Cam & Dowels
Our range of cams and dowels delivers secure, precise, and reliable solutions for furniture and shelving assembly. Manufactured from durable materials with zinc-plated or galvanised finishes, these fittings are designed to withstand everyday use while ensuring long-term strength.
Widely used in flat pack furniture, kitchen cabinets, and wardrobes, a cam dowel and cabinet cam work together to create a strong, hidden fixing that trade professionals can rely on. Every cam dowel and dowel system we stock is chosen for fast assembly, easy disassembly, and dependable results on site.
What are our cabinet cams and dowels compatible with?
The ConX Cam is compatible with 15/16mm or 18/19mm shelves and all ConX dowels, providing a rust-resistant connection that’s simple to install. Our cam and dowel fixings are held in stock in trade pack quantities, so you can pull together a whole cabinet or a full production run without waiting on a special order. Many of our fittings also allow a cam to slide into place before it’s turned and locked, keeping installation quick, even at volume.
What are cabinet cam dowels?
A cam dowel and a cabinet cam are two halves of the same fixing. The cam dowel screws into one panel, while the cabinet cam fits into another, and together they pull the two panels tight. Cabinet cams are circular metal discs with a spiral track, while cam dowels are threaded metal posts with a notched head that the cam grips onto once it’s turned.
This system is what’s behind most modern flat-pack furniture, and is how a wardrobe carcass or kitchen cabinet holds together without any visible screws or glue, giving a cleaner finish while keeping the joint genuinely strong.
See our Dowels, Biscuits & Pellets range for wooden dowel alternatives.
How do cam locks work?
Cabinet cams and dowels are designed to be simple enough to install without advanced carpentry skills. Panels arrive with pre-bored holes, so the cam dowel and cabinet cam drop straight into place with no measuring or marking required.
Turning the cabinet cam engages its eccentric spiral track against the cam dowel’s notched head, pulling the two panels together and locking them in a single motion. Because the mechanism applies even pressure as it turns, you get a consistent, strong clamping force across every joint – and CNC drilling on the panels themselves keeps every hole exactly where it needs to be, so assembly stays fast and repeatable.
Cam locks vs dowels: which should you choose?
Cam locks and traditional wooden dowels solve slightly different problems, and the right dowel system for your job depends on what you need most: speed or strength.
Cam locks are built for fast, repeatable assembly – ideal where furniture needs to be knocked down again for transportation or reconfiguration. Wooden dowels, by contrast, offer excellent long-term rigidity when glued in place, but they need precise drilling and don’t come apart cleanly once fitted.
Many trade builds use both: dowels for structural alignment and cams for the clamping force, giving you a joint that’s both square and genuinely strong.
Types of cam lock connectors
Cam lock connectors come in a small number of standard sizes designed to suit different panel thicknesses and furniture types.
- Cabinet cam – A circular metal disc with a spiral track, sized to match the shelf or panel it’s fitted into.
- Cam dowel – A threaded metal post with a notched head that the cam grips onto once turned.
- Common sizes – Our own ConX Cam is compatible with 15/16mm or 18/19mm panels, covering the most common cabinet and wardrobe builds. The matching ConX Dowel is the threaded post half of the connector, and pairing the correct cam and dowel sizes is what keeps the joint tight and properly aligned.
- Matching pairs matter – Pairing the correct cam and dowel sizes is what keeps the joint tight and properly aligned.
Benefits of cam locks
- Quick to assemble and disassemble, with no glue required
- No visible screws or fixings once fitted
- Cost-effective and efficient for flat pack production and trade installs at volume
- Can be reassembled repeatedly without damaging the joint
Order quality furniture cams and dowels from Quest
To find out more about the cams and dowel systems we stock at Quest, or for help selecting the perfect products for your upcoming project, our experts would be more than happy to offer personalised advice and recommendations.
Get in touch today, or order everything you need online by 4pm (Monday-Friday) for convenient next working day delivery, and we’ll make sure you have everything you need in time for your next job.