Quoting cabinets per linear foot works because kitchens are mostly lines of cabinetry. It stops working the moment the drawing has a tall unit, an island, an appliance garage or a fill - because those are pieces, not feet. A good quotation is honest about where the per-foot math ends and the piece pricing begins. Here's the anatomy of one.
The standard line items
| Line | What it should cover | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Base run (per foot) | Box, toe kick, standard height (34½ in typical), soft-close hardware on the doors listed | Over 42 in wide bases sometimes jump to a "large base" rate |
| Upper run (per foot) | Standard 30 in height | Full-height uppers to ceiling are usually piece-priced |
| Tall units | Piece-priced: pantry, oven column, fridge housing | Internal fittings - pull-outs, trash pull-out - often excluded |
| Island | Box + worktop edge, piece or per-foot | Whether the stone top is in it, and at what thickness |
| Doors & finish | Style, finish, per-door or per-foot allocation | Matte lacquer and two-tone runs usually carry a finish uplift |
| Hardware | Hinges, runners, lift-up struts - brand and grade | "Standard hardware" is a placeholder; get the brand |
| Crating / packing | Export crates, pallets, corner protection | Sometimes folded into freight, sometimes a line - just confirm |
| Freight + duty (DDP) | Ocean, clearance, all duties, delivery to address | Which floor it lands on; see the duty-paid guide |
Where "per foot" quietly drops things
- Fills and corners. Every run ends in a fill; some quotes absorb a couple, the rest charge them. Ask: "How many free fills are in the per-foot price?"
- Appliance garages and niche work. Lift-up doors, roll-out trays, niche boxes - these are engineering, and they're almost always piece-priced. Fine - just don't budget them out of the per-foot line.
- Countertops. If the quote says "countertop included," it means plywood-pressed or laminate, not stone. Stone is a separate line with its own lead time.
- Two-tone changes. Switching uppers to a second finish mid-run can add a per-foot uplift. Get it in writing before the 3D is released.
- Changes after the deposit. Every quote has a change rule. Ours: drawings freeze at deposit; changes after that are re-quoted with the delta shown both ways, and you approve before we cut.
The five questions before you compare two quotes
- "Is the per-foot price all-in to my address, duty-paid?"
- "What's in 'standard hardware' - brand and model?"
- "How are tall units and the island priced - piece or foot?"
- "What's the change rule after drawings are released?"
- "Show me a photo set from a recent production run, not a render."
Run both quotes through the same five questions. When the answers line up, the lower number is the real difference. When they don't, you're not comparing prices - you're comparing scopes.
How to read a cabinet quotation that arrives as one line
Dealer quotations often arrive as a single figure: kitchen supplied and fitted, one number. That is not a quotation, it is a budget - and the fastest way to turn it into one is to send back four questions that split it into the lines above.
- How many linear feet of base run, and how many of wall run? Those two numbers reconstruct the biggest part of the total, and they let you check the measurement against your own drawing instead of trusting it.
- How many tall units are priced separately, and how many feet of island? If the answer is that everything sits inside the per-foot number, ask what the per-foot rate does when a pantry and a double oven column are added to the run.
- What is excluded? Worktop, sink cut-out, plinth, lighting, handles, installation and cart-away. The exclusion list is usually the whole difference between two totals that look close.
- What does the delivery line actually say? Duty-paid to the address, or collected at a port. One of those is a price; the other is the start of a second invoice.
Two checks make the answers verifiable. First, measure your own run before you send anything: mark the walls you want cabinets on and add the run up in feet, because a quotation that is eight feet longer than your drawing is being measured differently rather than generously. Second, ask for the 3D layout before the deposit, not after - the layout is where a per-foot number meets the actual piece count, and it is normal for a serious supplier to release it against the order rather than against the payment.
Once those four answers arrive, the table above is what a properly written cabinet quotation looks like - and the five questions after it are the ones to put to both suppliers, not just the one you already trust.
FAQ
How do I read a cabinet quotation if it only shows a total?
Ask for four numbers in writing: linear feet of base run, linear feet of wall run, the count of tall units priced separately, and the delivery term. Those four reconstruct most of a total, and they are the same four numbers you can ask a second supplier for. If a supplier will not break a total down before you commit, the quotation is an estimate wearing a price tag.
What does a per linear foot price include, and what does it never include?
It includes the measured run: base and wall cabinets at standard depth and height, the boxes, the doors listed, the finish quoted and the hardware grade named in the spec. It does not include tall units, islands, worktops, plinths, lighting, appliance panels or installation, and it stops at the address named in the delivery term. Those lines are piece-priced or excluded by design, not by accident.
Why is my per-foot number higher than the number in an article?
Three usual reasons. The run is small, so fixed parts of the job from drawings to crating spread over fewer feet. The run is mostly uppers or talls, which use more material per foot of wall than a base line. Or the finish is upgraded: lacquer, veneer, two-tone and non-standard colours carry an uplift that a standard matte number does not.
Can I compare a duty-paid quote with an FOB quote?
Not until one of them is converted. FOB stops at the port, so the buyer adds ocean freight, insurance, duty, clearance and the last mile on top - a stack that moves with the route, the product and the tariff line. A duty-paid figure already contains that stack. Convert both to the same term before comparing, or the difference you are looking at is a term rather than a price.
How many filler strips should a quotation include?
Every run ends in at least one, and a corner usually needs another where the two runs meet. Ask how many are inside the per-foot price and what each additional strip costs. A quote that absorbs a couple of fills is normal; a quote that charges for the first one is not wrong, but you should be able to see it as a line rather than discover it later.
What should be in writing before I pay a deposit?
Five things: the frozen spec sheet, the delivery term with the named address, the crating description, the change rule after drawings are released, and the warranty split. Ours freezes at deposit - changes after that are re-quoted with the difference shown both ways, and nothing is cut until you approve the new number.
