A Review of RTA Cabinets
To analyze the aspects of who you might buy your cabinets from, we should first define a few key points of the
Cabinet Industry and the processes and logistics of converting the raw materials into finished cabinetry. RTA
Cabinets versus domestically manufactured cabinets.
1) Almost all of the RTA Cabinets sold in the U.S. are imported (from China or Brazil). At first, your
patriotic instincts may be to reject RTAs until you realize many of our large domestic manufacturers are also
importing their raw materials and fabricated components. Now factor in the new jobs created with the marketing,
warehousing, shipping, etc.
2) Short lead times are not a typical characteristic of domestic cabinetry. RTA Cabinets are
prefabricated components that can quickly be pulled off the shelf and sent to you or your jobsite in just a few days
as opposed to the local manufacturers that can take weeks or even months to deliver.
3) Shipping of traditional assembled cabinetry involves higher freight charges because of 2 significant
factors. Assembled cabinets are mostly air… (LTL freight carriers charge for weight and cubic footage) and
assembled cabinets usually have to be loaded and unloaded by hand in contrast to RTAs where multiple
cabinets can be strapped to a pallet and loaded by forklift. Excessive handling of individual cabinets increases
the statistical damage ratios which in turn increases the freight costs.4) Standard domestic cabinets are typically made using particle board or chip board where most RTA
cabinets are constructed with plywood. Who cares? You do! Not only is the chip board less resistant to moisture
intrusion and have a shorter lifespan, the glues used to produce particle board components are known to give off
harmful gasses.
Do you really prefer to spend more of your hard earned dollars on lower quality cabinet components, deal
with long lead times, higher shipping and damage rates and possibly introduce harmful chemicals into the very
room where you feed and nurture your family????….. Hopefully, you now understand why the RTA Cabinets are
literally changing the cabinet industry.
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