model

Kitchen Cabinet Cost, Installed (2026): RTA to Ultra Luxury, With Install-Only Labor

One kitchen priced in five tiers, overlay, inset and frameless, with install-only labor per box, tear-out and extras, published prices and lead times.

By Clamp ResearchReviewed by Emmanuel ForgePublished Oct 31, 2026✓ Reviewed Oct 2026

Direct answer: In Clamp's catalog, a kitchen with 27 lf of uppers and lowers and a 6 ft island (33 lf) costs $8,598 direct in stock cabinets, $14,890 semi-custom, $29,239 custom and $51,811 ultra luxury, installed, before markup and countertops. Install alone runs $2,104 for stock to $6,732 for ultra luxury. RTA saves little once you pay to assemble it: $8,177.

The assumptions

This model assumes

A kitchen with 15 lf of base, 12 lf of wall cabinets and a 6 ft island: 33 lf, about 14 boxes
Cabinets, install, fasteners, hardware, fillers and panels; no countertop
Direct cost from Clamp's October 2026 catalog, before markup
Retail prices observed October 31, 2026

The model, step by step

1One kitchen, measured

Clamp counts cabinets by the linear foot, uppers and lowers each, plus the island. This L-shaped kitchen has 15 ft of base, 12 ft of wall cabinets and a 6 ft island.

Base: 15 lf

Wall: 12 lf

Island: 6 lf

= 33 lf of cabinets

Boxes: about 14

33 lf, about 14 boxes

Illustration of an L-shaped kitchen in plan with base cabinets on two walls, wall cabinets dashed in amber above them, and a three-box island; the list reads Base cabinets 15 lf, Wall cabinets 12 lf, Island 6 lf, Cabinet run 33 lf, Boxes about 14

One kitchen, measured

The kitchen in plan, drawn in the style of Quick Clamp's sketch pad: base cabinets and the island solid, wall cabinets dashed in amber. Illustration with typed labels. Demo data.

Sellers count differently: a 10x10 kitchen is 20 feet of wall, and estimating books price base and wall cabinets per foot separately. Say which you mean before you compare prices.

2Five tiers, installed

The same 33 lf in each tier: cabinets, install, fasteners, knobs and pulls, fillers and panels. No countertop, tear-out or crown.

This kitchen, direct cost, Clamp's catalog
Tier	Cost	Hours
RTA	$8,177	29
Stock	$8,598	20
Semi-custom	$14,890	28
Custom	$29,239	53
Ultra luxury	$51,811	63

Semi-custom, line by line (rounded)

Cabinets, 33 lf$10,725

Install$2,945

Fillers and panels$720

Knobs and pulls$425

Fasteners and shims$74

Direct cost before markup, from Clamp's October 2026 catalog. Sold at a 1.50 markup: stock about $391 a foot, semi-custom $677, custom $1,329, ultra luxury $2,355. RTA costs about what stock does once someone is paid to assemble it. Treat the ultra luxury row as an allowance until the maker quotes.

3What each tier gets you

The labels say how much you can change, not how well the box is built. Stock comes in set configurations, semi-custom is a catalog with modifications, and custom is built for the project. RTA is how it ships, not a grade; this guide prices budget RTA. Ultra luxury is a market, not a construction grade.

Examples from makers' and sellers' pages

RTAIKEA's Sektion frame is particleboard with melamine foil; a Hampton Bay Avondale RTA drawer base is plywood with soft-close full-extension glides

StockSet configurations, often in the store or in days (Hampton Bay at Home Depot)

Semi-customDiamond: furniture-board box (plywood upgrade), dovetail drawers, soft-close hinges; KraftMaid built to order, 4 to 6 weeks (Cabinetworks, October 2026)

CustomCustom finishes and doors, framed or frameless (Crystal, for one); 6 to 12 weeks (a retailer's figure)

Ultra luxuryPriced by the kitchen: Henrybuilt typically from about $80,000, Plain English from £70,000

Plywood, dovetails and soft-close hardware show up well below the top tier, so ask for the line's spec sheet, not its label. KCMA's A161.1 certification runs 14 independent lab tests (a wall cabinet loaded to 600 lb, 25,000 door and drawer cycles, finish tests), open to any maker, builder grade to custom; it tests performance, not materials. AWI's casework standard (0641) grades appearance as Economy, Custom or Premium and strength as Duty Levels 1 to 4.

