Cabinet Tariffs Set to Double Jan. 1: Time Your Order

The federal kitchen cabinet tariff on imported cabinets and vanities is scheduled to double on January 1, 2027, from 25 percent to 50 percent. A duty is the tariff charged on imported goods. It’s charged by the date the cabinets enter the country, not the date you sign. Semi-custom and custom cabinets take weeks to arrive. So finish the design, find out where your cabinet line is built, ask how your quote treats a duty change, then order.

Timing is the whole issue. An imported line ordered in November can arrive after January 1 and meet the higher rate, even though you signed in the fall. A design rushed to beat the date can also produce the wrong order. That costs a reorder and weeks.

The Kitchen Cabinet Tariff Rises on January 1

The original order set a 25 percent duty on imported kitchen cabinets and vanities. It also said the rate for cabinets and vanities “would increase from 25 percent to 50 percent” on January 1, 2026. Then a presidential proclamation signed December 31, 2025 delayed that increase by a year. The amended text now reads “Effective January 1, 2027” for the higher rate. Until that date the duty stays at 25 percent, where it has been since October 14, 2025.

The same proclamation keeps a door open. The higher rate holds “except for countries with which the United States reaches an agreement”. And the increase has been pushed back once already. So treat January 1, 2027 as the scheduled date, not a certainty. Check it again before you order.

As of November 5, 2026, Reuters reported that the duty on Canadian kitchen cabinets was still set to double on January 1.

Does the Tariff Go by Order Date or Arrival Date?

Arrival, in practical terms. The proclamation applies its rates to “goods entered for consumption”, which means goods brought into the country for sale or use. That’s the border crossing, not the day you sign a contract. So the calendar that counts is the shipping calendar, not your contract date.

So an imported cabinet line ordered in November can meet the new rate if it crosses the border in January. You signed in the fall. The duty still follows the shipment.

The importer pays the duty when the goods enter. Whether any of it reaches a homeowner’s price depends on the maker, the dealer and the terms on your quote. Nobody can promise what a given line’s price will do.

Will an Order Placed Now Arrive Before January 1?

Possibly not, if the line is imported and built to order. Count from the day the order goes to the manufacturer, not from your first design meeting. Semi-custom and custom work takes weeks on the factory floor. Ask your designer for the expected ship date before you sign.

McDaniels’ timeline guide puts lead times for semi-custom and custom cabinet lines at eight to twelve weeks from order to delivery. An order placed in November can land in January or later.

In McDaniels’ design process, the order goes in at the end of the design phase, with a 50% deposit and an order for every product on the project. The products then sit in McDaniels’ warehouse and get delivered when the job needs them.

So the date that counts is the day your design is final. The order doesn’t have to wait for the install date.

Which Cabinets Does the Duty Touch?

Imported kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities. Cabinets built in the United States aren’t charged this import duty, though their makers’ costs can move for other reasons. If your plan includes a new vanity, the same rates cover it. So the first question about any line is where it’s built.

McDaniels’ cabinet lines come from suppliers and manufacturers both local and national. McDaniels’ Lansing showroom shows over 70 cabinet designs and styles, so ask where each line you’re weighing is built.

The duty is one cost factor among several. McDaniels’ post on the price gap between stock and custom cabinets covers how cabinet grade drives price.

What Should You Ask Before You Pay the Deposit?

Ask where the line is built, when it ships, how the quote handles a duty change and whether your selections are final. Then get those answers in writing on the quote. A written answer is one you can point back to in January, and a quote that’s silent on a duty change leaves the question open.

• Where is this cabinet line built, and is it imported?
• What ship date will the order get?
• Does the quote hold if the duty changes before the cabinets arrive, or can the price change?
• Are the vanities in the bath plan from the same source?
• Are the appliances, sink and other selections final, so the order won’t need a change?

A clear answer to each one protects you from a surprise between design and delivery. If the price can move, you want to know that before the deposit, not after.

Should You Rush the Design to Beat the Date?

No. A cabinet order placed before the decisions are made is the costlier mistake. McDaniels’ timeline guide warns that a swap made after cabinets ship — even a range width change — can force a whole cabinet reorder. That pushes the timeline out four to six weeks.

The better move is to keep the selection calendar moving. Finish the layout, the appliance list and the sink. Then order. The weeks a reorder adds are worse than a few extra days spent on the plan. If the timing doesn’t work for an imported line, ask whether a line built in the United States fits the design.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Kitchen Cabinet Tariff

Is there a tariff on kitchen cabinets?

Yes. Imported kitchen cabinets and vanities have carried a 25 percent federal duty since October 14, 2025, under a federal proclamation. The rate is scheduled to rise to 50 percent on January 1, 2027. That schedule could change again, and the proclamation leaves room for countries that reach an agreement with the United States.

Does the cabinet tariff apply to bathroom vanities?

Yes. The proclamation covers kitchen cabinets and vanities at the same rates: 25 percent now, and 50 percent scheduled for January 1, 2027. If a bath remodel includes an imported vanity, ask where it’s built and when it will ship. Those two answers decide which rate the shipment can meet.

Are cabinets made in the United States subject to the tariff?

Not this duty. It’s charged on imports as they enter the country, so cabinets built in the United States aren’t subject to it. Their price can still move for other reasons. Ask where each line is built, and ask how the quote handles a change before the order goes in.

Could the January increase be delayed again?

It could. The same increase was first set for January 1, 2026. A proclamation signed December 31, 2025 pushed it back a year, to January 1, 2027. The text also leaves room for countries that reach an agreement with the United States. Plan around the scheduled date, and confirm it before you order.

When does McDaniels order the cabinets for a project?

At the end of the design phase. McDaniels takes a 50% deposit and orders all of the products for the project. The products are then stored in McDaniels’ warehouse and delivered when the job needs them. McDaniels’ designers are available for complimentary consultations to start that process.

Finish the Design, Then Place the Order

We close the design phase with a 50% deposit and order all of the products for your project, then store them in our warehouse until your job needs them.

The kitchen cabinet tariff is a reason to finish your decisions on time, not a reason to skip them. Know where your line is built, know when it ships, and get the quote’s terms in writing.

If your kitchen or bath is still in design, book a complimentary design consultation and get the selections moving.