Kitchen Cabinets Cost: Flat-Pack, Semi-Custom or Custom
What kitchen cabinets cost in the UK across stock, semi-custom and custom, what fitting adds, and when replacing only the doors is the cheaper route.
Cabinets are the biggest single choice in a kitchen budget. A complete New kitchen with flat-pack cabinets typically costs £7,650, with semi-custom £7,800 and with custom £9,400. Each figure is a whole kitchen of the default size, fitted and with VAT, and only the cabinet choice changes between them. The gaps between the three are what you pay for the cabinets themselves.
Why we price cabinets inside the whole kitchen
Almost nobody buys units alone and leaves them in boxes. Cabinet prices in shops are for carcasses and doors, and they leave out delivery, fitting, adjustments and the work around them. So we don't publish a separate "units only" figure. Our model prices the whole job, which is labour hours × local rates plus materials, checked against market prices and real quotes. It then swaps only the cabinet tier. That way you see what the choice does to your total, not a shelf price that ignores the rest of the job.
The three cabinet tiers
Flat-pack / stock. These arrive as flat boxes in standard widths and a limited set of finishes. They are the cheapest option. They are also the least forgiving in an awkward room, where you fill gaps with filler panels and plinths.
Mid-range / semi-custom. The carcasses are made to a standard system, but you get more widths, heights, door styles and finishes. Many buyers find this the best balance. It lets you fit around a chimney breast or a sloping ceiling without paying for fully bespoke joinery.
Custom / high-end. Made to measure for your room, usually in solid timber or high-grade board. This tier makes sense for odd-shaped rooms, period properties and anyone who wants exact finishes. It is also the tier where the price is hardest to compare, because every maker specifies differently.
What fitting adds
Fitting is where "cheap cabinets" often stops being cheap. Flat-pack units usually need assembling before they go on the wall. That takes time, and a fitter charges for it. Semi-custom and custom units tend to arrive built, so there is less assembly but more care in handling and scribing to walls.
Fitting also covers levelling on uneven floors, hanging wall units on walls that are rarely square, cutting for pipes and sockets, and fitting doors and handles. Three situations push the labour up:
- Old walls and floors that are out of true, which mean more scribing and packing.
- Worktops that need cutting for a sink or hob. Our worktop choices are compared below.
- Moving services. Electrical work that counts as notifiable in England and Wales must be done by a registered electrician (Part P) or notified to building control. Any work on gas fittings must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Worktops change the picture
Many people ask about cabinets and find the worktop decides the total. Here is how the worktop options compare across materials, typical cost and lifespan:
| Material | Typical | Usual range | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laminate worktop | £5,350 | £4,200 – £6,950 | – |
| Solid wood / butcher block | £5,950 | £4,650 – £7,750 | – |
| Solid surface (acrylic) | £6,900 | £5,350 – £8,950 | – |
| Granite | £7,100 | £5,550 – £9,250 | – |
| Quartz / engineered stone | £7,800 | £6,100 – £10,200 | – |
| Sintered stone / porcelain slab | £7,800 | £6,100 – £10,200 | – |
| Marble | £8,050 | £6,300 – £10,500 | – |
If your cabinet budget is tight, a laminate worktop on semi-custom units is usually a more balanced build than premium stone on the cheapest units. The units take the daily wear, so it makes sense to spend on them first.
The doors-only refresh
If your existing carcasses are sound, you can replace just the doors, drawer fronts and handles. You keep the layout, the plumbing and the electrics, so the work is mostly measuring and hanging. This is usually far cheaper than new units, and there is little disruption in the kitchen.
A doors-only refresh works well when:
- the units are solid, with no swelling or water damage;
- you are happy with the layout and the sizes of the units;
- the hinges and drawer runners are in good order, or you will replace them at the same time.
It is a poor fit if the carcasses are chipboard that has blown, if you want a different layout, or if the old units are an odd size that new doors won't match. Ask the supplier to measure rather than relying on your own dimensions. Door sizes are not forgiving.
A quick way to decide
- Stock cabinets if the room is regular, the budget is firm and you can live with filler panels.
- Semi-custom if the room has awkward corners or you want a wider choice of finishes.
- Custom if the room is unusual, the house is period, or you plan to stay for a long time.
- Doors only if the carcasses are sound and the layout works.
Checking a quote
When you compare quotes, make sure each one states what the cabinet price includes. Check for delivery, assembly, removal of the old kitchen, plinths, cornice, end panels and handles. A low cabinet line can hide extras further down. Our "is my quote fair" tool lets you put a quote against our figures for your size and tier.
Your new floor and walls will also be affected by the cabinet work, so it is worth pricing New flooring and Painting and decorating alongside the units. Doing the floor before the units go in is usually cheaper than cutting round them afterwards.