Glossary

New to Gridfinity, or stuck on a word? Look it up here. This page explains the terms that you meet in the Gridfinity Layout Tool and in these docs, in alphabetical order. Each entry links to the page with the details.

Numbers

3D preview: the 3D view of a layout, a bin or a baseplate. In the layout editor, press V to show or hide it. See Preview and export.

3MF: a 3D print file that can carry more than one filament color. Each color zone of a bin goes to the slicer as a separate filament. See Multi-color printing.

B

Base: the bottom of a bin, with one foot under each grid cell. It can also hold magnet holes and screw holes. See The base.

Baseplate: a printed grid of pockets that lies in the drawer. Each foot of a bin drops into a pocket, so the bin stays in place. See Baseplate basics.

Baseplate generator: the tool that builds baseplates. Open it with the Baseplate tab. See Make your first baseplate.

Bento: an interior style where you draw compartments of any size, with walls only where you want them. See Compartments and dividers.

Bin: one box on the grid. A bin is a whole number of grid units wide and deep, or a half unit in half-grid mode. See Anatomy of a bin.

Bin designer: the tool that designs one custom bin. Open it with the Bins tab, or press Shift+D. See Design your first bin.

Blocked zone: striped cells on a layer that another bin keeps free for its tall contents. No bin can rest there. See Work in layers.

C

Category: a named color group for bins, for example screws or tools. A layout has 1 to 20 categories. See Categories and colors.

Clearance: empty space that you reserve above a bin for contents that stick out, such as scissor handles. It blocks bins on the layers above, but it does not add height to the printed bin. See Work in layers.

Command palette: a search box for commands. Press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac) in the layout editor. See Keyboard and command palette.

Community: the gallery of bin designs from other makers. You can preview a design in 3D, remix an editable copy and export it. See The community gallery.

Compartment: one open space inside a bin. Dividers separate the compartments. See Compartments and dividers.

Connector: the joint that locks two pieces of a split baseplate together. You can pick Dovetail or Puzzle. Puzzle key and Snap clip are the other two styles. See Split for your print bed.

Cutout: any shape that the bin designer cuts into a bin, for example the outline of a tool. You draw cutouts in the Cutout editor. See Cutout basics.

D

Detachable feet: feet that print as separate parts and press onto the bin. They use less material than built-in feet. See The base.

Divider: a wall inside a bin between two compartments. With Removable dividers, the dividers are separate parts that slide into slots. See Compartments and dividers.

Drawer shape: the outline of a drawer that is not a rectangle. You draw it in millimeters, and the baseplate follows it. See Drawers that are not rectangles.

E

Eco plate: a baseplate option that uses up to a third less filament. The bins hold only on the corner posts. See Eco plates and stack printing.

Experimental: a label on features that are on for everyone but can still change, such as Workshop and Slant. See Labs.

Exploded view: a 3D preview that moves the layers of a layout apart, so you can see each one. Press E in the layout editor. See Work in layers.

F

Finger scoop: a ramp from the floor up to a wall of a bin, so you can slide small parts out. See Scoops, fillets and pull tabs.

Foot: the tapered block under each grid cell of a bin. It drops into a pocket of the baseplate. See Gridfinity dimensions.

G

Grid unit: the size of one grid cell, 42 mm in standard Gridfinity. Bin width, bin depth and drawer size count in grid units. See Units and sizes.

H

Half-grid mode: a mode that allows sizes and positions in steps of half a grid unit (21 mm). Press H in the layout editor. See Units and sizes.

Half sockets: smaller feet at half the grid pitch under a bin, so the bin can sit on a half-unit position. See The base.

Handle: an opening or grip in a bin wall, so you can lift the bin out of a deep drawer or off a stack. See Walls.

Height unit: one step of bin height, 7 mm in standard Gridfinity. A bin of 6 height units is 42 mm high to the top of its wall. See Units and sizes.

I

Interior fillet: a round edge where the compartment walls meet the floor, so parts slide out and the bin is easy to clean. See Scoops, fillets and pull tabs.

K

Knife block: a solid bin with slots that hold kitchen knives flat, and a handle rest for each knife. See Special bins.

L

Label plate: a separate printed plate that clicks into a socket on a label tab, so you can change the label later. See Swappable label plates.

