Strong Growth in Kitchen Cabinets Demand in 2021: Will It Continue?

A recent press release from the Kitchen Cabinets Manufacturers Association (KCMA) reported strong gains in cabinet sales in 2021, with a gain of 14.6% from 2020. This is not surprising, given:

• high levels of housing starts, particularly of single-family units with the largest kitchens (and thus have more cabinets)
• strong homeowner interest in home improvement projects, such as kitchen remodeling – when homeowners often replace older cabinets with newer ones

These bursts of activity are demonstrated by the growth seen in the various kitchen cabinet types. Stock kitchen cabinets sales rose over 16% in 2021, bolstered by the increase in housing starts – home builders are more likely to buy these basic cabinets to more quickly install them, thus making a residence more ready sale.

Custom cabinets – those individually designed and crafted for installation in a home – saw the most rapid advances in 2021, growing 19.5% in that year. These advances were driven by the large number of homeowners who invested in kitchen remodeling projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers who had significant savings because of the pandemic – due to stimulus outlays and a lack of entertainment options – often put these funds in their homes. One way in which to do so was to upgrade their kitchens, installing custom cabinets with such features as pet beds, spice racks, and pull-out shelves.

Will these elevated kitchen cabinet sales continue in 2022?  Early indicators say “yes”. Home builders are continuing to erect houses as fast as they can as demand remains unquenched. Similarly, many remodelers expected continuing strong demand for their services – including kitchen renovations – as homeowners continue to invest in their residences. As of the December 2021 edition of The Freedonia Group National Online Consumer Survey, 30% of respondents reported that they were still doing more DIY home improvement and 13% were still hiring contractors for additional home improvement projects at an elevated rate than prior to the pandemic.  

For more information and discussion of opportunities, see The Freedonia Group’s study of the US cabinets industry, Cabinets, as well as the Freedonia Group’s extensive collection of off-the-shelf research, particularly our series of studies in the Construction and Building Products catalog. Freedonia Custom Research is also available for questions requiring tailored market intelligence.