China
USA trade laneKitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities are one of the most searched — and most misunderstood — imports from China. The manufacturing quality and pricing are attractive, but this category sits under some of the heaviest trade enforcement in US customs: wooden cabinets and vanities from China are covered by antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders that can add duties far exceeding the value of the goods when handled naively.
This is not a reason to avoid the category — it is a reason to plan it properly. Importers who understand scope, sourcing options, and compliance import cabinets successfully every day. AGF's licensed brokers and Foshan origin team handle exactly this: verifying what you are buying, how it is classified, and what it will really cost landed before you commit to production.
How Kitchen Cabinets Ships from China to USA
Cabinets ship flat-packed (RTA — ready to assemble) in the vast majority of cases, loaded in 40ft High Cube containers. A typical kitchen's worth of RTA cabinets occupies 3–5 CBM, so a 40HC can carry cabinet sets for roughly 15–20 kitchens depending on configuration.
Moisture and corner damage are the main transit risks. Proper export packaging — sealed cartons, corner protection, desiccant in humid months — plus supervised loading at origin keeps damage claims near zero.
- RTA flat-pack is the standard; assembled cabinets ship at 2–3× the freight cost
- 40HC for project volumes; LCL workable for single-kitchen or sample orders
- Hardware packed separately and labeled per cabinet run speeds installation
- Origin quality inspection before loading — repairs cost 10× more after arrival
What Drives the Cost
- AD/CVD exposure — the decisive cost question for Chinese wooden cabinets
- Material: solid wood vs plywood vs MDF affects both duty scope and TSCA compliance
- RTA vs assembled (freight volume difference is dramatic)
- Order volume — full containers materially beat LCL per kitchen
- Delivery scope: to a warehouse, a job site, or distribution to multiple sites
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Our licensed customs brokers verify every code before you commit to an order.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9403.40 / 9403.60 | Wooden kitchen furniture / other wooden furniture | Base duty rates are free — but classification is only the start; AD/CVD scope and Section 301 govern the real cost. |
| 9403.90 | Furniture parts | Importing components does not automatically escape AD/CVD scope — the orders cover parts too. Get a scope opinion before relying on this route. |
Regulations and Compliance
Section 232 tariffs on cabinets and vanities
On top of the AD/CVD exposure below, kitchen cabinets and vanities from every origin carry a Section 232 tariff of 25%, effective 14 October 2025. The scheduled increase to 50% was postponed from 1 January 2026 to 1 January 2027. This is a worldwide measure, so unlike the AD/CVD orders it is not avoided by sourcing outside China — and it stacks with Section 301 and with AD/CVD rather than replacing either. For Chinese-origin cabinets the three layers apply together, which is why the landed-cost arithmetic on this commodity has to be done line by line rather than estimated.
AD/CVD orders on wooden cabinets and vanities
Wooden cabinets and vanities and their components from China have carried antidumping and countervailing duty orders since 2020, and the orders were **continued in September 2025** following a sunset review — Commerce and the ITC both found that revoking them would likely lead to renewed dumping and injury. Company-specific rates vary enormously, with the top of the published range running to roughly 262% antidumping and 293% countervailing. Whether your supplier holds a favourable rate, and whether your product falls in scope, must be verified before ordering. This single check is the difference between a profitable import and a catastrophic one.
Third-country assembly does not escape the orders
A 2024 scope ruling settled the question that costs importers the most money: cabinets completed in Vietnam or Malaysia from Chinese components or constituent wooden parts are **within the scope of the China orders**. Importers now operate under a certification regime documenting where components originated, and CBP has issued its own alerts on cabinet AD/CVD evasion. Sourcing an assembler outside China is not, by itself, a way out — what matters is where the wooden parts were made, and you need the documentation to prove it at entry rather than after a CBP inquiry.
TSCA Title VI (formaldehyde)
Cabinets are composite-wood-intensive products. Every plywood, MDF, and particleboard component must meet EPA emission standards with compliant labeling and certification at entry.
Lacey Act
Wood species and harvest-country declarations may be required. Reputable cabinet factories provide this documentation routinely — treat a supplier who cannot as a red flag.
Door-to-Door Import Service
AGF handles cabinet imports end to end: supplier coordination and loading supervision in Guangdong, ocean freight to your nearest port, customs entry with correct AD/CVD declarations, and delivery to your warehouse or project site.
For contractors and kitchen retailers running multiple projects, our Southern California warehousing lets you import in economic container quantities and release cabinet sets to job sites as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there extra duties on kitchen cabinets from China?
Can I avoid AD/CVD by importing cabinet parts and assembling in the US?
How many kitchens fit in one container?
What is the door-to-door lead time for cabinets from China?
Kitchen Cabinets is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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