How KitchenFit estimates cabinet costs
KitchenFit estimates what your cabinets might cost from the cabinets in your own layout, not from a generic price per foot. The estimates are starting points for comparing ways to buy — not a seller's quote.
Your cabinet layout comes first
You enter your room and a few planning choices, and KitchenFit lays out the cabinets. That layout produces a cabinet list — every cabinet's type and size. The estimate is built from that list. You can begin with the kitchen layout planner or the cabinet calculator.
A fixed reference kitchen, priced from the market
KitchenFit uses one fixed reference kitchen of 22 cabinets: base, wall and tall cabinets, including corners, a sink base, a trash pull-out, drawer bases and two pantries.
That same reference kitchen is priced for each of the three ways to buy — ready-to-assemble, special-order / semi-custom and custom cabinet shop — using current market evidence for that path. The current evidence is from October 2026.
Your cabinet list is compared with the reference kitchen
Your own cabinet list is then compared with the reference kitchen, cabinet by cabinet:
- how many cabinets it has
- how wide they are
- what type each one is — base, wall, tall, sink, corner
- costlier configurations such as drawer bases, tall cabinets, corner cabinets and pull-outs
A kitchen with more drawers, tall cabinets or corners costs more than one of the same length built from plain cabinets. Wider cabinets cost more than narrow ones, but not in proportion: every cabinet has a box, doors and hardware, so several narrow cabinets cost more than one wide cabinet covering the same space.
KitchenFit does not simply multiply the length of your walls by a cost per linear foot. Two kitchens with the same wall length can have quite different cabinet lists, and different estimates.
Why the three estimates look different
The three ways to buy do not have the same amount of public pricing to go on, so KitchenFit shows each one differently.
Ready-to-assembleuses prices any homeowner can get today from online ready-to-assemble sellers — including recurring public promotions when they appear to be the seller's normal way of selling. It is shown as a range and is the best-supported of the three.
Special-order / semi-custom is shown as a wider range. These cabinets are sold through dealers and showrooms, and the discount a dealer gives off the published price varies a lot. The range reflects that uncertainty — not a choice between cheaper and pricier door styles.
Custom cabinet shop is shown as one indicative number. Custom shops rarely publish prices, so there is less public pricing evidence for this path. Treat it as a benchmark: real custom quotes vary widely.
Cabinet-only starting estimates
These are cabinet-only estimates. They compare cabinet packages, not a full remodel budget, and they are not seller quotes. Door style, finish and cabinet line still affect what you will actually pay.
Actual quotes may also include items such as:
- Finished panels / end panels
- Crown / trim
- Delivery
- Assembly
- Installation
- Countertops
- Appliances
- Tax
- Other project-specific items
Some of those pieces may already appear in your KitchenFit layout as planning placeholders. That does not mean every accessory, panel, or service is included in the estimates.
Why a showroom or cabinet-shop quote may be different
A real seller or shop prices a specific cabinet line, finish, options and accessories, delivery and service scope, and local conditions. Their number is tied to their product and their process.
KitchenFit is meant to give you a structured comparison before those real quotes arrive — so you walk in with a layout, a cabinet list, and clearer questions.
Keeping the estimates current
When market prices change, KitchenFit re-prices the same reference kitchen. Because every estimate is measured against that kitchen, all estimates move together.