The cost of custom cabinets is typically $20,000–$45,000 for a standard kitchen, including cabinetry, delivery, and installation. Smaller bathrooms or bars may cost $6,000–$15,000, while large or highly detailed kitchens can exceed $50,000.
These are planning ranges, not complete construction budgets. Countertops, appliances, flooring, taxes, and major plumbing or electrical work may be separate.
Cost of Custom Cabinets: Typical Project Ranges
- Small bathroom, bar, or laundry: $6,000–$15,000
- Average kitchen: $20,000–$45,000
- Large kitchen or premium woodwork: $45,000–$90,000 or more
A cabinet project with many drawers, tall units, finished ends, custom organizers, and specialty finishes will cost more than a similarly sized project with simple doors and standard interiors. The cabinet count and type matter as much as the room’s total length.
How Much Do Custom Cabinets Cost?
A buyer asking “how much do custom cabinets cost” should build the budget from the complete scope, not from cabinet length alone. Start with the cabinet package, then add design and measurement, delivery, removal, installation, finish upgrades, and site work.
For many kitchens, the cabinet package represents roughly 55%–70% of the final cabinetry invoice. A realistic budget also includes a 10%–15% contingency for field conditions, revised dimensions, filler changes, or required modifications.
Custom Cabinet Cost Per Linear Foot: Use It for Orientation
The custom cabinet cost per linear foot commonly falls around $500–$1,200 for boxes, fronts, standard interiors, and finish. A complete installed scope often reaches $800–$2,000 or more per linear foot after panels, trim, delivery, labor, and site adjustments.
Measure linear feet along the cabinet runs, and state whether corners, fillers, islands, and tall cabinets are included. One linear foot of drawers, a pantry, or glass-front doors costs more than one linear foot of basic wall cabinets. Therefore, linear-foot pricing cannot replace a cabinet-by-cabinet quote.
Materials and Features That Change the Price
- Construction: Framed cabinets and frameless cabinets have different labor, appearance, and storage characteristics.
- Species and sheet goods: Painted maple, oak, walnut, and rift-cut veneer vary significantly. Plywood boxes, furniture-grade veneer, and thicker shelves generally cost more than lower-cost sheet goods.
- Doors and drawers: Slab doors are usually simpler than inset, raised-panel, beaded, or applied-molding styles. More drawers also increase hardware and labor costs.
- Interiors and organizers: Adjustable shelves are basic. Rollouts, tray dividers, waste bins, pantry pullouts, and drawer inserts add cost quickly.
- Hardware and finish: Soft-close hinges, premium drawer slides, specialty pulls, hand-applied finishes, glazing, and color matching raise the price.
- Panels and trim: Finished end panels, appliance panels, fillers, toe kicks, crown molding, light rails, and furniture feet should be listed separately.
- Site conditions: Out-of-square walls, uneven floors, restricted access, electrical changes, plumbing relocation, and demolition can require modifications and additional labor.
Sample Estimate: Scope Assumptions and Add-On Costs
Assume a 24-linear-foot kitchen measured along the cabinet runs, excluding countertop overhangs. The layout has 12 units: eight base cabinets, three wall cabinets, and one tall pantry. It uses framed construction, painted maple fronts, plywood boxes, 10 doors, 14 drawers, standard shelves, and soft-close hardware. Walls are accessible and reasonably square, with no plumbing or electrical relocation.
- Cabinet boxes and fronts: 24 feet × $700 = $16,800
- Upgraded drawer boxes and organizers: $2,400
- End panels, fillers, toe kicks, and crown trim: $1,500
- Design and field measurement: $1,200
- Delivery: $800
- Removal of existing cabinets: $700
- Installation: $4,500
- Minor site modifications: $1,000
The subtotal is $28,900. A 10% contingency adds $2,890, producing an estimated cabinetry total of $31,790, before tax, countertops, and appliances.
Compare Complete Bids With a Quote-Scope Checklist
Ask each cabinetmaker to identify the following items rather than providing only a linear-foot price:
- Cabinet count, cabinet type, dimensions, linear-foot measurement method, and framed or frameless construction
- Wood species, veneer, sheet goods, box thickness, backs, shelves, and construction details
- Door and drawer styles, quantities, drawer-box material, hinges, slides, and other hardware
- Interior shelves, organizers, pullouts, waste bins, lighting provisions, and specialty storage
- Finish type, color, sheen, samples, finishing location, and touch-up provisions
- Panels, fillers, toe kicks, crown molding, light rails, scribe, trim, and appliance panels
- Design, field measurement, revisions, engineering, modifications, delivery, removal, and installation
- Site-condition allowances, exclusions, payment schedule, completion timing, and whether contingency items are included