Are you planning to buy kitchen cabinets from China? In this buying guide, you will get enough information. Before going to the list, let’s have a brief self-introduction. We are a leading kitchen cabinets manufacturer in China, any question about kitchen cabinets, feel free to contact us.
The kitchen is said to be the most space-utilizing and life-relevant place in a residential interior. The choice of kitchen cabinets is one of the most important parts of the kitchen design. Most homeowners want their cabinets can not only meet the practical value can also be beautiful and eye-catching. So to create a set of desired kitchen cabinets, are you ready?
A complete set of cabinets contains five major aspects such as cabinet body, doors, hardware, countertops, and back panel. Before deciding to buy kitchen cabinets, we must have a comprehensive understanding and preparation. For example, the choice of purchase channels. Do we choose to buy in the local building materials market or from China through online channels? What are the differences between them ; What are the benefits of buying kitchen cabinets from China, etc.
Why buy kitchen cabinets from China?
1. Competitive price
With the development of China’s market economy and urbanization, the cabinet industry has also entered a period of rapid development, which has not only formed a perfect industry standard but also tends to mature in its development. China has also become a globally competitive kitchen cabinet manufacturer and supplier with its advanced production process, rationalized design, raw materials, and labor cost advantages.
The Chinese export data in recent years also shows that China’s kitchen cabinet exports to other countries around the world are also growing year by year. Although Chinese suppliers develop the market through price advantages, the quality of their kitchen cabinets is not affected, and even to comply with the development of smart homes, China’s top kitchen cabinet suppliers continue to optimize the cost of production and innovation and improve the ability of independent innovation, which is to improve the competitiveness of cabinets.
2. Advanced production technology
Excellent manufacturers in China use large machinery to produce kitchen cabinets, so the size of the panels is cut with high precision. The assembly is connected by three-in-one connection pieces, and the fastness of the combined hardware links is not inferior to the nails and glue of traditional woodworking, so the stability and resistance to pressure and strength are excellent. The intelligent equipment also creates a fine product process.
3. Rational kitchen cabinets design
The overall custom kitchen cabinets are completed by professional overall design, which can well connect the kitchen’s water, electricity, fire, and gas, and the safety is better. It is also more ergonomic. It has more advantages in materials, technology, and post-maintenance.
4. Advantages of raw materials and transportation
4.1. Low raw materials cost
Raw materials can be said to be the source of kitchen cabinet manufacturers to control costs, the cabinet industry and the upstream industry are closely related. The cabinet industry mainly purchases sheet material, veneers, wood lines, coatings, hardware fittings, etc. from upstream, and the sheet material category, lines, and veneers belong to the wood category. Upstream purchasing links generated by the cost of cabinet manufacturers occupy a higher proportion of costs. And China has a complete upstream industry chain, each segment can find excellent listed companies in the country to cooperate, so that not only to ensure product quality at the same time but also to reduce the cost of communication and procurement costs.
4.1. Low transportation cost
At present, China’s total road mileage has reached 5.28 million kilometers, the highway superior road rate reached 91.5%, and the ordinary national and provincial trunk highway superior road rate reached 84%. China’s well-developed road transportation network also greatly reduces the transportation cost of procurement. The highway’s directness and short turnaround cycle save the cabinet manufacturers‘ purchasing time reduce the purchasing cycle and win valuable production time for them.
4.2 Flexibility and variety
China kitchen cabinet manufacturer support personalized and flexible customization. The elegance of life is customizable and customization is what creates the imprint to become unique. The flexibility and diversity of Chinese custom cabinets dictate that these cabinets can meet the needs of different customers for any space and a variety of material combinations without compromising on quality and style. A point, a surface, a line, all smoothly and precisely intersect. It is these precisely fitted points, lines, and faces that creatively construct an elegant gastronomic space.
5. Innovation with the times
With the rise of China’s economy, the relative income levels of middle and upper-income groups are rising. People are increasingly desiring a fashionable and individual lifestyle. This change in mentality in the kitchen cabinet industry is reflected in the growing consumer focus on the kitchen environment with materials, cabinet quality, and design. In the same way, custom kitchen cabinets are about the strengthening of design and deeper integration of materials. In other words, custom cabinets need to introduce design and aesthetic power, and need to integrate high-quality materials, which are all based on the customers. This will enable a high-end kitchen experience tailored to the customer. More and more design trends are being used in Chinese-made cabinets such as Anti-fingerprint surface, handleless designs, built-in cabinet accessories, multifunctional bar cabinets, and other elements.
