How to Buy and Import Kitchen Cabinets from China?

Buying kitchen cabinets from domestical market or China?This is a question!

While kitchen cabinets are valued for their practical use such as storage for kitchen tools, they are also appreciated for aesthetic reasons.Whether you’re considering a classic look or the latest trendy choice, well-planned and designed kitchen cabinets can make your kitchen, and even your entire home as a whole.

You need good, functional kitchen cabinets that are versatile and can provide upkeep for all your kitchen stuff. Since there seems to be an ever-increasing need for storage, it can be a complicated task to choose a kitchen cabinet that serves your needs.

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If you’re thinking about buying kitchen cabinets, you need to take a serious look at those that are made in China.

Here are the reasons why you should buy Chinese kitchen cabinets:

• Cheaper price: Due to the use of advanced production processes, Chinese kitchen cabinets are usually cheaper compared to cabinets made in other countries.
  

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• Easy to assemble: Since a lot of Chinese kitchen cabinets are exported, they are made in a way that they are easy to assemble. Most Chinese manufacturers use a cam lock mechanism where the cabinet face frame and the sides are held together with a hook.
  

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• Varied, beautiful designs: Chinese kitchen cabinets are some of the most beautifully-designed. Some feature magnificent Asian artistry that’s embossed onto them. Others, while appearing simple, are designed intelligently to provide the most satisfaction to their users.

Normal Kitchen Cabinets We Source For Customers

• Made by advanced manufacturing processes. China’s furniture industry uses advanced manufacturing processes. Information technology is applied in the production process. With increasing technological innovation, furniture enterprises meet the goal of low cost, high quality and highly efficient production.

The China National Furniture Association (CNFA) cites 45 furniture manufacturing clusters in China,  which includes the six regions the Pearl River Delta (PRD), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), Bohai Rim, northeastern China, central China and western China.

The PRD has the highest production output and strongest integrated support capability. With its edge in product quality and operations management, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong and Shanghai, come next. The furniture industry in the YRD region is developing fast, with the highest average growth rate in the country. The northern and northeastern regions, with Beijing as the center, have a sound furniture industry base and rich wood resources.

Furniture industrial parks are found primarily in eight central and western provinces, including Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hebei, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan and Shanxi.

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There’s a broad range of materials for kitchen cabinets, ensuring that you can find something that suits your unique taste.

Wood: Naturally occurring, solid wood is the most common cabinet option. Beautiful and timeless, wood kitchen cabinets provide great value to any home. There are many varieties  of wood, with differences in cost, appearance, and durability. The high-end ones are very durable, lasting for many years. Because of this, wood continues to be the top choice for high quality cabinets.

Here’s a wide selection of hardwood and softwood used in kitchen cabinets:

If you can’t afford or simply don’t like wood cabinets, consider other options like stainless steel, laminate and thermofoil.

Stainless steel gives off a modern or industrial look. Stainless steel cabinets can be expensive, so make sure you can cover it in your budget.

Thermofoil, laminate and melamine kitchen cabinets are good alternatives if you have a small budget. These are surface finishes that are applied over its main material like particleboard. They are installed to imitate the look of wood, and are produced in a variety of textures, colors, and appearances.

Since these years sourcing for our customers,we found below materials were most popular for them.I think that is because those cabinets are nice appearance,practical quite cost efficient.

2.Cabinets usage

Understand what you need in your kitchen cabinets. Research about cabinet construction and material specifications.Consider factors like size,style and kitchen appliances.

You can choose from three cabinet variations: stock, semi-custom, and custom. Stock cabinets sold at home centers may come pre-assembled or sell versions that need to be assembled. They come in limited style and colors options.Most of them are clearance sale with very big discount price. Semi-custom cabinets provide more style choices and configurations for a more accurate fit for your kitchen. Custom cabinets are the most expensive option, but can include many added features.

Cabinets now come with many user-friendly options, making your life easier. Take a look at pull out drawers, built-in open-storage systems, wine-racks, china display, built in spice rack, or lazy Susans. More features mean more expenses, so determine what features are important to you.

3.Confirm materials and quotations

Keep in mind that you must communicate to the supplier the standards that your product must follow. You must first assess which regulations apply to home products in your market, and then communicate this requirement to your manufacturer.

OEM manufacturers operate on a ‘make to order’ principle. The “catalog products” that they have are mere references at best. You must provide the supplier with a spec sheet. This can include details such as  wall and base, door frame, front frame, cabinet interior, hinges, connectors, shelves, drawer box, and more.Below is one case description from our customer.

5.Produce and Pay

Once you approve the design and pay full deposit, your order is placed directly to the factory in China.

The usual manufacturing time from production to your doorstep is 70-90 days （production time normally is 45-70days）, depending on the size，material of your order, and factory production schedules and holidays.

1.Quality Issues

The foremost problem that you may encounter when importing kitchen cabinets from China has something to do with quality. Here are some:

• The panel stock in some Chinese cabinets may be weak, and might fall apart in a few years. The cabinet finish on some Chinese products is weak. Acceptable hardening agents aren’t used.
• The finish can be easily marred and flake off with normal use. Scratches easily occur because the finish is substandard.
• Hardware, such as drawer guides, are stamped from cheap white metal. These guides areeasily rusty and can break and stop functioning if the drawer has excessive weight.
• Wood needs to be seasoned or dried to the proper moisture content before it’s manufactured into a cabinet. Chinese manufacturers skip this process and make a product with wood that’s still green and not seasoned. This causes the cabinet material to warp and not hold a finish.

2.Delayed Delivery

Delayed deliveries remain a problem. Your contract needs to spell out specific commitments regarding delivery times. Late delivery compensation should be reflected in the contract. Therefore,you have to reserve much more time than the suppliers promise,like 60days as the buffer time.Especially before the Chinese New Year,as our past experience,most of the factories will stop producing 45days before New Year and resume to work after 15days of New Year.That’s,60days are wasted during the holiday.

We suggest to confirm the actual delivery time with your suppliers because every company has different holiday policy.Keeping contacting with the suppliers about the process of production every 10 days.

3.Environmental Issue

Some Chinese factories use some questionable processes in the production of cabinets. Sulfur, lead and formaldehyde are sometimes used in the cabinets. These ingredients are banned by the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA.Therefore,we suggest not only focus on the price when you buy kitchen cabinet.You have to make sure the materials and the supporting electrical appliances are good enough to match.

Make sure that your supplier is not shipping you substandard or damaged kitchen cabinets. To do this, you should hire a quality inspector to check up on your items. They can do visual inspection to check for potential damages, or use of incorrect materials and components.They will also confirm whether the cabinet size match your kitchen or not.

Look for trusted China sourcing companies to handle quality control and trading-related concerns for you.Doing background checks on potential suppliers will save you time and money. Research manufacturers and retailer websites. Read customer reviews. You can also check out store displays for design inspiration. Choose best kitchen cabinet manufacturers with a good reputation. Those that would guarantee not just the quality of their items but also their after-sales services.Your kitchen complements the rest of your home, so choose the kitchen cabinets that you would love.

Kitchen Cabinet Production Process

Finally,we find that 99% kitchen cabinet companies would produce wardrobes and wine cabinets,too.It is good for you to buy those products loading in one container to save more delivery charges.

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