U.S. Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturing Industry has great importance, supporting over 250,000 jobs with a vital role in underserved communities.
The ongoing import surge has caused widespread closures among American producers and cost thousands of jobs.
China’s aggressive dumping and subsidies fueled the initial import surge, with China alone seizing $1.7 billion in U.S. market share by 2018.
The China tariffs and antidumping cases have not stemmed the overall import surge, only diverting it to third-countries, with the current trade deficit now growing to $3.7 billion.
Southeast Asia now accounts for 57% of total 2024 imports, with Mexico taking another 10%, continuing to put substantial pressure on U.S. producers.
A broad and comprehensive tariff approach is needed to truly stop the import surge and protect U.S. producers and workers.
Importance of U.S. Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturing
The U.S. kitchen cabinet industry has a long and storied history, deeply rooted in small- to medium-sized businesses that form the backbone of American manufacturing. Approximately 95% of U.S. kitchen cabinet manufacturers are family-owned, many of which began as small operations in garages or barns. These businesses have grown to support an industry that provides over 250,000 American jobs, with a significant presence in small and rural communities across the country.
The kitchen cabinet manufacturing industry is critical for many small communities across the United States where it serves as both a major employer and a bedrock for the community. Many of these companies have been passed down through generations, creating a lasting legacy of craftsmanship and quality. Their widespread presence across the United States underscores their importance not only to local economies but also to the broader national manufacturing landscape.
Moreover, the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance highlights how 40% of the over 250,000 kitchen cabinet industry jobs come from underserved communities, demonstrating the industry’s vital role in providing employment and economic stability to a broad range of workers. The industry has a strong presence in a wide range of states, with the largest number of employees in Texas, Indiana, California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida as shown by Figure 1.
Import Surge Devastating Manufacturers
However, this vital American industry has been under assault over the past decade. Foreign producers have surged imports into the United States and dumped products at below market rates to drive out local U.S. businesses.
As shown in Figure 2, U.S. imports of wood kitchen cabinets have surged in recent years. Total imports reached $3.7 billion in 2024, more than double import levels 10 years ago.
The relentless import surge has devastated U.S. kitchen cabinet manufacturers, forcing closures and layoffs nationwide. The influx and dumping of cheap and subsidized imports have undercut U.S. producers, making it increasingly difficult for them to compete on price while maintaining the quality standards and supportive labor practices that built the U.S. industry.
This import surge has already impacted major manufacturers, triggering closures and layoffs. The Cabinetworks Group was forced to close several manufacturing facilities in 2024, with hundreds of jobs lost in Pennsylvania and 350 jobs lost in Texas. In January 2025, Dura Supreme Cabinetry in North Carolina was forced to lay off all of its 74 employees. In addition, another North Carolina, UltraCraft Cabinetry, recently announced it will need to close its plant and lay off 200 employees effective September 2025 and American Woodmark is closing its Virginia facility, with the loss of 131 jobs.
These are just the most recent closures within the wave of damage caused by imports, including other losses such as the 750 employees lost from MasterBrand Cabinets in Alabama in 2018 and 2021. Further losses include Tru Cabinetry in Alabama in 2022 and Solid Wood Cabinets in Pennsylvania in 2020. Without immediate and decisive action, the U.S. kitchen cabinet industry will continue to suffer, jeopardizing the livelihoods of thousands of American workers.
The combined import surge and growing damage to U.S. kitchen cabinet producers has cumulated in a diminishing U.S. market share. As foreign producers control more and more of the U.S. market, the benefits for U.S. businesses and workers have also declined. As shown in Figure 3, in the past 10 years, U.S. producers have lost 20% domestic market share since 2010 due to rising imports and a growing intrusion of foreign producers into the U.S. market.
FIGURE 3:
This deteriorating U.S. domestic market share is also represented by the worsening trade deficit. As shown in Figure 4, while U.S. exports of kitchen cabinets remains at near zero, surging import have taken significant market share from U.S. producers. In total, the deteriorating U.S. domestic market share and swelling trade deficit in kitchen cabinets takes away over $3 billion in market share that should be captured by U.S. producers. The large majority of this deficit has also emerged in just the last 10 years, putting substantial strain on U.S. businesses and workers across the country.
