Hafele Furniture Connectors and Shelf Supports Explained: Minifix, Rafix, Dowels

If you order Hafele connectors for cabinet or furniture panels, it is easy to end up with half a connection. The cam housing and its bolt are listed as separate items, each with its own item number. Shelf supports are grouped by pin diameter. Below is how the Hafele catalog defines Minifix and Rafix cam connectors, dowels, panel and bed connectors and shelf supports, and which parts are ordered together.

Source: Hafele, The Complete Furniture and Cabinetry Hardware, 2026 edition, section 12 (Connectors and Shelf Supports), published on hafele.com; dimensions are in mm as printed. For how Hafele item numbers are built, see our Hafele item numbers guide.

Cam connectors: a housing plus a bolt

Hafele describes the Minifix principle: the round head of the connecting bolt fits in a cup-shaped recess in the connector housing, which the catalog also calls a cam. As the cam is turned, the bolt is pulled tight. According to the catalog, the Rafix 20 systems have zinc alloy tightening elements based on the centric sphere principle. The Minifix installation drawing shows a housing and a bolt for each connection, and the two are listed in separate tables with their own item numbers.

Hafele Minifix: cam size, wood thickness and drilling distance

• Minifix 12 and Minifix 15: the drill hole for the housing is 12 or 15 mm, and the system is for wood at least 12 mm thick.
• Drilling distance B: 24 or 34 mm from the center of the housing hole to the panel edge; bolts are listed for B 24 or B 34.

Minifix 15 cams are listed by wood thickness; for cams without flanged rim, the catalog prints:

Distance A is the center locking position. The catalog notes that all connecting bolts on its pages 12.21-12.22 can be used with these zinc die-cast cams. Example from our catalog: the 262.26.035 Minifix 15 cam (unfinished, 19 mm wood) and the 262.28.026 S100 connecting bolt (11 mm thread for a 5 mm hole, drilling distance 34 mm).

Hafele Rafix 20: housings with or without ridge

Rafix 20 housings come in zinc alloy or plastic, without or with a positioning dowel. The catalog drawing shows a 20 mm housing hole, 9.5 mm from the panel edge to its center, and gives Dimension A as half the wood thickness:

The recess for the bolt matters: with a housing without ridge, the base panels can be inserted from the front and from above; with a ridge, only from above. The Rafix spreading bolt for a 5 mm hole must be used with a housing with ridge. Examples: the 263.14.605 Rafix 20 plastic housing (candlelight, with ridge, 19 mm wood) and the 263.20.847 connecting bolt (11 mm thread, zinc-plated, for a 5 mm hole).

Dowels and Quick Dowel connectors

• Wood dowels: fluted hardwood dowels, which let glue distribute evenly over the entire surface; sizes run from 5 x 30 to 10 x 50 mm (diameter x length), plus inch sizes.
• Quick Dowel two-part connectors: the catalog says a complete connection requires 1 bolt and 1 insert, sold separately, and calls it a fast, one-time, non-releasable connector. Example: the 262.91.935 bolt (length 36 mm, hole diameter 8 mm) and the 262.91.320 insert (for an 8 mm hole, drilling depth 32 mm), the only insert listed.

Panel connectors: Pacofix and Hafele Button-fix

Pacofix is listed for fastening panels to frames, with separate frame and panel components, and not for suspended loads such as ceiling panels. Our push-on fitting page carries 262.50.368 (PF-L frame component) and 262.50.359 (PF panel component), black, for wood screws.

Button-fix uses a fix and a button. For the Type 1 Fix and Type 1 Flush Fix the catalog says the button must be ordered separately, for example the 262.94.000 Type 1 Fix with a 262.94.030 button (green, for countersunk wood screws). Screws are ordered separately too. The Type 2 Compact assemblies are supplied with one fix and one button, and 262.94.065 is a marker tool for them.

Hafele bed connectors and connecting brackets

The 271.05.906 connecting bracket is a 95 mm screw-mounted bracket with hook-type fastening, listed for left and right hand. The catalog lists keyhole plates for use as RTA fittings for beds or upholstered furniture and says the dimensions of recesses should be taken directly from the fittings.

Hafele shelf supports: pin diameter, sleeves and load notes

The catalog groups cabinet shelf supports by pin diameter: 3 and 4 mm, 5 mm, 1/4 inch and 7 mm. Examples:

• 282.04.711 shelf support: 5 mm pin, steel, nickel-plated.
• 282.47.403 shelf support: double 5 mm pin for the 32 mm system, secures 19 or 25 mm shelves, transparent plastic.
• The 282.01.701 7 mm shelf support is inserted into the 282.50.704 grommet; the catalog lists a 7.5 mm twist drill bit for the grommet.
• Screw-in versions: 282.39.705 screws into the 051.45.004 expanding sleeve for a 5 mm hole, and 282.26.706 has a threaded pin tightened with a Phillips #2 driver.

Load figures are printed on different bases, so read them exactly as printed. Examples:

For 282.84.710 (K-Line) the catalog adds that the figure is per item, tested in accordance with DIN EN 16337:2013-08 with a 300 x 1000 x 19 mm shelf.

Hafele catalog pages we host

• Rafix Connecting Bolts (PDF) - lists 263.20.847 with the same 11 mm thread as the 2026 edition.
• Metal / Plastic Shelf Supports, 5 mm (PDF) - lists 282.04.711 with no weight capacity and with the notes on tapping gently and on the fin that the 2026 edition prints for 282.04.712.

Neither page is from the 2026 edition; check item numbers and notes against it.

Hafele connectors and shelf supports at The Builders Supply

• Furniture Connectors and Fittings
• Shelf Supports, Brackets and Standards
• Hafele brand page

Not sure which cam, bolt or shelf support matches your panels? Our customer support team is available Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 4 PM Central Time, at 1-888-800-7789 or [email protected].