4Overlay, inset or frameless

Full overlay doors cover the face frame. Inset doors sit flush inside it, with an even gap all around. Frameless (European) boxes have no face frame; doors hang on concealed hinges mounted to the box sides.

This kitchen, direct cost
Tier	Overlay	Inset
Semi-customFrameless, slab doors: $14,795	$14,890	$18,549
CustomFrameless, slab doors: $29,008	$29,239	$36,516
Ultra luxuryFrameless, slab doors: $50,676	$51,811	$65,691

Illustration of three cabinet fronts: a full overlay door covering the face frame, an inset door flush inside the frame with an amber reveal, and a frameless box with a column of amber hinge holes; the list reads Full overlay frame behind the door, Inset door flush in the frame, Inset material x1.3, Inset or frameless labor x1.15

Overlay, inset, frameless

Three ways to build a door and box, drawn in the style of Quick Clamp's sketch pad: the inset reveal and the frameless hinge holes in amber. Illustration with typed labels.

Clamp prices inset at 1.3 times the cabinets and 1.15 times the install, and frameless at 1.15 times the install; frameless rows here use slab doors, at 0.95 times the cabinets. Fine Homebuilding finds custom frameless slower to set than framed, since there's no face frame to trim or plane. No source we found measures the inset premium in hours.

5Install only

When the owner buys the cabinets, you price the labor: set, level, shim, join, scribe, fillers and hardware. Wall cabinets go into studs, with screws through the top and bottom hanging rails.

This kitchen, install labor only
Tier	Labor	Per box	Hours
RTA	$3,086	$220	29
Stock	$2,104	$150	20
Semi-custom	$2,945	$210	28
Custom	$5,610	$401	53
Ultra luxury	$6,732	$481	63

Published rates: a Central North Carolina installer charges $50 a box plus $3 a foot for crown and light rail (WOODWEB, 2024), and posters there put a carpenter and helper at about $900 a day. Craftsman's 2025 National Construction Estimator allows 0.52 hour per foot of base and 0.34 per foot of wall.

Clamp's install is a carpenter sub's price, overhead included, and RTA includes assembly. Per box is the labor over 14 boxes. Schuler calls for four screws per wall cabinet, two at each rail, into studs; American Woodmark calls for at least four on wall cabinets over 15 in, into stud centers. Neither allows nails.

6Tear-out and extras

Price these on their own lines; they change from kitchen to kitchen.

Added to the semi-custom kitchen, direct
Item	Adds
Tear out 27 lf and haul	+$829
Disconnect and protect appliances	+$525
Remove a soffit	+$683
Two pull-outs and a lazy Susan	+$833
Crown, 20 lfSimple crown; stacked crown costs more	+$179
Prep for under-cabinet lights	+$221

Countertops are separate: template after the boxes are set, then fabricate and install.

7What sellers and makers publish

Retail boxes give a floor; dealers and luxury makers give the top. Few publish a full installed kitchen.

Published prices
Source	Price
Hampton Bay 36 in base, unfinishedHome Depot; 30 x 30 wall $219	$179
IKEA Sektion 36 in base, doors	$461
RTA Cabinet Store 36 in base25 percent off with a promo code	$521
Home Decorators Express 36 in baseSale; $1,206 list; ships in 2 business days	$723
Phoenix dealer, installed, per lfStock $160 to $320, semi-custom $400 to $800, custom $800 to $1,800	$160 to $1,800
Space Theory kitchen	From $45,000
Henrybuilt kitchenTypically starts around $80,000; most $100,000 to $150,000	About $80,000 up
deVOL, cabinets onlyUK; worktops, appliances, delivery and install run 35 to 40 percent of the total order	£15,000 to £35,000

Clamp's ultra luxury kitchen here, sold at a 1.50 markup, is about $77,717, or $98,537 inset. Cost-guide pages repeat each other's per-foot ranges and contradict themselves; we used makers' and sellers' own prices.

8Lead times and code

Order early: the tier sets the wait, and the install can't start until every box is in and checked.

Lead times, as published
Line	Weeks
RTA in stock (a retailer)	1 to 2
Merillat, QualityCabinetsCabinetworks Group, October 2026	3 to 4
KraftMaid	4 to 6
Semi-custom (a retailer)	4 to 6
Custom (a retailer)	6 to 12

Check every box against the order when it lands, before tear-out: KraftMaid tells buyers to inspect first and warns that replacements are made to order and take time. Carry a return trip in the price. Code: the IRC (M1901.1) wants 30 in from a cooktop to unprotected combustibles above it, such as a wall cabinet, unless a range hood, or an oven with built-in exhaust such as an over-the-range microwave, is listed for less; the locally adopted code and the appliance instructions govern.

