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The China kitchen cabinet factory scorecard: nine checks, four sites.
Four China kitchen cabinet factory sites, ten rows of what each one publishes - spec tables, MOQ, lead time, certificates with report numbers, packing plans, and whether the counters sit at zero. Our pages are in the table too.
Before the table
What a kitchen cabinet factory scorecard is - and isn't.
A transparency scorecard lists what a site publishes, row by row: the dimensional spec, the MOQ, the lead time, the board and finish, the certificates - with report numbers where they exist - the packing and container plan, the sample policy, the project cases, the blog, and the stat counters. A row is either published with data, or it is not.
What it does not do: rank the factories. Published information is not manufacturing. A quiet site can run an excellent line and never write the numbers down; a loud one can ship poorly. The scorecard measures how much of the verification is left to you - and it applies the same ten rows to our own pages, because a list that grades rivals while leaving itself blank is marketing.
The four sites
Who is in the table.
Foshan, Guangdong
Adam Cabinet (ours)
A kitchen cabinet factory line in the table with its three rivals - the cells in this column cite our own published pages.
About the factory →Jiangmen, Guangdong
Starwood Industry Co., Ltd.
Pure B2B panel-furniture maker; keyword-stacked slugs and the most complete B2B product detail page of the three rivals.
Site →Global storefront
GoldenHome
B2C + B2B hybrid on a global Shopify storefront; dealer-franchise page, six blog channels, country selector; retail product pages with unfilled placeholder tabs.
Site →Dongguan, Guangdong
KE Kitchen Cabinets
Pure B2B site whose product directory is one layer of category pages over theme-demo items; the only ordering content is an ad landing page with an eight-step process.
Site →The ten rows
What each site publishes.
| Check | Adam Cabinet (ours) | Starwood | GoldenHome | KE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensional spec table | Per-line spec pages; ±0.5 mm cut tolerance published | Text only (18/19 mm sides); no spec table | None on the product page | None |
| Minimum order | Per project, not per room (published policy) | 1 x 20'GP | Not published; priced sample SKUs instead | An 8-step order flow; no number |
| Factory lead time | 10-14 days factory; DDP 18-22 / 32-40 days US, 15-20 days Sydney | 30-45 days after deposit (FAQ: 35-40 working days) | Not published | Not published |
| Board and finish | 18mm E0 plywood, ≤0.05 mg/m3 per GB/T 39600, 2mm PVB banding, six finish lines | Plywood / particle board / MDF-HDF boxes; melamine and PVC-film doors; E1 board | 18mm MFC, MDF core, 45-degree miters, PVC thermofoil | Generic copy (finest materials, seamless finishes) |
| Certificates, with report numbers | Report SQ2405393 (≤0.05 mg/m3); hinges rated 50,000 cycles | ISO 9001, US EPA TSCA Title VI, FSC; names only, no report numbers | KCMA, CARB II, E1 on brand pages; not on the product page | None |
| Packing and container plan | Crate by bay; per-order packing list; worked 40HQ example published | 5-layer carton, corner protection, 20GP/40HQ plan; dedicated packing page | None | One bullet: Well Package |
| Sample policy | Painted door sample with the first quote; no minimum at the sample stage | Sample freight collect, credited against the order | Priced sample SKUs in the cart | A bullet on the ad LPs; no terms |
| Project cases | Nine case pages with room specs and program scope | Two named: Hong Kong hostel, Middle East apartments | Five wall cases plus six US project posts | Three project posts; the articles URL 404s |
| Live blog | 20+ guides plus two hub pages | Yes - 10+ buyer-guide posts, titles as keywords | Yes - six channels, including a Canada zone | No - the articles URL returns 404 |
| Stat counters | None - published numbers only | None observed | Popup claims: 26+ years, 40+ factories, 4,000+ stores | Home-page counters render at zero |
Cells are what each site published at the time of writing, checked page by page on 2026-10-07. External links: plywoodmfr.com, goldenhomeglobal.com, kekitchencabinets.com.
Read it right
Transparency is not a quality verdict.
The table measures information, not manufacturing. Starwood's complete product page does not tell you whether a panel is flat when it lands; KE's zero counters do not tell you whether a crate shifted. What the table does tell you is how much of the verification is already done before the first email - and for the row that is all zero, the answer is: none of it.
So use it that way: a transparent site earns a first sample; a silent site earns a longer list of questions. The next step is the same on all four sites, ours included - run the checks.
The checks
Run the nine checks on us too.
The nine checks are written to be run against any site - including this one. Every "ours" cell above links to where the number is published; the check list is where each one gets verified.
1. Who owns the line - a factory, or a trading floor?
The legal name on the line, the invoice and the lease - they should match.
2. Capacity, stated against your order
Capacity stated against your order, in a written slot.
3. Board: brand, grade, and the report that proves it
The board brand and grade, plus the report number - ours is SQ2405393.
4. Edge banding: machine, glue, thickness
The banding machine, the glue and the thickness - ours is 2mm PVB hot-melt.
5. Hardware provenance and traceability
Model numbers with the distributor paper trail - ours is Blum soft-close, 50,000 cycles.
6. Test reports: how to check a number
Report number, issuing body and expiry, checked with the lab.
7. Trial assembly: every order, or only the first?
Trial assembly on every order, not only the first - the 72-hour gate.
8. Photo gates, and the payment milestones you attach to them
Photo gates at 24, 48 and 72 hours, tied to the payment milestones.
9. Lead time and on-time history
Lead time with an on-time definition - ours is 10-14 days factory, 98% on-time.
The full method, artifacts and red flags: the nine-check guide.
Before you keep reading: a painted sample door ships with your first quote, and there is no minimum at the sample stage - or run the cost calculator with your wall lengths before you send the plan.
Keep reading.
How to verify a Chinese cabinet factory remotely: 9 checks
Artifacts, not assurances - the method behind the table on this page.
Frozen spec: the document that stops board and hardware drift
The version-locked one-pager each check lands in.
Sourcing custom cabinets: the specification and QC guide
Hub - the five documents that decide a repeat order.
FAQ
The scorecard, asked straight.
What is a transparency scorecard, exactly?
Does a low score mean a bad factory?
Which of the four sites is the best?
Why is Adam Cabinet in a scorecard of competitors?
How often does the list change?
What should I ask a kitchen cabinet factory before the sample?
Ask for the artifact, not the assurance.
The next email you send should ask for the report number, the model number and the packing plan - in that order.
The document the checks land in: the frozen spec. The hub that holds the cluster: sourcing custom cabinets. Compare two quotes once you have the artifacts: quotation comparison.