Cabinet Installation Cost Per Linear Foot (2026 Guide)

$11,400. That’s the all-in number my last semi-custom kitchen cabinet job came in at on 20 linear feet. Cabinets, install, hardware, demo, dump fees. Nothing fancy.

I get asked about cabinet pricing more than almost any other line item on a kitchen remodel. Homeowners hear “$10,000 in cabinets” and their eyes glaze over. Contractors new to kitchens underbid because they only price the cabinet box and forget the install hours. Both groups end up frustrated. Try EstimationPro free if you want a faster way to build the full bid, but first let’s break the numbers down so they actually make sense.

Quick Answer

Cabinet installation runs $100 to $650 per linear foot in 2026, fully installed. Stock cabinets sit at $100-$280, semi-custom at $300-$650, and full custom jumps to $500-$1,500 per linear foot. The “linear foot” measurement counts every foot of cabinet run along the wall, including base and upper cabinets stacked on the same wall as one linear foot. A standard 10x10 kitchen has about 20 linear feet of cabinets.

What “Per Linear Foot” Actually Includes

This is where I see contractors and homeowners talk past each other. Per linear foot pricing usually bundles:

• The cabinet box itself
• Standard hinges and drawer slides
• Basic install labor
• Filler strips and standard trim
• Cabinet leveling and shimming

It usually does NOT include:

• Crown molding or light rail
• Cabinet hardware (pulls and knobs)
• Soft-close upgrades (sometimes included on semi-custom)
• Demo of existing cabinets
• Countertop, backsplash, or appliances
• Plumbing and electrical for the kitchen

When you compare bids, ask each contractor to spell out what’s in their per-LF number. Two contractors quoting “$450 per linear foot” can be $5,000 apart on the final invoice if one excludes hardware and crown.

Cabinet Tier Breakdown

Here’s how the three tiers actually shake out on a real job.

Tier	Price Per LF (Installed)	Box Material	Lead Time	Best For
Stock	$100 - $280	Particle board or thin ply	1-2 weeks	Rentals, flips, budget remodels
Semi-custom	$300 - $650	Plywood box	4-8 weeks	Most homeowner remodels
Custom	$500 - $1,500	Solid wood or premium ply	8-16 weeks	Custom layouts, high-end builds

I push most of my clients toward semi-custom. Stock has come a long way, but the box construction is still where you feel the price difference 5 years in. Custom is incredible work, but unless you have a weird wall configuration or you’re chasing a specific aesthetic, you’re paying for capacity you won’t use.

Worked Example 1: Stock Cabinet Kitchen, 18 Linear Feet

A rental property kitchen I priced last month. Owner wanted clean and durable, not flashy.

Line Item	Quantity	Unit Cost	Total
Stock cabinets, white shaker	18 LF	$180 / LF	$3,240
Cabinet hardware (pulls)	22 each	$5 / each	$110
Demo of old cabinets	1 lot	$500	$500
Disposal	1 lot	$200	$200
Subtotal			$4,050
Markup (25%)			$1,013
Job total			$5,063

Time on site: 1.5 days for install, half day for demo. Cabinets came in two weeks after order.

Worked Example 2: Semi-Custom Kitchen Remodel, 24 Linear Feet

A typical PNW kitchen remodel I bid this spring. Flat-panel doors, paint-grade maple, 36” upper cabinets to the ceiling.

Line Item	Quantity	Unit Cost	Total
Semi-custom cabinets, painted	24 LF	$450 / LF	$10,800
Crown molding install	24 LF	$18 / LF	$432
Cabinet hardware	32 each	$5 / each	$160
Kitchen island install	1 each	$1,100	$1,100
Demo of old cabinets	1 lot	$700	$700
Disposal and dump fees	1 lot	$300	$300
Subtotal			$13,492
Markup (28%)			$3,778
Job total			$17,270

Lead time was 6 weeks. Install ran 3 days with two carpenters. The island ate a full day on its own because the floor wasn’t level and we had to scribe the toe kick.

Regional Pricing Adjustments

Cabinet prices swing hard by metro. Here’s what the same 20 LF semi-custom job would run in different markets, based on BLS regional wage data and field experience pricing the same cabinets across markets.

Metro Area	Adjustment vs National	20 LF Semi-Custom Estimate
New York City	+35%	$14,580
San Francisco Bay Area	+30%	$14,040
Seattle	+18%	$12,744
Denver	+5%	$11,340
National Average	baseline	$10,800
Atlanta	-8%	$9,936
Phoenix	-10%	$9,720
Birmingham	-15%	$9,180

Labor is the biggest swing factor. Material varies less because most cabinets ship from a handful of regional manufacturers. If you’re a contractor pricing a job in a high cost market, do not just copy a Birmingham bid sheet. The labor side will eat your margin.

Cabinet Refacing and Painting (When to Skip Replacement)

Not every kitchen needs new cabinets. If the boxes are solid plywood and the layout works, refacing or painting can save the homeowner real money.

Option	Cost Per LF	What You Get
Cabinet refacing	$80 - $200	New doors, drawer fronts, veneer on existing boxes
Cabinet painting	$25 - $65	Spray finish on existing doors and boxes
Full replacement	$100 - $1,500	New everything

I’ve talked clients out of full replacement plenty of times when the cabinets had good bones. A semi-custom replacement at $450 per LF on 24 LF is $10,800. Refacing the same kitchen at $130 per LF is $3,120. Different conversations.

That said, if the layout is wrong or the boxes are particle board crumbling under the sink, replacement is the right call. Don’t reface a kitchen that fights you every day.

