How much does custom cabinetry cost per linear foot?

Custom cabinetry from a professional cabinet maker typically runs $500 to $1,500 per linear foot installed, depending on wood species, finish, hardware, and joinery complexity. A standard 10-foot run of base cabinets in painted maple might be $6,000 to $8,000. The same run in figured walnut with dovetail drawers and soft-close hardware could reach $12,000 to $15,000. These are installed prices including design time and delivery.

What is the difference between custom, semi-custom, and stock cabinets?

Stock cabinets are pre-built in fixed sizes, available at home centers, and typically run $100 to $300 per linear foot. Semi-custom cabinets are ordered through dealers in a wider range of sizes and finishes, usually $300 to $600 per linear foot. Custom cabinets are built to exact dimensions by a local cabinet maker and run $500 to $1,500 per linear foot. Custom allows any species, size, joinery style, and finish with no catalog constraints.

How much does a full kitchen worth of custom cabinets cost?

A full kitchen with 20 to 25 linear feet of custom cabinetry typically runs $12,000 to $35,000 for cabinet and box work alone, not including countertops or appliances. Simple painted shaker doors in maple or alder sit at the lower end. Complex raised-panel doors in cherry or walnut with glass inserts, pull-out shelves, and custom storage solutions push toward the top. Always quote by the actual job, not a per-linear-foot average.

What is a fair shop rate for a cabinet maker?

Most custom cabinet shops charge $55 to $90 per hour for shop labor, with higher rates in metro areas or for highly skilled joinery work. When setting your rate, divide your target annual income by your billable hours and add your per-hour overhead allocation. Undercutting your rate to win bids is the fastest way to lose money on cabinet jobs. The pricing guide at customwoodquote.com/pricing-guide walks through the full shop rate calculation.

What drives custom cabinet prices up the most?

The biggest cost drivers in custom cabinetry are: wood species (walnut and cherry cost 3 to 5 times more than poplar or alder), door style (raised-panel doors with matched grain take significantly longer than shaker), drawer construction (dovetail boxes take 3 to 4 times longer than pocket-screw boxes), finish type (sprayed lacquer adds more labor than stain-and-poly), and installation complexity (kitchens with soffits, irregular ceilings, or angled walls add significant fitting time).

Should I quote cabinets per unit or per linear foot?

Quote by the job, not by a per-unit or per-linear-foot average. Per-linear-foot estimates are useful for ballpark budgeting with clients, but they will cost you money on complex jobs with tall pantry units, corner solutions, or specialty storage. Build your quote from actual materials and labor for each cabinet. CraftQuote automates this breakdown so you get an accurate number without hours of spreadsheet work.

Custom Cabinet Pricing Guide

Custom cabinetry pricing depends on species, door style, hardware, and construction method. This guide explains how to price cabinet work accurately, what per-linear-foot numbers mean, and how to build a quote that covers your real costs.

Custom Cabinet Cost Per Linear Foot

Per-linear-foot pricing is a useful shorthand for client conversations, but it obscures the real drivers of cabinet cost. Here are the typical installed ranges for each tier of cabinetry.

Cabinet Tier	Cost Per Linear Foot (Installed)	Typical Use
Stock	$100 – $300	Home center, fixed sizes
Semi-Custom	$300 – $600	Dealer, more options, longer lead
Custom (your work)	$500 – $1,500+	Built to exact spec by a cabinet maker

Why the range is wide: A 10-foot run of painted shaker maple base cabinets might be $6,000 installed. The same 10 feet in walnut with dovetail drawers, soft-close hardware, and pull-out shelves could reach $14,000. Species, door style, and interior fittings matter more than the linear footage.

As a cabinet maker, quoting below $500 per linear foot on custom work is a signal that you are not covering overhead or labor at your actual rate. The per-linear-foot number should come out of your real quote math, not the other way around. Use it to sanity-check the total with your client, not to set the price.

Cabinet Types and Their Pricing

Every cabinet type has different material and labor requirements. Quote each type separately rather than applying a single per-linear-foot average across the job.

Base Cabinets

$180–$450 per linear foot (box only, not installed)

Ground-level carcasses, typically 34.5 inches tall before countertop

Key drivers: Width, number of drawers, pull-out shelves, corner solutions

Wall Cabinets

$100–$280 per linear foot (box only)

Upper cabinets, typically 12 inches deep, 30 to 42 inches tall

Key drivers: Height, glass inserts, open shelving vs. doors

Tall / Pantry Cabinets

$600–$1,400 per unit

Floor-to-ceiling units, often 84 to 96 inches tall

Key drivers: Pull-out shelves, interior fittings, door count

Specialty / Built-ins

Quoted by job — highly variable

Islands, banquettes, laundry, mudroom, media units

Key drivers: Complexity, built-in appliances, custom dimensions

Note on box-only vs. installed pricing: The ranges above for base and wall cabinets reflect box-only cost (built and delivered, not installed). Installed pricing adds $50 to $150 per linear foot depending on the complexity of the space. Quote installation labor separately as its own line item.

What Drives Cabinet Prices Up or Down

These six factors account for most of the variation in custom cabinet pricing. Understanding them lets you explain price differences to clients and catch scope creep before it erodes your margin.

Wood Species

High Impact

Poplar and alder are budget-friendly at $3 to $5/bf. Cherry and maple run $5 to $9/bf. Walnut is $10 to $15/bf. Species choice affects every material line on the quote.

Door Style

High Impact

Slab doors are the fastest to build. Shaker adds mortise-and-tenon or cope-and-stick work. Raised-panel adds profiling time. Matched grain across multiple doors adds significant material waste and setup time.

