Will my extinguisher fit?

Check more than the weight class. Compare the extinguisher's height, width and cylinder diameter with the cabinet's inside height, width and depth, and leave room to lift the unit out, or use the manufacturer's list of the extinguishers each cabinet takes. A wide-body or larger extinguisher needs a deeper tub than a standard one. The measuring steps are in the guide's fit section .

Does a recessed cabinet meet the ADA projection limit?

Usually, because only the door and trim stick out. The ADA Standards limit how far a wall-mounted object may protrude into a circulation path when its leading edge sits within a set height band (section 307.2), and a flat-door recessed cabinet is the easiest way to stay inside that limit. A bubble door projects further, so read its overall projection, handle included, on the cut sheet. The limit and where it applies are explained in the guide's ADA section .

Can I recess a cabinet into a fire-rated wall?

Yes, with a fire-rated cabinet that is listed for that kind of wall and installed the way its listing says. Cutting an opening into a fire-resistance-rated wall is a penetration, and the wall has to keep its rating. NFPA 10 allows either a listed fire-rated cabinet or a surface-mounted one on a rated wall. Fire-rated cabinets are typically tested to ASTM E814 for a specific wall assembly. A standard recessed cabinet is fine in a wall that is not rated. More in the guide's fire-rated walls section .

How high do I mount it?

NFPA 10 sets the height for the extinguisher, so place the cabinet where the unit inside lands within those limits. If the cabinet has to be accessible, its handle also falls under the ADA reach rules. The numbers are on our mounting height requirements page.

Recessed Fire Extinguisher Cabinets

14 products in this collection ↓

A recessed fire extinguisher cabinet sits inside the wall, so only the door and its trim show on the face. It sticks out the least of the three mount types, which suits corridors, lobbies and finished interiors. The catch is the wall: the cabinet's tub has to fit inside it. The full comparison with the other two types is in our cabinet selection guide.

Which walls take a recessed cabinet

Your wall	Recessed?	What to do
Stud wall with room for the tub	Yes, if the rough opening fits	Check the rough opening (width, height and depth) on the cabinet's cut sheet
Stud wall shallower than the tub	Not without furring the wall out	Semi-recessed puts part of the tub in front of the wall
Fire-resistance-rated wall	Only with a listed fire-rated cabinet, installed to its listing	Or surface mount, which needs no cabinet-sized opening
Masonry or concrete	Only with an opening formed or cut for it	Surface mount

The cabinet's cut sheet gives the tub size and the rough opening. Both change from model to model, so size the opening from the sheet, not from the cabinet's weight class.

Every fire extinguisher cabinet we carry is listed on the main cabinets page, including the semi-recessed and surface mount models.

Trimmed, trimless and bubble cabinets

A trimmed cabinet has a narrow flange around the door that covers the edge of the opening. A trimless cabinet has a flange that is finished into the wall surface, so the door sits nearly flush. How that flange meets the drywall differs by model, so follow its installation sheet. A bubble cabinet has a clear acrylic bubble in the door, so the extinguisher stays in view. The bubble sticks out further than a flat door, so check its published projection before you put one in a corridor.