FIGURE 4:
Illegal Chinese Product Dumping Drove the First Import Surge
One of the primary drivers of the import surge and U.S. job losses has been the illegal trade practices of many foreign producers—particularly those in China. These illegal practices have given foreign producers advantages over U.S. businesses as our ports remained wide open to the import flow. The most notable tactics include government subsidies and product dumping at artificially low prices.
For decades, Chinese producers have increasingly flooded the U.S. market with artificially cheap kitchen cabinets, devastating domestic manufacturers. As shown in Figure 5, imports of Chinese kitchen cabinets were near zero in 2002, but imports surged to unprecedented levels amid the product dumping push, reaching $1.7 billion from China alone in 2018. China’s aggressive and illegal dumping efforts caused widespread damage to U.S. families and workers across the country.
FIGURE 5:
This dumping and import surge was only halted after long and expensive efforts to finally secure tariff action against China. In 2018, the Trump Administration imposed Section 301 tariffs against a wide range of imported products from China, including kitchen cabinets.
Then, in 2019, U.S. producers secured an antidumping case against the excessive dumping from Chinese kitchen cabinet producers. In 2019, the Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission finally confirmed what had long been obvious to all those suffering in the industry. In an antidumping investigation, the U.S. government confirmed that Chinese producers were engaging in market-distorting effects caused by injurious dumping and unfair subsidization of imports into the United States. The U.S. then enacted antidumping and countervailing duties against Chinese kitchen cabinet producers and finally provided a brief relief for U.S. producers.
These prior trade actions were successful in bringing down direct import levels from China and also did not raise the price of cabinets for U.S. consumers. The Producer Price Index (PPI) for Wood Kitchen Cabinet and Countertop Manufacturing only increased by an annual average of 1.4% from 2018-2020 (the years surrounding the Section 301 tariffs and the kitchen cabinets antidumping case against China). By comparison, the PPI increased by an average 1.6% annually in the previous 3 years, and the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all goods increased by an annual average of 1.8%. With kitchen cabinets, like all other products, tariff and trade have little impact on overall prices consumers pay and inflation.
Second Import Surge: Southeast Asia
While imports from China have dropped off rapidly since the antidumping case, this has by no means solved the import surge issue as a whole. As shown in Figure 2 previously, 2022-2024 have been the highest import years on record at around $4 billion in imports. Moreover, this ongoing import surge continues to force closures of kitchen cabinet manufacturers across the country, as evidence by the ongoing 2022-2025 closures.
The Section 301 China tariffs and antidumping case did curb direct imports from China, but this merely shifted the surge to other countries, notably Southeast Asia and Mexico. As shown in Figure 6, Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Taiwan now make up 57% of the U.S.’s total kitchen cabinet imports, and Mexico holds an additional 10%.
FIGURE 6:
China is no longer the only problem—other countries, like those in Southeast Asia as well as Mexico have stepped in. These countries are continuing to undercut U.S. manufacturers and are quickly taking U.S. market share away from domestic producers and forcing closures. These new exporter countries still have substantial Chinese involvement and supply chain links. Instead of direct imports from China, these other countries have become extensive transshipment and Chinese investment hubs.
Trade investigations have uncovered extensive networks of transshipment, where Chinese producers ship cabinets to third countries, particularly Vietnam and Malaysia, before re-exporting them to the U.S. to avoid tariffs. These shipments through third-countries use substantial Chinese -origin components and have long avoided the full tariffs owed. A Department of Commerce investigation confirmed this extensive use of Chinese components and materials by these Southeast Asian countries. In order to correct for this duty avoidance, the U.S. implemented circumvention duties against these Southeast Asian producers.
However, enforcement challenges persist as foreign producers continue to exploit loopholes and expand their market share through continuously changing evasion tactics. The true scale of the evasion and circumvention efforts remains unknown. The Wall Street Journal reviewed a 2022 Customs report that found a secret warehouse at a Malaysian cabinet manufacturing site. This warehouse was packed with identical ready-to-ship boxes of wooden cabinet. However, some were stamped as “Made in China” and others had “Made in Malaysia”. These inspections are linked to tariff evasion investigations into subsidiaries of the Chinese Qingdao Haiyan Group and may just be the tip of the iceberg.
