Contractor vs. Retail Cabinet Pricing: Where Your Margin Comes From

November 10, 2026

Contractor cabinet pricing is where a lot of kitchen bids are won or lost. I'm Wally Hall, co-owner of Cape Cabinet Depot. We sell all-wood, fully assembled Waypoint semi-custom cabinets and vanities only to contractors, remodelers and builders. We're online-only and ship anywhere in the lower 48. Here's how trade pricing differs from retail, where the margin really hides on a cabinet job, and how to price cabinets into a bid without pricing yourself out of it.

Open kitchen with 470F Painted Vanilla perimeter cabinets and tall pantry units, a Maple Cider stained island and a plaster range hood.

What's the Difference Between Retail and Contractor Cabinet Pricing?

A retail cabinet price is built for a homeowner buying one kitchen. A retail price has to carry store space, display stock, walk-in sales staff and advertising to the public. Contractor cabinet pricing is built for people who buy kitchens again and again. We're online-only and keep no stock: your cabinets are ordered from the factory and come straight to your job site. We sell only to the trade, so our pricing is set for contractors, not walk-in shoppers. The gap between what you pay and what your client expects to pay is where your margin and your time get covered. Our cabinets come from Waypoint Living Spaces.

Where Does Margin Really Hide on a Cabinet Job?

In contractor cabinet pricing, the cabinet line item is only part of the story. The rest of your margin is won or lost in a few places:

Labor. We used to sell RTA cabinets and assemble them in-house. Building boxes ate hours, and missing parts or damaged panels could stall a whole kitchen. Factory-assembled cabinets go from delivery to install. See Assembled vs. RTA Cabinets: The Real Labor Math for Installers.
Delivery. Free delivery to the job site means no trailer run to a warehouse.
Revisions. A bad number means a redesign, a resized cabinet or a filler nobody planned. Free 2020 designs let you catch problems before you order, not on install day.
Add-ons. Upgrades like accessories, decorative panels or a stained island add value your client can see. For ideas, see Elegance on a Budget: 5 Affordable Upgrades for the Look of Luxury.
Schedule. Orders leave the factory in about 3–5 weeks. Idle crew days waiting on cabinets cost you money.

Contractor cabinet pricing example: fully assembled all-wood Waypoint cabinet box detail

How Should You Mark Up Cabinets in a Kitchen Bid?

There's no single right markup in contractor cabinet pricing. It depends on your market, your overhead and how you price labor. Most contractors use one of three approaches: a markup on the cabinet cost, cabinets bundled into one project price, or cabinets and installation as separate lines. Whichever you use, a few habits protect your margin:

Price from a real quote, not a guess. A quote built from good measurements is a number you can bid with confidence.
Include everything: fillers, panels, crown, toe kick and hardware. Small items left off the bid come out of your pocket.
Give your client choices. Showing two or three door styles or finishes at different price points lets them pick a budget without you cutting your number.
Let the client see it before they sign. Mailed door samples and a virtual design appointment help them decide up front, which means fewer change orders later.

Send us a plan for a free 2020 design

Send us a plan or layout and we'll do a free 2020 design and quote. A sketch, tape-measure photos or a plans PDF are fine.

Send a layout or plan for a free 2020 design and quote

Or call 239-242-8747 (Southwest Florida) or 865-281-1938 (East Tennessee).

What Does a New Account Get?

As a new account, you get 5% off your first kitchen, which could be $750 or more. Details are on our new contractor promo page. Every account also gets free 2020 designs, mailed samples and free delivery to the job site, and we supply vanities too, so bath remodels can run through the same account.

Finished kitchen with all-wood Waypoint cabinets from Cape Cabinet Depot

How Do You Get Set Up?

Register on the new contractor promo page, then use the contractor portal to manage your account. When you have a job, book a virtual design appointment, send your measurements, and we'll turn them into a free 2020 design and a quote at contractor cabinet pricing. Working a storm job? See our hurricane rebuild kitchen cabinets post.

With contractor cabinet pricing, your margin isn't only the gap between your cost and your price. It's also the labor you don't spend building boxes, the trips you don't make, and the revisions you avoid. Price from a real quote, include everything, and give your client choices, and cabinets become one of the steadier parts of your bid.

Ready to quote your next kitchen?

Send us a plan or layout and we'll do a free 2020 design and quote. A sketch, tape-measure photos or a plans PDF are fine.

Send a layout or plan for a free 2020 design and quote

Or call 239-242-8747 (Southwest Florida) or 865-281-1938 (East Tennessee).

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