Made-to-measure means exactly that. Once the order goes in, the glass is cut to the dimensions you gave. There is no trimming it on site. No sending it back because you forgot about the socket in the corner. Getting it right before you order is the only option.
This is not a reason to panic. Knowing how to measure for a glass splashback correctly is straightforward once you understand what you are actually measuring for. The panel dimensions are the easy part. It is the details around sockets, wall depth, and edge allowances where most mistakes happen.
What do you need to measure a glass splashback?
Two measurements. That is where everyone starts. Width and height of the panel area, done in under five minutes. The problem is that your tape measure gives you what the wall is right now, not necessarily what your splashback order needs to be.
UK kitchen walls are almost never square. A gap that reads 600mm at worktop height might be 594mm at the top, or 603mm on one side versus the other. Take three width readings across the panel area and order to the smallest. A splashback cut to the largest measurement will not fit. That is not a manufacturing fault. That is a measuring fault.
Also check whether you are measuring to raw wall or to existing tiles. If you are stripping tiles before fitting the splashback, the wall surface behind them sits closer than the tile face you measured from. That changes your dimensions by the combined thickness of the tile and its adhesive bed, often 10mm or more.
Why do socket positions cause the most problems?
Because the margin for error is essentially zero. A socket cutout needs to sit within about 2mm of the actual socket position for the faceplate to cover the gap. Miss by 5mm and you have a visible gap that no amount of silicone will fix cleanly.
Most people measure socket positions from the floor or from the nearest wall. That is the wrong reference point. Your panel has its own edges. If those edges shift by even 3mm from where you expected, every socket cutout shifts with them. Reference all socket positions from the panel edges, not from anything fixed in the room.
For each socket or switch that falls within the panel area, you need four measurements:
- Distance from the left panel edge to the left side of the socket box
- Distance from the right panel edge to the right side of the socket box
- Distance from the top of the panel down to the top of the socket box
- Distance from the bottom of the panel up to the bottom of the socket box
Cross-reference all four against your overall panel dimensions. If the numbers do not add up, something is wrong before the order is placed.
Does glass thickness change the way you measure?
In one specific way, yes. The glass sits on adhesive, which itself sits on the wall. Together they push the glass face forward by a few millimetres. For most kitchen glass splashbacks this is manageable, but if your sockets are flush-mounted or already sitting close to the wall surface, the glass face can end up sitting level with, or even proud of, the socket faceplates.
The standard for most kitchen walls is 6mm glass. 6mm is rigid enough that it does not flex during installation and bonds well to plaster, plasterboard, and most tiled surfaces. Behind a hob it is a different calculation. The heat demands of that position mean most people order 6mm or 8mm heat resistant glass splashbacks for hob panels, and the extra thickness pushes the glass face further out from the wall. If there are sockets nearby, check that depth before you finalise.
4mm glass is available and lighter to handle on installation, but it flexes more and is less forgiving on walls that are not perfectly flat. For most people ordering a glass splashback for the first time, 6mm is the right call.
What does the wall condition change about your measurements?
Directly, not much. Indirectly, quite a lot. Existing tiles add roughly 8 to 10mm of depth to the wall face. Bare plaster sits flush. Plasterboard sits somewhere between the two. Each one changes where the glass ends up sitting relative to your socket boxes, and that gap matters more than most people expect before they order.
Before settling on your final measurements, hold a long spirit level or straight edge across the wall at panel width. If there is more than 3mm of deviation across the area, the wall needs attention before the glass goes on. A bowed wall means a flat panel will either sit proud in the middle or leave visible gaps at the edges. No measurement on paper fixes that.
What else needs to be confirmed before you place the order?
Two things are commonly missed. The first is edge finish. Exposed edges on glass splashbacks are polished smooth, which looks clean. But if one edge will be hidden behind a unit side panel or covered by a silicone bead, you have more tolerance there. Any edge that will sit fully on show needs to be positioned accurately from the start.
The second is notches. Any pipework, brackets, or wall fixings sitting inside the panel area require a notch cut into the glass. These need exactly the same precision as socket cutouts. Measure their position relative to the panel edges, not from the floor or worktop, and include them on the specification before anything goes to manufacturing.
Once you have every figure, go through them twice. Not because the manufacturer will catch an error. They will not. The measurements you submit are the template they cut from, and nothing changes after that point.
If you are ordering glass splashbacks from us, the product pages include a specification guide showing the format we need. For anything going behind a hob, the heat resistant glass splashbacks section has additional guidance on thickness and clearance distances worth reading before you start measuring. For a full view of available options, browse our range of kitchen glass splashbacks and filter by size, colour, and finish.