6. Industry exchanges for development
In the various exhibitions, Chinese kitchen cabinet suppliers show their innovative technology, but also cooperate to enhance the competitiveness of their products. Not only manufacturers but also the designers are also involved in the exhibition prompting the two sides to contact to establish tight teamwork and create a win-win relationship. Both sides work together to build a good ecological development of the entire cabinet industry.
Where to buy kitchen cabinets in China?
China currently has about 2,500 cabinet manufacturers with a large-scale production capacity, about 4,000 material and accessory manufacturers, and about 10,000 distributors. The number of the whole industry is a total of about 16,500 enterprises. China has formed a cooperation industry chain between the raw materials fittings, the whole kitchen cabinet, and the dealers.
At present, the domestic cabinet enterprises are mainly concentrated in four regions Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian, and Guangdong. Four places of cabinet production enterprises have occupied 99% of the country. Guangdong is a concentration of excellent cabinet manufacturers, which leads the development of the domestic kitchen cabinet industry in design, service, management, and other aspects.
1. The distribution of kitchen cabinet manufacturers in China
In China, the domestic kitchen cabinet market has a clear geographical boundary. The market has mainly formed three regions: the North China market and the surrounding areas of Beijing; Shanghai as the center of the Yangtze River Delta region; Foshan as the center of the Pearl River Delta region.
1. 1. The development of Chinese kitchen cabinets manufacturer
This area of the cabinet industry started in the 1990s. At present, there are already thousands of kitchen cabinet manufacturers. After more than thirty years of development, the design, style, color, and material use of cabinets, as well as the production process, product quality has been greatly improved.
1.2. The location of Chinese kitchen cabinets manufacturer
At present, the Chinese cabinet manufacturers have also increased their efforts in the design of kitchen cabinet styles. Designers break the shackles of formatted design and incorporate various modern elements in their designs. At the same time, Guangdong’s kitchen cabinet manufacturers began to pay attention to market research and user needs, to strengthen the customization of service efforts. It is hoped that this will establish a good reputation in the consumer community.
2. The kitchen cabinet market distribution in China
The kitchen cabinet manufacturers in the Guangdong Province, Foshan is one of the most prominent. Whether in production scale, production technology, or in research and development capabilities, design concepts, and other aspects, Foshan is in the domestic leading ranks. Kitchen cabinets from Foshan are tailored to design a variety of kitchen cabinet styles with international according to Chinese kitchen characteristics and global needs. the price is cheaper than the same level of domestic cabinets. So main reason why the kitchen cabinets from Foshan can quickly penetrate the surrounding areas is the super high-cost performance.
2.1. The Pearl River Delta Market
The boom of Guangzhou real estate and the rapid development of the interior design industry to the kitchen cabinet brings unprecedented development opportunities but also indicates the consumer potential of the cabinet market in Guangzhou. Some brands of cabinets in Guangzhou and even the country have high visibility. Dongguan, Shenzhen market is second to Guangzhou, Shenzhen’s relatively late start, the scale is also relatively small, but the operation of the gradual branding.
2.2 Southwest Market
The southwest market is mainly based in Chongqing and Chengdu. Along with this China’s western development, and the continuous deepening of reform, the demand for cabinets in Chengdu and Chongqing which are occupying the western economic heights is also growing with the demand for housing, cabinet market size is also expanding. Imported kitchen cabinets, joint venture cabinets, and local brand kitchen cabinets will also jointly lead the market of Chengdu cabinets’ new trends and changes.
3. Distribution characteristics of the building materials market in China
Distribution characteristics of the building materials market
- Traditional single-store sales model concentrated on the formation of local sales characteristics. Now all major cities have formed thesmall area of professional cabinet market. Such as Shanghai Yishan Road, and Chongqing Shi Qiaopu cabinet market.
- 2.Professional market Such as the Foshan Meiju International Building Materials Market, Huayi International Decoration Expo City, the Yimei bathroom ceramics world, etc.
- 3.Shop-in-shop model or opening an exclusive store in each building materials city.
- Flagship store or opening a larger image of the sales brand stores.
