How Free Shipping on Kitchen Cabinets Actually Works

Free shipping is never actually free. Somebody pays for the truck. When you're buying something as heavy and awkward as a full kitchen's worth of cabinets, the only real question is who that somebody is, and whether it's already buried in the price you're looking at.

Worth sorting out before you start comparing quotes, because shipping is where a "cheap" cabinet order quietly stops being cheap.

Why shipping cabinets costs real money

Cabinets are heavy and they break easily, and a kitchen's worth of them won't fit on a normal parcel truck. They ship on a freight pallet by LTL carrier ("less-than-truckload"), same as appliances and furniture. Depending on the order size and how far it's going, that freight runs from a couple hundred dollars to north of five hundred.

So a site can advertise a rock-bottom cabinet price, then tack freight on at checkout, and your total lands somewhere you weren't expecting. A site that says "free shipping" with no minimum didn't make that cost disappear either. It's sitting inside the cabinet prices.

Neither one is a scam. You just want to know which you're looking at.

How our free shipping works

Flat-pack orders of $5,000 or more ship free anywhere in the contiguous U.S. No freight line that appears at the last step, no zone math, no "sorry, you're too far" surcharge after you've cleared the threshold.

For a larger remodel, $5,000 is a realistic bar. A standard 10x10 layout in all-plywood construction runs around $3,500 on its own, so once you add the island, a pantry wall, or the bathroom vanities you were planning anyway, the full order qualifies.

Under $5,000, flat-pack shipping is a flat rate based on order size: $99 under $750, $229 from $750 to $2,499, and $349 from $2,500 to $4,999. Pre-assembled cabinets are the exception — assembled boxes take up real truck space, so they ship for a flat $799 per order ($499 once the order reaches $2,500) and don't qualify for free shipping. Which brings up the one piece of strategy worth knowing.

How to make sure you qualify

If you're sitting just under the threshold, crossing it is almost always cheaper than paying freight on a smaller order. A few ways that happens on its own:

• Order the whole kitchen at once rather than in pieces. Split one kitchen into two orders and you can end up paying shipping twice and missing the threshold on both.
• Add the pieces you know you'll need anyway. A pantry cabinet, an extra base, the matching toe kick or filler strips. Stuff that nudges you over the line and that you'd be buying eventually regardless.
• Use the free 3D design service first. Lock the full plan down before you buy and you order everything in one shot. Cheaper to ship, and a lot less painful than finding a gap halfway through install.

What "free shipping" does and doesn't include

This is the part people skip, and it's the part that matters on delivery day.

Free freight gets your cabinets to your address on a truck. Standard LTL delivery is curbside: the driver brings the pallet to the back of the truck, usually lowers it with a liftgate, and from there it's yours to get inside. It doesn't cover hauling cabinets up your stairs or into the kitchen, and it isn't installation.

That's not unusual. It's how freight works for everybody. But it's also the gap between a smooth delivery and standing in your driveway staring at a loaded pallet, so line up an extra set of hands ahead of time. (Want the full play-by-play? Our guide on receiving an LTL freight delivery covers it.)

A few quick questions

Is shipping really free, or is it just baked into the cabinets? Our prices are factory-direct to start with, which is what makes eating the freight on flat-pack orders over $5,000 workable. The point is you see one number, and that's the number.

Do you ship to Alaska, Hawaii, or outside the U.S.? Free shipping is contiguous U.S. For anywhere outside that, reach out before you order and we'll work out options.

What if something shows up damaged? Inspect the shipment before you sign the delivery receipt, and note any damage right there on the slip. That's your protection, and it's why we'll never tell you to "just sign, we'll sort it out later." Flag it on delivery and we'll handle the replacement.

Plan it once, ship it once

The cheapest cabinet delivery is the one you only do once. Start with a free 3D design so the whole kitchen goes out together and clears the threshold in one go. Not there yet? Grab a $30 door sample and start with the finish.