If you have been researching a kitchen remodel lately, you have probably seen the headlines: tariffs on imported goods, rising material costs, uncertainty across the home improvement industry. It is enough to make anyone pause before signing a contract.
Let’s discuss what is what is actually happening, and what it means for your project.
Why Cabinet Prices are Rising for Some Companies?
A 25% tariff on imported kitchen cabinets has been in effect since late 2025. For companies that manufacture overseas and ship finished cabinets into the US, that cost increase passes directly to the customer.
The tariff is one layer of a bigger problem. Imported prefabricated cabinets travel through an overseas factory, an importer, a national distributor, and a retailer or showroom before reaching your kitchen; each party takes a margin. Industry estimates place the total markup on prefabricated cabinets at between 100% and 300% above actual manufacturing cost. The cabinets themselves, the wood, the hardware, the construction, represent a fraction of what the customer pays. The remainder covers the supply chain.
A 25% import tariff applied on top of that structure means the price a homeowner sees reflects very little about the quality of what goes into their kitchen.
ARKA Cabinets are built in Oregon
ARKA designs and builds every cabinet in Oregon. The raw materials we use come primarily from mills in the Pacific Northwest. The plywood we use for cabinet boxes is US-made, UV coated, with prefinished maple interiors; we have been specifying it for years, well before domestic sourcing became a talking point in the industry. The only component in our work that is subject to import tariffs is hardware, which represents a small portion of the overall project cost. Every other dollar you invest goes directly into the quality of the build: the materials, the joinery, and the finish.
This is a detail that matters when comparing quotes. A custom ARKA kitchen is priced to include design, build, delivery, and full installation. A prefabricated quote covers the cabinet boxes; professional installation, freight, contractor margin, and the modifications required to fit standard-sized boxes into a real kitchen are additional costs that bring the final number considerably closer to a custom quote than the initial figure suggests.
Industry markups on prefabricated imported cabinets can reach 100 to 300 % above manufacturing cost. By the time tariffs, freight, distributors, and contractor margins are applied, the actual material quality bears little relationship to the price on the quote. ARKA sources raw materials from PNW mills and builds in Oregon.
In the current market, working with a local cabinet maker delivers more value per dollar and makes it a better investment than paying a premium for a product whose actual manufacturing cost represents a small fraction of the invoice.
What Custom Cabinetry Delivers Over Time
A kitchen built with quality custom cabinetry is one of the most durable investments a homeowner makes. Cabinets are opened and closed thousands of times a year and exposed to heat, steam, and daily use. The difference between solid joinery, solid construction, and premium hardware versus particleboard and cheap components becomes visible over years, not at installation.
ARKA builds each cabinet to the specific dimensions of your space. There are no standard sizes to work around and no modifications required on site. The result is a kitchen that fits the room it was designed for and holds its value in the home.
Now serving Oregon and Washington
ARKA Cabinets is now fully licensed in Washington State. Homeowners, general contractors, and designers working on projects across the Portland metro and into Southwest Washington can engage us directly. The same standards that our Oregon clients rely on apply to every project we take on, regardless of location.
Start the Conversation
ARKA works with clients who want to understand exactly what they are investing in. We walk through the design process in detail, answer questions directly, and provide a detailed quote. If you are planning a kitchen remodel in Oregon or Washington and want cabinetry built to last, we are ready to talk.
