Kitchen cabinet prices per linear foot: the calculation that doubles a quote
Wall feet or cabinet feet? The calculation that doubles the price of kitchen cabinets, and how to read a quote, with an IKEA example.
“Kitchen cabinets cost $250 to $600 per linear foot.” You’ve probably read a sentence like that. It’s accurate, on one condition: knowing what is being measured. Depending on whether you count wall feet or cabinet feet, the same price gives you a kitchen that costs twice as much.
This article is part of our series on the cost of a kitchen in Quebec in 2026.
Two ways to count a linear foot
The wall foot. Most Quebec renovation guides give a price “per linear foot, base and wall included.” One foot is one foot of wall that carries both the base cabinets and the wall cabinets. Ten wall feet is ten linear feet.
The cabinet linear foot (LF). Manufacturers and cabinetmakers count each row separately: base cabinets on one side, wall cabinets on the other. Ten wall feet fitted top and bottom is 20 cabinet LF.
Both methods are correct. The problem starts when you mix the two: applying a “per wall foot” price to added-up LF counts the wall cabinets twice.
A real example at IKEA
On October 2, 2026, we put together 10 feet of SEKTION base and wall cabinets at IKEA Canada, with Axstad matt white doors, plus legs, toe kicks, rails, panels and pulls:
| Measure | Calculation | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The complete kitchen | 10 ft of wall, base and wall cabinets | $2,647.91 |
| Per wall foot | $2,647.91 ÷ 10 ft | $265 |
| Per cabinet LF | $2,647.91 ÷ 20 LF (10 base, 10 wall) | $132 |
The same purchase is therefore worth $265 or $132 “per linear foot,” depending on what you count.
The conversion rule
Base cabinets cost more than wall cabinets: they are deeper and carry the countertop and the drawers. A common split, the one we use, divides a wall foot like this:
- base cabinets: about 60% of the per-wall-foot price;
- wall cabinets: about 40%.
The average price of a cabinet LF is therefore about half the per-wall-foot price. With the IKEA example: 0.6 × $265 = $159 for a base LF, 0.4 × $265 = $106 for a wall LF, and an average of $132.
That is also why an island, which has only base cabinets, is counted at the base rate: about $160 per LF in the budget range.
What the mistake costs on a real kitchen
Take a kitchen with 18 LF of base cabinets and 16 of wall cabinets, or 34 cabinet LF, at a price of $265 per wall foot:
| Method | Calculation | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Correct, by row | 18 × $159 + 16 × $106 | $4,558 |
| Wrong, per-wall-foot price applied to the 34 LF | 34 × $265 | $9,010 |
The mistake nearly doubles the cost of the cabinets. And since cabinets account for 30 to 50% of a kitchen budget, it can skew an entire comparison of quotes.
How to read a quote
- Ask what the linear foot counts. Wall feet, or base and wall rows added together?
- Check what’s included. Legs, toe kicks, finishing panels, mouldings, pulls, installation: a per-linear-foot price rarely includes them all.
- Compare on the same yardstick. Bring every quote down to a price per cabinet LF, or to a price per wall foot, but not a mix of the two.
- Count the island separately. Its base cabinets, often deeper and with drawers, cost more per LF than the average.
Our reference prices per cabinet LF
Here are the rates we use, already converted to cabinet LF (supply, before taxes, October 2026):
| Per cabinet LF | Budget | Mid-range | High-end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base and wall cabinets | $135 | $310 | $600 |
| Island (base cabinet boxes) | $160 | $375 | $720 |
| Cabinet installation | $90 | $160 | $205 |
The details by range: budget kitchen, mid-range and high-end.
Sources
- IKEA Canada: SEKTION and Axstad (October 2, 2026)
- WOODWEB and CabinetIQ: counting the linear foot
- Soumission Rénovation: IKEA, Home Depot or custom (2026)
- RénoAssistance: the cost of a kitchen in Quebec (2026)