Label tab: a sloped shelf along one edge of a compartment, where a printed or written label sits. See Labels and text.

Labs: features that are still in development. Turn them on in Settings > Labs. See Labs.

Layer: one level of bins in a layout. Bins on a higher layer sit on top of the bins below. A layout has 1 to 10 layers. See Layouts, layers and the stash.

Layout: one planned drawer, with its grid, its layers and its bins. The Layout Tool saves each layout in your browser while you work. See Layouts, layers and the stash.

Layout editor: the tool where you plan a drawer. Open it with the Layout tab. See Plan your first drawer.

Layout manager: the dialog that lists all your layouts, with folders, import and export. Press Ctrl+O (Cmd+O on a Mac). See Organize your layouts.

Lid: a cover that the bin designer builds to fit a bin. Most lids grip the stacking lip of the bin. A sliding lid runs in a channel and needs no lip. See Lids.

Lightweight floor: a base option that hollows each foot to save filament. See The base.

Linked bin: a bin in a layout that uses a saved design. The layout shows and exports the shape of that design. See Saved designs and linked bins.

Low-profile base: a base 1.1 mm shorter in its straight middle band, so each bin has 1.1 mm more room inside. Standard bins still fit a low-profile plate. See Baseplate basics.

M

Magnet hole: a round hole in the base of a bin or in a baseplate that holds a magnet. The default hole is 6.5 mm wide and 2 mm deep. See Magnets and screws.

O

Overhang: extra width on one or more sides of a bin body, so the bin fills the gap at the edge of a drawer. See Size and shape.

P

Padding: the solid margin, in millimeters, between the baseplate grid and the drawer wall on each side. See Baseplate basics.

Paint mode: a way to place many bins of one size. Pick a size with the Size brush, then drag on the grid. See Place and edit bins.

Places: a Labs feature. You list what each bin holds, then find it in any layout from the command palette. See Labs.

Print bed: the build plate of your printer. A bin or a baseplate larger than the print bed size splits into pieces. See Fitting the print bed.

Print list: the list of every bin and piece to print for a layout, with filament, cost and time estimates. See The print list and ZIP export.

Pull tab: a raised grip on a wall or on the center divider of a bin. See Scoops, fillets and pull tabs.

Q

Quick label: a small box to edit the label of a bin on the grid. Select one bin and press L, or double-click the bin. See Place and edit bins.

S

Saved design: a bin design in your library in the bin designer. You can link it to bins in any layout. See Save and reuse designs.

Screw hole: a hole in the base of a bin or in a baseplate for a screw. A baseplate can also have screw-down holes that fasten it to the drawer. See Magnets and screws.

Slant: a bin that leans toward one side, so tall items such as pens fit a shallow drawer. See Special bins.

Spacer: an open riser that you stack under a bin, so bins of different heights finish level. A spacer can be 1 height unit tall. See Stacking.

Split: a bin or a baseplate cut into pieces that fit the print bed. See Split for your print bed.

Stacking lip: the shaped rim at the top of a bin. The feet of another bin sit in it, so bins can stack. See Stacking.

Stash: the holding area below the grid. Bins in the stash keep their size but are not in the drawer. A bin goes to the stash when a drawer resize has no room for it. See Layouts, layers and the stash.

STEP: a 3D file format that the bin designer and the baseplate generator can export. A STEP file cannot carry an imported STL shape. See File formats.

STL: a 3D file made of triangles. It holds no color data. See File formats.

V

Variant: a design that takes its values from a parent design, except the values that you change. A change to the parent goes to every variant. See Save and reuse designs.

Version: a named copy of a design at one point in time. You can restore it later. See Save and reuse designs.

Vertical stack: a baseplate option that prints several plates in one tower, up to the build height of your printer. See Eco plates and stack printing.

W

Wall cutout: an opening through a bin wall for cables, front access or air. See Walls.

Wall pattern: a repeated shape of holes, such as a honeycomb, cut through the walls of a bin. See Walls.

Workshop: an Experimental way to build a tool holder out of parts. Start one with New Workshop build (experimental) in Saved designs. See Workshop.

Next steps

• Units and sizes: the three units that the Layout Tool uses.
• Gridfinity dimensions: the measurements behind each term.
• FAQ: short answers to common questions.