Mistakes That Cost You Money

After 20 years of pricing cabinet jobs, here are the misses I see most often.

1. Counting only the lower run. A linear foot of “10x10 kitchen cabinets” includes the bases AND the uppers stacked above them. If you measure only the bases, you’ll undercount by half.

2. Forgetting filler strips and scribe work. Walls aren’t square. Floors aren’t level. Filler strips and scribe time add 5-10% to most jobs. Bid it.

3. Pricing semi-custom but ordering custom. When the homeowner adds a 16” wide cabinet for a coffee bar that doesn’t exist in the standard catalog, you just left semi-custom pricing and entered custom. The supplier upcharge is usually 25-40%. Catch it before you sign.

4. Skipping the dump fee. Old cabinets are heavy and don’t fit in a normal trash bin. A dumpster or dump trip runs $200-$400 in most markets. I missed this on my first kitchen job and ate $300.

5. Bidding on cabinet only without install. If you’re a GC and the cabinet supplier quotes “$8,000 installed” without saying who installs, ask. Some suppliers include install. Most do not. The install is your labor or a sub.

Markup and Margin on Cabinet Jobs

Cabinets are a high-dollar line item, which means your markup percentage matters a lot. A 25% markup on a $12,000 cabinet supply is $3,000. A 35% markup is $4,200. That’s $1,200 difference on one line, and the homeowner can’t see it.

For most contractors I talk to, 25-35% markup on cabinet material is normal. Less than 25% and you’re basically working for the cabinet company. More than 40% on a competitive bid and you may price yourself out unless you’ve got real value to offer (design help, project management, warranty).

If you want to play with the numbers on your own jobs, run them through the Contractor Markup Calculator before you send the proposal.

Cabinet Install Labor: How Long Does It Actually Take?

Install labor is the second-biggest cost driver after material. RSMeans data and my own crew time logs put cabinet install at roughly 0.8-1.5 hours per linear foot for a standard kitchen, depending on:

• Wall condition (square vs out-of-plumb)
• Cabinet complexity (drawer banks vs simple doors)
• Crown molding and trim
• Island or peninsula work
• Whether you’re working alone or with a helper

For estimating, I budget 30-40 hours of skilled carpenter time on a 20 LF kitchen with crown and an island. At a $75-$100 burdened labor rate, that’s $2,250-$4,000 in labor alone before any material. Use the Cabinet Install Labor Hours Calculator to dial this in for your specific job.

FAQ

Q: How do contractors price cabinet installation for a client? A: Most contractors price cabinets two ways: a per-linear-foot rate that includes material plus install, or a separate cabinet supply line plus a labor line at $50-$100 per LF for install only. The bundled rate is faster to quote and what most homeowners expect on the proposal. Use EstimationPro to build the full bid in minutes instead of an hour spent on a spreadsheet.

Q: How long does it take to estimate a cabinet job? A: A clean 20 LF kitchen takes me 30-45 minutes manually. Measure, layout, line items, markup, proposal. With AI-assisted estimating I’m down to about 10 minutes for the same scope. The time savings add up fast when you’re bidding 5-10 kitchens a month.

Q: What’s the cheapest way to update a kitchen without replacing cabinets? A: Cabinet painting at $25-$65 per linear foot, or refacing at $80-$200 per linear foot. Both work great when the cabinet boxes are sound. Painting is the cheapest path. Refacing gives you a more dramatic change because you’re swapping doors and drawer fronts.

Q: Are stock cabinets worth it for a primary residence? A: Sometimes. If you find a stock line with plywood box construction and soft-close hardware, you can do well in the $200-$280 per linear foot range. The trap is the cheap stock at $100-$150 per linear foot with particle board boxes. Those will sag in 5-7 years.

Q: How much should I add for crown molding and trim on cabinets? A: Crown molding install runs $15-$25 per linear foot of cabinet run for material and labor. Light rail under upper cabinets adds another $8-$12 per linear foot. On a 24 LF kitchen, that’s $550-$880 for crown and another $200-$300 for light rail.

Q: Why does the same cabinet quote vary so much between contractors? A: Three reasons. First, scope (one bid includes hardware and crown, the other excludes them). Second, supplier (one contractor uses a premium semi-custom line, another uses a value brand). Third, margin (some contractors run 20% markup, others run 40%). Always ask for line-item bids so you can compare apples to apples.

Pricing assumptions and disclaimer

Pricing in this article reflects 2026 averages based on Angi, HomeGuide, and HomeLight 2026 cost data, plus my own field pricing in the Pacific Northwest. Regional adjustments use BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for carpenters by metro area. Prices vary by region and depend on your location, supplier markups, and the specific cabinet line you choose. Get quotes from local contractors and always pull at least three line-item bids before signing a contract.

Get Your Cabinet Bid Out the Door Faster

Cabinet jobs are where bids get won and lost. The homeowner is comparing your $17,000 number against two other contractors. If your proposal is a one-line “$17,000 cabinets installed” while the next guy sends a clean line-item PDF with brand names, model numbers, and a follow-up email two days later, you lose the job even if your price is right.

EstimationPro doesn’t stop at the estimate. It sends the proposal automatically, follows up with the homeowner on day 2 and day 5, and turns the accepted estimate into a payable invoice when the job ships. So you spend more time on the saw and less time chasing emails after the bid goes out.

Contractors using EstimationPro report cutting bid time from 45 minutes to 10 minutes per kitchen, with proposal-quality output their clients actually read and follow-up sequences that win more of the bids they already send. Try EstimationPro free and stop losing kitchens to slower paperwork.