plain-words keySYS3 is Festool's shorthand for the third-generation Systainer. The letter (S, M, L, XXL) is the length across the front. The number is the height in millimetres. So a SYS3 M 187 is a medium-length box, 187 mm tall.
The heights are not random. They climb in steps that let a stack of mixed boxes finish at a tidy overall height, which matters the moment you build a cabinet around them. When you size a bank of drawers, each box height plus a little clearance sets how much vertical room that drawer needs, and the numbers above are the raw material for that math.
How they stack and lock
Systainer3 boxes are built to stack. The front latches double as connectors: close them over the box below and the two lock into one unit that you can carry, cart or set on a shelf together. That is the whole idea behind a systainer wall or a mobile cart, a column of boxes that behaves like a single drawer stack.
For planning, the useful fact is that a stacked box needs a little breathing room above it, both to lift the lid and to clear a drawer slide if the box is going to pull out. A comfortable working gap is around 6 to 10 mm per box. So the vertical space one pull-out box costs is roughly its own height, plus the tray it sits on, plus that gap. Add those up for a column and you have the inside height a cabinet needs.
The vertical rule of thumbSpace for one pull-out box, top to bottom, is about: tray thickness, plus the box height, plus a 6 to 10 mm clearance gap, plus any rise the drawer slide adds. Side-mount slides add nothing here. Undermount slides add roughly 14 mm under each tray.
From box size to cabinet size
The reason these numbers matter is that a good storage cabinet is sized to the boxes, not guessed. Take the width. A Systainer sits on a pull-out tray inside the cabinet, so the cabinet opening has to be the box length, plus a small fit gap on each side, plus the two tray walls, plus the clearance the drawer slides need. Add the two carcass sides and you have the outside width.
Worked through for a Systainer3 M on side-mount slides with half-inch trays and three-quarter-inch plywood sides, that chain comes out to an outside cabinet width of about 489 mm, roughly 19.3 inches. Change the slide type, the tray thickness or the material and the number moves, which is exactly why it pays to let a planner do the arithmetic. The guide to planning a Systainer wall walks the whole width and height chain, and the drawer-slide guide covers how much room each slide type needs.
Skip the math
Size a cabinet to your boxes automatically
Pick the Systainers you own and the planner sizes every cabinet with the footprint math built in, then hands you the cut list.
Frequently asked questions
What are the dimensions of a Systainer3 M?
A Systainer3 M has a footprint of 396 mm long by 296 mm deep, about 15.6 by 11.7 inches. It comes in six standard heights, named for their height in millimetres: 112, 137, 187, 237, 337 and 437 mm, roughly 4.4 to 17.2 inches. Every Systainer3 shares the same 296 mm depth.
Are all Systainer3 boxes the same depth?
Yes. Every Systainer3 is 296 mm from front to back, about 11.7 inches. Only the length across the front changes: the M is 396 mm, the L is 508 mm and the XXL is 792 mm. Because the depth is constant, boxes of different lengths still sit at a common depth on a shelf or cart.
What is the difference between SYS3 M, L and XXL?
The letter is the length of the box across the front. SYS3 M is 396 mm long, SYS3 L is 508 mm long and SYS3 XXL is 792 mm long. All three keep the same 296 mm depth. Height is a separate number in the name, so a SYS3 M 137 and a SYS3 L 137 are both 137 mm tall but different lengths.
Do Systainer3 boxes stack and lock together?
Yes. Systainer3 boxes stack and lock with the built-in front latches, and a T-LOC style catch holds a stack together so it moves as one unit. The heights are chosen so a stack of mixed sizes still lines up on a common footprint, which is what lets a bank of drawers be sized around them.
Keep reading
Sources & references
The dimensions above come from the Festool Systainer3 range and from the verified stacking and footprint model that powers the StackDesign planner. Verify a critical dimension against your own boxes before you cut, because tool inserts and older SYS generations can differ.
- Festool Systainer3 product range (SYS3 S, M, L, XXL sizes and the M height series 112 to 437 mm).
- StackDesign footprint and stacking engine, the verified 296 mm depth plus 396, 508 and 792 mm lengths used by the planner.
- TANOS Systainer3 system, the maker of the Systainer platform Festool builds on.
Systainer is a trademark of TANOS GmbH. StackDesign is an independent planning tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to TANOS or Festool. Those names are used only to describe the cases the planner fits.