Custom kitchen cabinets from a Foshan factory typically cost USD 50–200 per linear meter (some categories are quoted per square meter), depending on carcass material, door finish and hardware. That is the factory price. To know what a kitchen really costs delivered to Australia or New Zealand, you need to add four more layers: export logistics, sea freight, import duty and local taxes. This guide breaks down each layer — including the trade-agreement rules that let most Chinese cabinets enter Australia and New Zealand at zero tariff.

1. The factory price: USD 50–200 per linear meter

What moves the number inside that range:

• Carcass material — plywood / multi-layer board (our standard), MDF or particleboard. ENF-grade boards (formaldehyde ≤ 0.025 mg/m³, the strictest grade under China’s GB/T 39600 standard) are available, along with E0/E1 and fire-rated (B1, flame-retardant) options.
• Door finish — melamine and PVC laminated at the budget end, PET in the middle, lacquer, wood veneer and stainless steel at the premium end.
• Hardware — genuine Austrian Blum in two tiers, or Higold (the brand of a publicly-listed Chinese company) as the budget alternative.
• Countertop — quartz, sintered stone or marble, quoted separately.

As a whole-kitchen sanity check: a complete custom kitchen typically comes to USD 3,000–8,000 FOB, depending on size and specification.

One rule saves most import mistakes: ask every factory to quote the same drawing with the same material specification. Comparing a plywood-carcass, Blum-hardware kitchen against a particleboard one is not a price comparison at all.

2. Export logistics: FOB adds surprisingly little

Trucking a 40 ft container to the port and clearing export customs adds only about USD 300 per container over the ex-works price. We export under our own company name with full export rights, so there is no third-party export agent margin — in practice the FOB Nansha price sits only slightly above ex-works.

3. Sea freight

Transit time from South China is about 3–5 weeks to Australian ports. For New Zealand we quote a door-to-door shipping leg of roughly 45–60 days. Current 40 ft container rates run roughly USD 1,900–2,500 to Australia and USD 2,500–3,000 to New Zealand. Rates move with season and route, so we confirm the live rate at quotation.

4. Import duty: usually zero — if you claim it

Australia

Under ChAFTA, qualifying cabinet lines enter at 0% duty with a Certificate of Origin. GST of 10% is then applied at import in the normal way.

New Zealand

The normal tariff on wooden kitchen furniture is 5%, but Chinese-origin goods enter duty-free under the China–NZ FTA — and New Zealand does not require a certificate of origin document. An origin declaration written on the commercial invoice is enough: no certificate fee, no extra lead time. It only happens if your supplier actually writes the declaration, so ask for it.

Two more NZ line items to budget: GST of 15% is charged on goods + freight + insurance + duty (GST-registered businesses using the goods solely for taxable supplies can claim it back), and combined customs and biosecurity levies of about NZ$118 per sea consignment.

Biosecurity note: cabinets made wholly of manufactured wood — plywood, MDF, particleboard — are exempt from New Zealand’s woodware inspection and treatment requirements. Solid-timber components would trigger fumigation or heat-treatment paperwork. This is one practical reason engineered-board carcasses are the default for export kitchens.

5. The timeline, end to end

• Sampling: 2–4 weeks
• Production: 35–45 days ex-factory
• Sea freight to Australia: 3–5 weeks
• Door to door, Australia: roughly 56–80 days in total
• New Zealand, order to door: about 80–105 days

6. Minimum order: USD 5,000 — not a container

Our minimum order value is USD 5,000. A single-home kitchen or a small villa package clears that easily. You do not need to fill a container to buy at factory prices.

7. Payment terms

The standard structure is a deposit at order confirmation, with the balance paid before shipment.

What this guide leaves out

Local port-to-site delivery, installation labor and any local certification costs vary too much by city for honest numbers here. Budget them with a local installer, and read any imported quote carefully for whether it ends at the port or at your door.

FAQ

Is importing actually cheaper than buying locally? For custom joinery the landed cost usually comes in well below a comparable local custom quote — but the honest comparison is like-for-like: same board, same hardware, same finish, plus your local installation cost.

Can I order just one kitchen? Yes. Anything above USD 5,000 in order value works.

Does New Zealand need an import permit for cabinets? No import permit is required for this category; entry paperwork is normally handled by your customs broker.

How do I verify the factory before paying? See our guide: How to Choose a Custom Cabinet Manufacturer in China.

Want an itemized quote for your own drawings? Email thomas@vsmehome.com or WhatsApp +86 177 4554 7710 — send a floor plan and we will come back with a line-by-line breakdown.