How to quote a 10x10 kitchen with list price × multiplier
The 10x10 kitchen is the one number every cabinet manufacturer and dealer uses to compare lines: two 10-foot walls in an L. Here is how to turn one into a quote you can defend line by line, using the same math Cabinet Project runs.
Every SKU, list price, multiplier and labor rate on this page is an example. Use your manufacturer's current price list and the multiplier on your dealer agreement.
1. Draw the walls before you price anything
Pricing starts from the box list, and the box list starts from the wall. In this example both walls are 120 inches, the sink and dishwasher are on wall A, the range is on wall B, and the corner takes a lazy Susan base under a diagonal wall cabinet.
- Wall A, base: LS36 (corner) · SB36 · dishwasher opening 24″ · B24 = 120″
- Wall B, base: LS36 (shared corner) · DB18 · range opening 30″ · B36 = 120″
- Wall A, upper: WDC2430 (corner) · W1230 · W3618 over the sink · two W2430 = 120″
- Wall B, upper: WDC2430 (shared corner) · W1230 · W1830 · W3018 over the range · W3630 = 120″
Check that each run adds up to the wall before you open the price list. A run that comes out short needs a filler; one that comes out long needs a narrower box. In Cabinet Project the layout editor shows how much of the wall is left as you place boxes, outlines a box in red when it collides, fills a gap narrower than the line's smallest box with that line's filler, and the box list comes out of the drawing.
2. Price each box: list × multiplier
The manufacturer's price list gives a list price per SKU, for one door style and finish. Your dealer agreement gives a multiplier. Your cost for a box is the list price times the multiplier. Modifications such as a finished end are added to the list price first, then multiplied, the way manufacturers' price books are written.
| SKU | Qty | List (each) | Your cost (each) | Line cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS36 | 1 | $642 | $269.64 | $269.64 |
| SB36 | 1 | $486 | $204.12 | $204.12 |
| B24 | 1 | $412 | $173.04 | $173.04 |
| DB18 | 1 | $498 | $209.16 | $209.16 |
| B36 | 1 | $560 | $235.20 | $235.20 |
| WDC2430 | 1 | $455 | $191.10 | $191.10 |
| W1230 | 2 | $198 | $83.16 | $166.32 |
| W3618 | 1 | $268 | $112.56 | $112.56 |
| W2430 | 2 | $296 | $124.32 | $248.64 |
| W1830 | 1 | $236 | $99.12 | $99.12 |
| W3018 | 1 | $242 | $101.64 | $101.64 |
| W3630 | 1 | $388 | $162.96 | $162.96 |
| 14 boxes, your cost | $2,173.50 | |||
| Sell at cost × 1.60, rounded per box | $3,477.60 | |||
Round per box, then multiply by quantity. $296 × 0.42 is $124.32 for one W2430, and two of them are $248.64. Rounding the line instead of the box can move a total by a few cents, and a few cents is enough for a customer or a bookkeeper to stop trusting the sheet. Cabinet Project rounds half-up per unit for this reason: it is how a dealer checks a line on a calculator.
3. Decide what the customer pays
There are three common ways to set the sell price, and Cabinet Project supports each one per quote line:
- Markup on cost. Cost × your markup. At 1.60 this kitchen sells at $3,477.60 in boxes.
- List price (MSRP). Sell at the manufacturer's list, $5,175 here. Your margin is list minus cost.
- A price you type. For a promotion or a match, override the line and keep the cost visible to you.
Keep the multiplier where only owners and managers see it. In Cabinet Project the cost and margin never go into the quote lines that reach the PDF and the customer portal; a salesperson sees prices, not your deal with the manufacturer.
4. Set multipliers where they actually differ
Dealer agreements rarely have one multiplier. A manufacturer may give one number for most lines and a different one for a premium door style. Cabinet Project keeps a company default, a multiplier per manufacturer and a multiplier per line, and the most specific one wins: line beats manufacturer, manufacturer beats the default. With no multiplier set, cost equals list and the quote says so instead of inventing a margin.
5. Add install labor as its own lines
Labor is easier to explain when it is not hidden in the box price. Count the linear feet of boxes, or the boxes, and price them separately. In this example the bases are 150″ of boxes (12.5 lf) and the uppers are 216″ (18 lf):
| Labor | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base cabinets per lf | 12.5 | $40 | $500.00 |
| Wall cabinets per lf | 18 | $35 | $630.00 |
| Install labor | $1,130.00 | ||
Labor lines are not taxed by default in Cabinet Project, because many states do not charge sales tax on installation that is stated separately on the invoice. That is not tax advice: check your state and turn tax on per labor rate where it applies. The linear-foot labor guide covers how to choose between per-lf and per-box rates.
6. Give a range on the first visit, then the SKU quote
On a first visit you often have only the wall lengths. Cabinet Project's quick estimate takes base linear feet, wall linear feet and the number of tall cabinets for one line, and prices them from that line's own catalog at your multiplier: each box's sell price divided by its width, times 12, gives a price per foot. The estimate uses the median box of the line, and the 25th to 75th percentile as the range you can say out loud. When the drawing is done, the estimate turns into the SKU quote above, in the same line.