4. Attend the trade exhibition
If you want to get more than looking through a kitchen cabinet catalog for cabinet suppliers or cabinet design inspiration, then you can visit a trade show! Inside the trade exhibition, you can see a large number of competent suppliers at once, touch the product samples directly, ask the question to supplier representatives directly, and even can feel their product craftsmanship and technical level. You can come to China to visit the following exhibitions.
- Shanghai Design Fair
- Shenzhen Fashion & Home Design Week & Shenzhen International Furniture Fair
- Modern Shanghai Fashion & Home Exhibition
- Guangzhou Design Week
How to buy Kitchen cabinets in China?
1. Provide kitchen drawings and basic requirements
We need to evaluate kitchen cabinet storage. How many people live in the home? Are there any chef-level family members who are proficient in desserts, baking, frying, etc.? Based on these specific requirements, Parlun’s designers will assess how much cutlery, pots and pans need to be stored in the kitchen, and how large the countertops of the cabinets need to be? How large the refrigerator needs to be, and whether a steamer is needed etc.
2. Calculate the number of cabinets
Parlun’s designers will determine the exact quantities of cabinets and which shape is better to your kitchen, such as L-shaped, U-shaped , etc., according to the actual area, height, and layout of the kitchen and the house plan you provide. If the kitchen area is relatively small or the layout is narrow and long shaped or irregularly shaped, then this will require further design and consideration of custom dining sideboards in the dining room to increase storage space.
3. Choose a kitchen cabinet style
During the design phase, the designer will refer to the interior of your entire house. And he will select a kitchen cabinet style within the overall style and tonal ambiance. At last, he will create a free 3D rendering for you. We also provide working drawings to ensure that the purchased products are ready for installation and use at the end of the project.
4. Pay the deposit
After determining the entire kitchen cabinet program and materials, we will confirm the purchase contract with you, after which you will need to make a 50% payment for deposit. Then you can stay at home waiting for us and before completing the production, we will contact you. We will take the specific material dosage and cabinet drawings and dock them to the production department of the factory to produce the kitchen cabinets for your home, this cycle usually takes 30-45 days.
5. Delivery and Shipping
Parlun Buildings will take responsibility for the transportation and shipping of your kitchen cabinets from our factory to the port of loading, throughout the sea freight, and upon arrival at the port of destination. Our professional delivery services provide you with affordable shipping, timely customs clearance, cargo tracking, and insurance services to ensure that your kitchen cabinet arrive safely and on time. All you need to do is provide your destination port address and contact information, and confirm the time of arrival of your cargo at the destination port.
What problems can you encounter when buying cabinets from China?
1. Communication problems
1.1 Communication time cost
First, you need to distinguish whether it is for personal use or commercial use. For commercial use, sourcing is a huge investment in time and its complexity is often underestimated. Finding the right qualified kitchen cabinet manufacturer in China can take months, and it also requires that the manufacturer can produce the product quickly, and reliably, and the quality is so good that enables it to be sold in its market. This can complicate the purchasing process if you need special manufacturer certificates, such as door panel of origin of materials, environmental certification of panels, environmental certification of factories, etc.
Parlun buildings, on the other hand, has been exporting kitchen cabinets for many years and is one of the leading building materials and home furnishing export brands in China and one of the largest building materials manufacturers in China, and also has several certificates of compliance with international quality and environmental standards.
For personal use. The quality and color difference of the product is something to pay attention to. The kitchen cabinet products are shown online pictures have many details to pay attention to, such as the texture and color of the plate due to its chromatic aberration. So you should ask the Chinese manufacturer to send samples of panel. After receiving the samples, you should carefully compare them to know the extent of the difference clearly so that you will not feel disappointed.
1.2 Language problem
Many kitchen cabinet manufacturer from China can not communicate well in English, which makes communicating with them challenging. But some large manufacturer employ English-speaking sales to deal with foreigners. In the worst-case scenario, you both might understand things backward, which can lead to the worst result. Staffs from Parlun buildings all can speak English well, we have cooperated with the global markets for many years. We have a good understanding of the local cabinet market and consumers’ kitchen habits and can provide some professional suggestions. You should choose that a professional and fluently communicating Chinese kitchen cabinets supplier can solve many troublesome problems for you.
2. Quality problem
2.1 From the kitchen cabinet composition to see the quality
Generally speaking, the kitchen cabinet contains countertops, base cabinets, wall cabinets, hardware, and plate composition. In general, the quality of countertops, panels, hardware, and installation process directly determines the overall quality and service life of the kitchen cabinet.
