Kitchen Cabinet Tariffs in 2027: What Orlando Homeowners Should Know

By the MJC design team, Orlando. Updated November 2026.

What is the Section 232 tariff on kitchen cabinets?

On September 29, 2025, the President signed Proclamation 10976 under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the law that allows import restrictions on national security grounds. It placed a 25% tariff on imported kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and their parts, effective October 14, 2025. The same proclamation set a 10% tariff on softwood timber and lumber and a 25% tariff on certain upholstered wooden furniture.

The administration based the action on a Commerce Department investigation that found imports of wood products threaten the U.S. industry. Some countries pay less under trade deals. According to the White House fact sheet, the tariff on these wood products from the United Kingdom does not exceed 10%, and the combined tariff on imports from the European Union and Japan does not exceed 15%.

What changes on January 1, 2027?

The original proclamation scheduled a rate increase for January 1, 2026. On December 31, 2025, a new proclamation pushed that increase back one year. As published in the Federal Register on January 9, 2026, the tariff on kitchen cabinets and vanities is set to rise from 25% to 50% on January 1, 2027. The rate on upholstered wooden furniture is set to rise to 30%.

The increase does not apply to imports from countries that reach an agreement with the United States on wood products. The White House tied the delay to ongoing negotiations with several countries, so the final picture can still change.

As of October 31, 2026, we found no newer proclamation changing the January 1, 2027 date. Tariff policy moves quickly, so check the latest notice from the White House or U.S. Customs and Border Protection before you sign a contract based on it.

Which cabinets does the tariff apply to?

The duty applies to kitchen cabinets, vanities and their parts when they are imported into the United States. That can include flat-packed RTA lines and assembled cabinets made in overseas factories. It is charged when the goods enter the country, on their declared import value.

A cabinet built in a U.S. shop does not pay this specific duty on the finished cabinet. That does not make domestic cabinets tariff-proof. Imported parts are covered by the same tariff, and hardware, sheet goods or other materials brought in from abroad can carry their own duties. Ask any seller, local or not, where the boxes, doors and hardware come from.

What does a change from 25% to 50% look like in dollars?

The tariff is a percentage of the import value, not of the price you see in a showroom. A simple example shows the scale. If an importer brings in a set of cabinets declared at $5,000, the duty at 25% is $1,250. At 50%, the same set pays $2,500.

How much of that reaches the homeowner depends on each seller, their margins and how much inventory they brought in before the change. The example is arithmetic only, not a forecast for any brand or store.

Should Orlando homeowners buy cabinets before January 1, 2027?

If your project could use imported cabinets, timing matters. For the duty, what counts is the date the cabinets enter the United States, not the date you sign the contract. A quote signed in December for cabinets that clear customs in February may still be exposed to the new rate.

Practical steps if you are comparing quotes now:

• Get written quotes before January 1, 2027, and ask how long each price is valid.
• Ask whether the price includes any tariff surcharge, and what happens if the duty changes before delivery.
• Ask where the cabinet boxes, doors and hardware are made.
• Compare quotes on the same scope: cabinet count, countertop, demolition and installation.

January is also the month when kitchen cabinet searches peak in the Orlando market, according to five years of Google Trends data. Designing in November or December gets your decisions done before both the scheduled rate change and the seasonal rush. Our Orlando cabinet cost guide covers what else moves the price.

How should you budget for a 2027 kitchen project?

Cabinets are only one line in a kitchen budget. Countertops, installation, demolition, plumbing and electrical work and flooring sit outside this tariff, although some appliances and materials face other trade measures. A tariff on imported cabinets moves one part of the total, not all of it.

If you are still undecided, price the cabinets two ways: an imported line quoted with the delivery date in writing, and a domestic or custom option quoted for the same scope. That gives you a real comparison instead of a guess about what the rate will do.

Does the tariff change the choice between custom and RTA?

It can narrow the price gap for some buyers, because cabinets made overseas are the products the tariff hits directly. It does not change the basic tradeoff between fixed sizes and cabinets built for your room. Our comparison of custom, semi-custom and RTA cabinets walks through that tradeoff, including when the cheaper option is still the right call.

Where does MJC fit?

MJC designs custom cabinets in 3D and builds them to measure in our shop at 5014 Forsyth Commerce Rd in Orlando. Complete custom kitchens start at $15,000. Ask us about materials and pricing at the design visit, and we will put the full scope in writing so you can compare it line by line with any other quote.

Read what happens at a free 3D design visit or see how we build custom kitchen cabinets in Orlando.

Frequently asked questions