RTA vs assembled vs semi-custom vs custom cabinets: what each means for a dealer
Homeowners hear "RTA", "semi-custom" and "custom" as quality levels. For a dealer they are mostly about how the cabinets are made, ordered and delivered, and that changes the quote, the lead time and the work on install day.
The five terms
| Type | How it ships | Sizes | How it is priced |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTA (ready to assemble) | Flat in cartons; someone assembles | Catalog sizes, 3″ steps | Manufacturer price list × dealer multiplier |
| Pre-assembled RTA | Same line, assembled by the distributor or dealer before delivery | Catalog sizes | Price list plus an assembly charge |
| Stock (assembled) | Assembled at the factory, from inventory | Catalog sizes, few options | Price list × multiplier |
| Semi-custom | Assembled at the factory, built to order | Catalog sizes, plus options (depth, height, finished ends, modifications) | Price list by door style, modifications added to list |
| Custom | Built by a shop for the job | Any size | Quoted per job by the shop |
RTA vs assembled
RTA describes the shipping method, not the quality. The same door style can be sold flat-packed or assembled. Flat-packed boxes take less room in the truck and in your warehouse and arrive with fewer crushed corners, but someone has to assemble them, and that is real labor: every box has a carcass, a face frame or front, doors to hang and drawers to put together. If the dealer or the crew assembles, it goes on the quote as its own line, per box, so the homeowner can compare your price with a box store's flat-pack price honestly.
When the customer asks whether RTA cabinets are good, the honest answer is in the spec book: box material and thickness, the back, the drawer box and its joints, the slides and hinges, and the finish. Those vary more between lines than between RTA and assembled.
Semi-custom vs custom
Semi-custom is still a catalog: the manufacturer publishes SKUs in standard widths (see the kitchen cabinet sizes chart), and you choose door style, finish and options such as a reduced depth, a taller upper, a finished end or a modification from the price book. Lead times are longer than stock because the boxes are built to order, and the order is harder to change once it is in.
Custom is a different trade. A cabinet shop builds every box to the room, with no SKU and no price list: the price is the shop's quote for the job. Fillers and odd sizes go away, but lead time and price go up, and there is no manufacturer catalog for a dealer to quote from.
What changes on the quote
- RTA, stock and semi-custom are quoted by SKU from the manufacturer's price list: list × your multiplier, then your markup. Modifications are added to the list price before the multiplier, the way price books are written. See how to quote a 10x10 kitchen.
- Assembly of RTA boxes is labor, on its own line, per box.
- Fillers, panels and moldings are on the box list for every catalog line. See cabinet SKU codes and filler strips.
- Custom has no SKU list: the shop's price is one line or a set of lines you type.
Where Cabinet Project fits
Cabinet Project is built for dealers and installer crews who sell and install RTA and semi-custom lines: you load the manufacturer's price list from a PDF or spreadsheet, set your multiplier per company, manufacturer or line, draw the kitchen with that line's boxes, and quote by SKU. Labor rates, including assembly, are kept per company, per linear foot or per box, and show as their own lines on the quote. After the sale, the same job carries the order to the manufacturer and the delivery check box by box.
It is not software for custom cabinet shops: there are no cut lists, no material optimization and no CNC output. Shops that build boxes use programs like Mozaik or Cabinet Vision for that.
See cabinet quoting software or try the cabinet cost calculator with your own list prices and multiplier.
Questions
Are RTA cabinets good?
They can be. RTA (ready to assemble) describes how the box ships, flat in a carton, not its quality. Lines range from particleboard to plywood boxes with dovetail drawers. Judge the construction in the spec book, not the shipping method.
What is the difference between semi-custom and custom cabinets?
Semi-custom boxes come from a manufacturer's catalog of standard sizes, with options for depth, finish and modifications. Custom cabinets are built to the job's exact dimensions by a shop, usually with longer lead times and no fixed price list.
Who assembles RTA cabinets?
The dealer, the installer or the homeowner. Many dealers sell assembly as a service. On a quote it belongs on its own line, so the customer sees the box price and the assembly price separately.