How to distinguish the quality of the cabinet, countertops, base cabinets, and wall cabinets. Please see the following introduction:
(1) Countertops: common kitchen cabinet countertops from China have artificial stone, quartz stone, natural stone, stainless steel and laminate, etc., and quartz stone in the major brands are the most common ones to use, which are relatively robust and durable, cost-effective, but also relatively has small differentiation.
(2) Base cabinets: The design details we need to pay attention to are in the sink floor. The water seepage of the under-counter basin can easily make the baseboard damp and moldy. But putting aluminum foil on the baseboard of the sink can play a good role in preventing moisture. High-quality Chinese cabinet manufacturers will perfectly avoid this problem.
(3) Wall cabinets: The details of wall cabinets are hanger rail systems. Hanger rail systems are used to connect wall cabinets to the wall, and there are generally two types: exposed and concealed. The concealed type is not only more beautiful than the exposed type but also can reduce the occupied space and increase the usable space of the cabinet.
2.2 Look at the quality of the panel
The panel is an important factor in determining the quality of custom kitchen cabinets and is also the primary factor of concern for most families.
At present, the mainstream of the market can be subdivided into the following categories: density panels, solid wood particle panels, multi-layer solid wood panels, and joinery. There are also some relative niche panels such as OSB, and finger-joint panels. The panels will eventually be used in the cabinet body and cabinet doors, and we usually say that the ecological panels, baking panels, etc., is a kind of technology, the base material is still above these panels.
2.3 Describe the difference between different plates in detail
We specifically describe the differences between different boards.
(1) MDF is also called fiberboard, which is a man-made board, and it is made of powdered plant fiber by hot grinding, sizing, drying, laying, and then hot pressing. In-home decoration, the most common use is MDF, which is called medium fiberboard.
(2) Particle board also called particle board, moisture-proof board. It is a thin board made by cutting wood into pieces of a certain size and then pressing by adding glue.
(3) Multi-layer solid wood panels made of three or more layers of panels, or made of thin boards glued and hot pressed.
(4) Blockboard (ecological board/core board) is special plywood made by gluing and pressing. This board is produced based on plywood, with wooden slats spliced or hollow board as the core board, covered with two or more layers of plywood on both sides.
3. Production time and delivery issues
Due to the rigorous process, from the moment customers place orders, cabinet customization companies will begin to produce cabinets step by step, and the need for strict implementation of the process, and system. From program design, and the providing of a series of complete programs, and then to woodworking production, grinding, painting, inspection, packaging, logistics, and other complex processes. Every detail is strictly guarded to never make a mistake and to create high-quality kitchen cabinets. To some extent, it may possible lengthen the production time.
Another reason to extend the delivery time is that before starting the produce, it will face a cumbersome variety of procedures. Because the producer needs to split an order into hundreds or even thousands of door panels, accessories, and other components. And to ensure the final effect of the product, quality control personnel will also carry out precise trial fitting to ensure that the quality of the product is good.
4. Shipping problem – transportation time
Due to the numerous panels of cabinets, the export of Chinese kitchen cabinets is transported by sea ship. Ocean shipping transports goods by sea through containers loaded onto ships.
As an example: the shipping time to the United States may vary greatly depending on the route and the number of transits. Direct shipping time from a major Chinese basic port to a western US city is about 3 weeks. However, if the cargo comes from a very small port from where a feeder ship delivers the containers to a larger port and then transfers them to a larger ship for final sailing to the western US, the transit time may be extended to 4 weeks.
5. Shipping export charges
Sea freight export fees include sea freight, land freight, stuffing fee, port charges, THC, CIQ Brokerage Fee, Customs clearance fee, Seal fee, EIR fee, document charge, inspection fees, and agent’s operation fees. Depending on the route, the shipping company will also charge certain surcharges. Most of the shipping companies’ quotations include the above, but we do not exclude that some shipping companies want to attract customers by low prices.
Parlun has stable shipping partners. So for Europe, America, Australia and other developed countries, Parlun buildings has the advantage of service and price.
If you have a reliable kitchen cabinet supplier in China who can help you solve your shipping problems, it is undoubtedly a better buying and shipping experience.
6. Customs clearance issues
In general, export customs clearance involves many documents. These documents are about the import and export of your goods to and from a country or region. Customs clearance is a key part of being able to transport your goods from China to your country or region.
