The tariff on imported kitchen cabinets and vanities is 25% as of September 2026, not 50%. The jump to 50% that many remodeling sites describe as already in effect was pushed back to January 1, 2027 by a presidential proclamation signed December 31, 2025.

This matters because cabinets are the line on a kitchen bid where the tariff shows up most. If a dealer or contractor tells you prices went up 50% this year "because of tariffs," the legal rate does not support that. What the 25% rate does add depends on which cabinets you buy and where they were made, and the 2027 date affects when you should place the order.

How the 25% duty reaches your cabinet line

The tariff is a Section 232 duty, which is a national security tariff under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. It has applied to imported wood kitchen cabinets, vanities and their parts entered into the US on or after October 14, 2025. The importer pays 25% on the goods at the border, and that cost then moves down the chain to the dealer, the contractor and you.

Three details decide how much of it you pay.

Not all of it reaches you. One remodeling industry analysis estimates that consumers absorb "just over half" of a tariff through pass-through pricing, so a 25% duty works out to roughly 12.5% to 15% at retail on average. Some cabinet tiers see more than that and some see less, as the next section shows.

The date that counts is entry, not order. Duty is assessed when cabinets are entered into the US for consumption, according to one importer's summary of the rules. A set you order in October that clears customs in January 2027 would be charged whatever rate applies in January.

The 50% is scheduled, not certain. The Federal Register text sets the increase for January 1, 2027, except for countries that reach a qualifying trade agreement first. The rate has already been delayed once, and it could change again.

Three places it shows up in a quote

Stock cabinets take the biggest hit. A builder-focused guide puts an imported stock set that cost about $3,000 before the tariff at roughly $3,750 to $4,200 now. One dealer puts the same kind of set closer to $4,500. Stock and ready-to-assemble lines have the thinnest margins, so more of the duty lands on the price tag, with estimates of 25% to 35%.

Semi-custom sees a moderate rise. The same builder guide says imported semi-custom sets that ran about $10,000 now exceed $12,500. Another analysis puts semi-custom increases at 10% to 15%, so a real quote could fall anywhere in that spread.

Custom cabinets and domestic cabinets barely move. Custom cabinetry is mostly made in the US and is estimated to have risen 3% to 5%. Cabinets made in the US carry no import tariff at all.

Where an imported cabinet was made changes the math a great deal. The UK is capped at 10% and the EU and Japan at a combined 15%. Chinese cabinets stack the 25% on top of antidumping and countervailing duties, which can reach a combined rate above 70%, and Vietnamese cabinets land around 46% combined.

These price examples come from cabinet dealers and remodelers, not from an independent price survey, so treat them as a range to check your quote against rather than a benchmark. We also have no verified 2026 average for total kitchen project cost to set them against. The more useful yardstick is share of budget: cabinetry usually runs close to one-third of a kitchen remodel, and the same tariff covers bathroom vanities if your project includes a bath.

Not the tariffs the Supreme Court struck down

Often confused with What that is Difference from the cabinet tariff
The 50% rate A scheduled increase, now set for January 1, 2027 It has never applied to cabinets. The rate you pay in 2026 is 25%.
IEEPA "reciprocal" tariffs Broad tariffs the Supreme Court struck down 6 to 3 on February 20, 2026 Those rested on a different law. The cabinet duty is Section 232 and was unaffected.
Antidumping and countervailing duties Country-specific duties, mainly on Chinese cabinets These stack on top of the 25%. They explain quotes far above a 25% increase.

The Supreme Court confusion is common. The cabinet industry's trade group says plainly that "the 25-percent Section 232 tariffs are not impacted at all" by the ruling. Cabinets now carry a higher rate than most other imports.

Before you sign a cabinet order this fall

If your cabinets are imported, order early enough that they clear customs before January 1, 2027. If they are domestic or custom, the tariff gives you no reason to rush, and you can book on your own schedule.

The timing is tighter than it looks. Imported cabinetry typically needs about 4 weeks to produce and 45 to 50 days on the ocean, plus time for approvals and inspection. An order placed this week would land in mid-December at best. One analysis reports import lead times stretching past 16 weeks, and at that pace an order placed this week would arrive after the deadline. Dealers also expect a surge of orders in the fourth quarter as buyers try to beat the increase, which could slow things further.

Ask every bidder these four questions, and get the answers in writing:

  1. Where are these cabinets made? The answer tells you whether the rate is 0%, 10%, 15%, 25% or much higher.
  2. Are they in stock in the US, or ordered from overseas? If ordered, what is the expected customs date?
  3. Is this price locked? If the rate rises before delivery, who pays the difference?
  4. Is there a domestic line at a similar price? A US-made semi-custom line can sometimes compete with an imported stock line once the tariff is added.

If the tariff pushes the cabinet line past what you planned to pay in cash, compare a HELOC against a cash-out refinance before you sign. Then collect at least three bids, so you can see where each cabinet quote falls against the ranges above.