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Reference
The cabinet glossary: RTA, DDP, frozen spec, reveal.
This cabinet glossary collects the terms that decide a cabinet order - the ones that mean two different things to two different suppliers - and points each one at the page where it is defined in full. No invented definitions: every entry is already published on this site.
Ordering & trade
| Term | What it means | Where it is defined |
|---|---|---|
| CBM (m3) | Cubic metre - the loading unit on a packing list. A 40-foot high cube takes about 76 of them; a 20-foot standard about 33. | Definition |
| MOQ | Minimum order quantity. Two limits hide in the word: the per-style minimum set by the line setup, and the finish batch behind a painted door. | Definition |
| Linear foot (lf) | The unit cabinets are priced in: one foot of wall run, with base and wall runs measured separately. Quoted per foot of wall run, duty-paid, against your drawing. | Definition |
| DDP (delivered duty paid) | A price covering production, crating, ocean freight, insurance, customs clearance, duty and the delivery leg - and stopping at the tailgate. | Definition |
| FOB (free on board) | The price stops once the goods are loaded at the port of departure. Freight, insurance, duty and the inland leg move to the buyer. | Definition |
| Landed cost | Factory price plus crating, freight, insurance, duty, clearance and the inland leg. The only figure that compares two suppliers honestly. | Definition |
| OEM / ODM | OEM: built to your drawings, specification and branding. ODM: the factory brings the design. Both run on the same production line. | Definition |
Construction & specification
| Term | What it means | Where it is defined |
|---|---|---|
| Carcase | The box behind the door - sides, top, bottom, shelves, back panel. The board brand, grade, thickness and formaldehyde report number all belong to this row. | Definition |
| Back panel | The panel closing the back of the carcase. Material, thickness and whether it is full thickness - the row most spec sheets omit. | Definition |
| Edge banding | The band applied to exposed cut edges. We specify 2mm PVB hot-melt on all four edges of every cut panel, with the glue type stated. | Definition |
| E0 / ENF | Formaldehyde emission grades. Our line: 18mm E0-grade plywood at or under 0.05 mg/m3 (GB/T 39600, report SQ2405393); ENF on request. | Definition |
| Reveal | The visible gap between two surfaces - door to carcase, cabinet to ceiling. Floor-to-ceiling bays carry a 1.5 mm reveal and cut parts are held to ±0.5 mm. | Definition |
| Toe kick | The recessed plinth under a base run: 4 in high by 3 in deep as standard. | Definition |
| Filler / scribe | The strip absorbing the difference between a wall and a run. Filler allowances are recorded in millimetres in the dimension grid, never assumed. | Definition |
| Full-extension slides | Runners that pull the drawer clear of the carcase. Our standard line is rated 35-45 kg full-extension. | Definition |
| Soft-close | A hinge with an integrated damper. Our line is Blum soft-close, rated to 50,000 cycles; DTC is available on request. | Definition |
| Flat-pack / RTA | Ready-to-assemble: panels cut, drilled and banded, then packed flat into numbered boxes by bay and assembled at the site. A format, not a grade. | Definition |
| Assembled (pre-built) | The units leave the factory built - carcase assembled, doors hung, hardware fitted - and are set and levelled on site instead of assembled. | Definition |
Compliance & QC
| Term | What it means | Where it is defined |
|---|---|---|
| Frozen spec | A version-locked one-page specification: dimension grid and tolerance, carcase board, door substrate and finish, back panel, edge banding, hinges, slides, packaging. | Definition |
| Photo gate | A stage-based evidence requirement - photographs and video at 24, 48 and 72 hours - tied to the payment milestones. | Definition |
| Trial assembly | Building the order once on the factory floor and checking it against the drawings before it is packed and shipped. | Definition |
| Section 232 | The US national-security tariff layer on cabinets, vanities and parts: 25%, with the January 2026 step to 50% delayed by a year. | Definition |
| Section 301 | The US tariff layer on Chinese-origin goods: List 3 at 25% on the cabinet subheadings, in force since May 2019. The forced-labour tranche of July 2026 does not apply to cabinets, which are entered under the exempt Section 232 wood heading. | Definition |
| AD/CVD | Anti-dumping and countervailing duty - the two layers an exporter's own rate decides, applied on top of the base duty and the 232/301 layers. | Definition |
| Safeguard surtax (Canada) | A provisional 25% surtax on wood cabinets, vanities and their subassemblies from 31 July 2026, for up to 200 days, declared under safeguard code 26169A. | Definition |
| SOR/2021-148 | Canada's Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products Regulations: emission limits on composite wood panels and laminated products, with import and sale of non-compliant product prohibited. | Definition |
| 40HQ / 40HC | A 40-foot high cube container: roughly 76 m3 of capacity and 26,330 kg of payload. Volume, not weight, is usually the binding constraint on cabinets. | Definition |
How to use it
How to use this cabinet glossary.
Read it as an index rather than a dictionary. When a quotation says "2mm banding" or a specification says "E0 board", the entry here tells you which page defines the term properly - and what a supplier who cannot answer it is missing. The two reference documents behind most of these entries are the frozen spec and the nine verification checks.
FAQ
The cabinet glossary, asked straight.
What is RTA in cabinets?
Ready-to-assemble. The panels are cut, drilled and edge-banded to your drawings, then packed flat into numbered boxes by bay and assembled at the site. It is a packing format, not a quality grade - the board, banding and hardware are the same as on an assembled order.
What does DDP mean on a cabinet quote?
Delivered duty paid: the price covers production, crating, ocean freight, insurance, customs clearance, duty and the delivery leg, and stops at the tailgate. FOB is the opposite - the price stops at the port of departure and the buyer carries everything after it.
What is a frozen spec?
A version-locked one-page specification with eight blocks, each naming a brand, a grade or a model number. It is the document production is measured against, and the reason a fourth container looks like the first.
What is a reveal?
The visible gap between two surfaces: between door and carcase, or between cabinet and ceiling. Floor-to-ceiling bays carry a 1.5 mm reveal, and cut parts are held to a ±0.5 mm tolerance.
Why list your own terms?
Because most arguments about cabinets are arguments about definitions. Each entry here is already defined in full on the page the link points to - this glossary is the index, not a second opinion.
Ask the question the glossary cannot answer.
Definitions stop arguments; they do not quote a job. Send the plan and the market, and the number comes back with its assumptions named.