Our stable shipping partners are up to date on the latest regulations and will provide you with the relevant expertise, rules, regulations, and necessary documentation when shipping your goods internationally. No matter when you want to import your kitchen cabinets from China, we are ready to help you.
7. What are the required documents to import kitchen cabinets from China to your country?
You need to know what safety rules and regulations must be followed to purchase and import Chinese kitchen cabinets to your local area.
These regulations include the need to have the following documents.
Commercial invoice:
Similar to exports, imports also require a commercial invoice. This is the same as a regular invoice, only in form. It should help to better record tax data. Among other things, it can be exempt from sales tax. Also, commercial invoices help make VAT fraud more difficult. In addition, it is easier to check deliveries.
Certificate of origin and declaration of origin:
Depending on the type of goods, a certificate of origin or a declaration of origin may be required. Depending on the country of export, these documents may reduce taxes or duties.
Conformity to import standards:
For some area, kitchen cabinets need conform to local national standards at the time of import. Otherwise, they cannot be sold. This applies especially to goods destined for the final consumer market. For example, EU CE certification, North American CUPC certification, etc.
8. Kitchen cabinets installation
(1). Base cabinets: before installing the base cabinets, workers should clean the kitchen floor to accurately measure the ground level.
(2). Wall cabinets: when workers install wall cabinets, they need to draw horizontal lines on the wall to ensure the level of expansion bolts. in General, the distance between the horizontal lines and the countertop is 650mm.
(3). Countertop: kitchen renovation will lead to the original cabinet size error, so to reduce the error, cabinet manufacturers will set aside appropriate errors. so the installation of the master can adjust the countertop error between the base and wall cabinet. which can ensure the cabinets can be installed perfectly,
(4). Hardware: kitchen sink, faucet, pull the basket is also very important. In the installation of wall cabinets and countertops, to avoid wood chips falling into the pullout track, we should cover the pullout, so as not to affect future use.
(5). Stove appliances: Our kitchen cabinets have been opened in advance on the cabinet power holes, which is facilitate the installation of embedded appliances and easy to disassemble for future maintenance.
(6). Adjust the cabinet door: the final step in the installation of cabinets is to adjust the cabinet door by linking the cabinet and door hinges for adjustment, which is to ensure that the door gap is even and horizontal, and vertically straight.
8.1 Check cabinet installation
- Check whether the door is neat and straight and whether it is bent and deformed?
- Check whether the seamless processing of the countertop is tight and seamless
- Check whether the hardware hinges are silent and smooth when opening and closing
- Check whether the door handle is firm
- Open the window to ventilate the air
9.Use problem
If you want to extend the service life of kitchen cabinets from China, you need pay attention to the following points:
9.1 Pay attention to the placement of items
Now kitchen cabinets from China are using very good load-bearing plates, but the good material load-bearing still has a limit. If you put too heavy things layer by layer on the partition of the cabinet for a long time, even if you buy the best solid wood cabinets, it can not withstand such a pile of pressure. If it is too heavy, you can place it on different partitions.
9.2 Moisture-proof and waterproof
Many kitchen Cabinets on the market now are waterproof, moisture resistant and have the relevant qualification certificate. However, the cabinet is mainly composed of wood, and it is not able to stay in wet for a long time. If the cabinets are soaked in water, you must remember to dry them in time. Long-time moisture erosion will cause the plate to mold, thus shortening the service life of the kitchen cabinet.
9.3 Pay attention to cleaning
If the cabinet is not cleaned for a long time, the more the oil on it will accumulate, the less easy it is to clean, which will lead to the cabinet’s surface looking dusty and unclean. Therefor the kitchen cabinets should be cleaned regularly to keep the overall cleanliness and beauty of the cabinets. Many people prefer convenience and simplicity, so they do not want to spend too much energy cleaning the kitchen. if the cabinet cleaning is not good enough will cause a lot of trouble, such as mold, corrosion, and other problems.
Conclusion – buy kitchen cabinets from China are so easy and affordable
The advantage of buying cabinets from China is the competitive price. And with the further improvement of Chinese production technology and design style, the styles of cabinets will become rich. In addition to being a direct manufacturer for kitchen cabinets, Parlun also provides a one-stop building materials service. These include windows, doors, tiles, floors, outdoor furniture and lighting, and more. Whether you are for personal use or business, we will give you the best quality products, prices, and services!