The term half overlay refers to a measurement which allows for drawers and doors to be attached in such a way that they reveal the dividing strips of a cabinet’s front face frame. However, it can also refer to a particular feature associated with European styled cabinet boxes. It can be difficult to tell which meaning is intended in a verbal conversation. Hence one is required to infer the exact meaning that is implied using the contextual clues of the conversation.

 

But when the term half overlay is used in written form, then the difference between the two meanings is elaborated below. If the word "half" is spelled out, then the term is used in reference to the European cabinet boxes which overlay half the edge of a cabinet wall. However, when the word half is written as a fraction in number, that is “½-inch” then the term refers to a design where half an inch of the door is made to overlap the all four edges of the cabinet's front face frame. The substitute for this design is the full overlay where the front face frame of the cabinet is visible and hence often removed.