Drawer Construction

Medium Impact

Dovetail drawers are the benchmark for custom work but take 3 to 4 times longer than pocket-screw assembly. Soft-close undermount slides ($15 to $40 each) add hardware cost on every drawer.

Finish Type

Medium Impact

Conversion varnish or catalyzed lacquer sprayed in a spray booth is faster and more durable than brushed or wiped finishes. Paint adds sanding and primer steps. Two-tone kitchens with different upper and lower finishes add scheduling and masking time.

Interior Fittings

Medium Impact

Pull-out trash, lazy Susans, pull-out shelves, drawer organizers, and spice racks all add cost. Each one is additional hardware, cut time, and installation time. Quote every fitting separately.

Installation

Medium Impact

Scribing to irregular walls, working around existing plumbing or electrical, angled ceilings, and decorative trim work add installation time. Get a detailed site measurement before quoting installation on older homes.

How to Price a Cabinet Job

Step 1

Count and measure every cabinet unit

List base cabinets, wall cabinets, tall cabinets, and specialty units separately with exact dimensions. Note face-frame vs. frameless construction, door count, and drawer count per unit. This list is your material takeoff. Do not skip specialty units or corner solutions; they are often the most expensive per-unit.

Step 2

Calculate sheet goods and lumber

Estimate plywood for carcasses and backs. Add face-frame lumber in board feet if applicable. Price doors and drawer fronts separately, whether you are building them or sourcing them. Use our board foot calculator to price any solid lumber components accurately.

Step 3

Price hardware per door and drawer

Count every hinge, slide, pull, and knob. On a 20-cabinet kitchen with 30 doors and 20 drawers, hardware alone can reach $800 to $2,000 depending on specifications. Soft-close undermount slides and concealed hinges are expected on custom work and should be in your quote by default.

Step 4

Estimate labor by phase

Break labor into: design and drawings, material prep (cutting sheet goods, milling), carcass assembly, door and drawer fitting, finishing, delivery, and installation. Multiply total hours by your shop rate. For methodology on setting a profitable shop rate, see the pricing guide.

Step 5

Apply overhead and profit margin

Overhead is not profit. It is the cost of your shop, tools, utilities, and insurance that runs whether or not you are building. Calculate your per-hour overhead rate, apply it to project hours, and add it before your margin. Target 20 to 30 percent profit margin on top of total cost. The margin line is what separates a sustainable custom cabinet business from one that breaks even.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does custom cabinetry cost per linear foot?: Custom cabinetry from a professional cabinet maker typically runs $500 to $1,500 per linear foot installed, depending on wood species, finish, hardware, and joinery complexity. A standard 10-foot run of base cabinets in painted maple might be $6,000 to $8,000. The same run in figured walnut with dovetail drawers and soft-close hardware could reach $12,000 to $15,000. These are installed prices including design time and delivery.
What is the difference between custom, semi-custom, and stock cabinets?: Stock cabinets are pre-built in fixed sizes, available at home centers, and typically run $100 to $300 per linear foot. Semi-custom cabinets are ordered through dealers in a wider range of sizes and finishes, usually $300 to $600 per linear foot. Custom cabinets are built to exact dimensions by a local cabinet maker and run $500 to $1,500 per linear foot. Custom allows any species, size, joinery style, and finish with no catalog constraints.
How much does a full kitchen worth of custom cabinets cost?: A full kitchen with 20 to 25 linear feet of custom cabinetry typically runs $12,000 to $35,000 for cabinet and box work alone, not including countertops or appliances. Simple painted shaker doors in maple or alder sit at the lower end. Complex raised-panel doors in cherry or walnut with glass inserts, pull-out shelves, and custom storage solutions push toward the top. Always quote by the actual job, not a per-linear-foot average.
What is a fair shop rate for a cabinet maker?: Most custom cabinet shops charge $55 to $90 per hour for shop labor, with higher rates in metro areas or for highly skilled joinery work. When setting your rate, divide your target annual income by your billable hours and add your per-hour overhead allocation. Undercutting your rate to win bids is the fastest way to lose money on cabinet jobs. The pricing guide at customwoodquote.com/pricing-guide walks through the full shop rate calculation.
What drives custom cabinet prices up the most?: The biggest cost drivers in custom cabinetry are: wood species (walnut and cherry cost 3 to 5 times more than poplar or alder), door style (raised-panel doors with matched grain take significantly longer than shaker), drawer construction (dovetail boxes take 3 to 4 times longer than pocket-screw boxes), finish type (sprayed lacquer adds more labor than stain-and-poly), and installation complexity (kitchens with soffits, irregular ceilings, or angled walls add significant fitting time).
Should I quote cabinets per unit or per linear foot?: Quote by the job, not by a per-unit or per-linear-foot average. Per-linear-foot estimates are useful for ballpark budgeting with clients, but they will cost you money on complex jobs with tall pantry units, corner solutions, or specialty storage. Build your quote from actual materials and labor for each cabinet. CraftQuote automates this breakdown so you get an accurate number without hours of spreadsheet work.

Related Resources

How to Price Custom Furniture Projects

The full pricing methodology: shop rate, overhead, material costs, and profit margin targets for woodworking and cabinet work.

Board Foot Calculator

Calculate lumber volume and material cost for solid-wood components across 12 common hardwoods and softwoods.

Woodworking Quote Template

Every section a professional quote needs, with a complete worked example including materials, labor breakdown, overhead, and margin.