What it means

What to doPrice cabinets by the foot and the tier, then by door style and construction. Put install, tear-out, crown, organizers and soffits on their own lines, and order early enough for the tier's lead time.

The kitchen is the same 33 lf in every row. Five tiers run $8,177 to $51,811.

Every tier on its own line

Clamp's estimate prices cabinets by the foot in the tier you pick, RTA to ultra luxury, with inset and frameless, install, tear-out, crown and organizers as separate lines.

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Questions

How much do kitchen cabinets cost installed?

For a kitchen with 33 lf of cabinets, about $8,598 direct in stock, $14,890 semi-custom, $29,239 custom and $51,811 ultra luxury in Clamp's catalog, before markup and countertops.

How much does it cost to install kitchen cabinets per box?

About $150 a box for stock and $401 for custom in Clamp's catalog, a sub's price with overhead. One North Carolina installer charges $50 a box, crown extra.

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

Semi-custom lines such as KraftMaid are built to order from a catalog with options; custom makers such as Crystal offer custom finishes and doors, framed or frameless, and take longer, often 6 to 12 weeks by one retailer's count.

How much do luxury kitchen cabinets cost?

Luxury makers price by the kitchen: Space Theory from $45,000, Henrybuilt typically from about $80,000, Plain English from £70,000. Clamp's ultra luxury tier is about $77,717 sold for a 33 lf kitchen.

Are RTA cabinets cheaper than stock cabinets?

The boxes are, but someone has to assemble them. In Clamp's catalog an RTA kitchen installed is $8,177 against $8,598 for stock, because assembly adds labor.

Sources & provenance

Clamp estimating catalog (2026-10): cabinet install by tier, door style, frameless, install labor, extras and tear-out Clamp Research
SEKTION Base cabinet frame, white, 21x24x30 IKEA US (research)
SEKTION Base cabinet with shelves, 2 doors, 36x24x30 IKEA US (research)
Hampton Bay Recessed Panel 36 in Assembled Base Cabinet, Unfinished (KB36-UF) Home Depot (research)
Hampton Bay Hampton 30 x 30 in Assembled Wall Cabinet, Satin White (KW3030-SW) Home Depot (research)
Hampton Bay Avondale 30 in Ready to Assemble Plywood Drawer Base Home Depot (research)
Weston White Shaker RTA Cabinet Store (research)
Home Decorators Cabinetry Express, Valiant Onyx 36 in base (B36-XVO) Home Depot (Home Decorators Cabinetry) (research)
Cabinet Construction Diamond Cabinetry (MasterBrand) (official source)
Manufacturing Process KraftMaid (official source)
Inspecting Your Delivery KraftMaid (official source)
Operations Status Cabinetworks Group (official source)
Kitchen Cabinet Lead Times Kitchen Cabinet Kings (research)
Crystal Premium Custom Cabinetry brochure Crystal Cabinet Works (hosted by RBS Corp) (official source)
Quality Cabinet Certification FAQs Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (official source)
The strength behind certified cabinetry: ANSI/KCMA A161.1 Woodworking Network (research)
Glossary of Cabinet Terms Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (official source)
AWI releases new architectural wood casework standard Woodworking Network (research)
2021 Seattle Residential Code, Chapter 19 (IRC M1901) City of Seattle (2021 IRC text) (official source)
Framed Installation Guide Schuler Cabinetry (MasterBrand) (official source)
Cabinet Installation Guide American Woodmark (official source)
Cabinet Cost in Phoenix (2026) Surprise Granite (Phoenix dealer) (research)
Frequently Asked Questions Henrybuilt (official source)
Pricing with examples Space Theory (Henrybuilt) (official source)
FAQs deVOL Kitchens (UK) (official source)
Bespoke Kitchens Plain English (UK) (official source)
Cabinet install pricing (forum thread) WOODWEB (research)
2025 National Construction Estimator (preview), pp. 29-30 Craftsman Book Company (research)
Installing Frameless Cabinets Fine Homebuilding (Aaron Butt) (research)
Cabinet Installation Home Depot (research)

Changes: Oct 31, 2026: Published.