The Need for a Long-Term Solution Including Broad Tariffs
The ongoing battle against always shifting evasion tactics highlights the need for stronger and more comprehensive trade policies that address all global imports into the U.S. The challenges posed by imports are not limited to China, nor Vietnam, alone. As trade restrictions take effect, foreign producers continuously adapt, shifting production to new regions. Countries such as Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand, and Cambodia have emerged as some of the newest sources of low-cost imports, further harming U.S. manufacturers.
One of the key issues exacerbating this problem is the inconsistent stance of the U.S. government on trade policy. While some rulings have favored domestic producers, others have undermined these protections, creating uncertainty and instability in the industry, leading to mounting business and job losses.
This inconsistency highlights the limitations of the current overreliance on antidumping cases. These cases have helped divert the import surge to third-countries, but done nothing to effectively stem the import surge and protect U.S. businesses and workers. Moreover, the long, slow-moving process of these cases allows foreign producers to continue to maneuver and exploit legal ambiguities, taking more U.S. market share.
Despite these antidumping measures, foreign producers continue to push record imports into the U.S. The persistent influx of underpriced imports highlights the urgent need for a robust, long-term solution to protect the U.S. kitchen cabinet industry from unfair trade.
Recommendations for Protecting the Industry
The ongoing import surge has pushed local American kitchen cabinet producers across the country to the limit and foreign producers threaten to force a collapse of the entire U.S. industry. The domestic industry needs support and trade action from the Trump Administration in order to avoid this fate. President Trump’s Section 232 investigation on timber, lumber, and derivative products that include kitchen cabinets is a critical first step in protecting and boosting investment in the industry.
In addition, to safeguard the future of the U.S. kitchen cabinet industry, further comprehensive trade policy is needed. Key recommendations include:
No exclusions or exemptions granted for any wooden kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and component parts thereof within the current Section 232 investigation on timber, lumber, and derivative products.
Implementing Broader and Higher U.S. Tariffs – A tariff rate of at least 100% should be imposed on wooden kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and component parts thereof imports from all countries. Such a measure would help neutralize the price advantages that foreign producers gain through subsidies and dumping and closes any loopholes or circumvention opportunities.
Strengthening Trade Measures – The U.S. should enforce stricter regulations to prevent duty evasion and circumvention tactics. This could include imposing minimum valuation requirements to prevent foreign producers from underreporting product values to evade new tariff rates.
Enhancing Monitoring and Enforcement – The Department of Commerce, U.S. Justice Department, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection should increase scrutiny of import data and respond quickly to U.S. industry on illegal trade practices.
By taking these actions, the U.S. can prevent further erosion of American jobs in the kitchen cabinet industry and protect U.S. family businesses.
Conclusion
A comprehensive and proactive approach to addressing surging kitchen cabinet imports will be crucial. The unchecked influx of low-cost imports, coupled with foreign producers’ illegal trade practices and circumvention tactics, has already placed significant pressure on domestic businesses and cost thousands of jobs.
The time for action is now. Currently, the Trump Administration should start with protective actions via the current Section 232 investigation on timber, lumber, and derivative products (including kitchen cabinets), allowing for no exemptions. The administration should ultimately pursue a minimum 100% tariff for kitchen cabinets in order to adequately protect American businesses and workers and stimulate investment in domestic production. Without bold tariffs, strict enforcement, and a crackdown on loopholes, the U.S. kitchen cabinet industry—and thousands more American jobs—will be at stake.
MADE IN AMERICA.
CPA is the leading national, bipartisan organization exclusively representing domestic producers and workers across many industries and sectors of the U.S. economy.
U.S. Kitchen Cabinet Industry Needs Support Amid Unrelenting Import Surge
KEY POINTS
Importance of U.S. Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturing
The U.S. kitchen cabinet industry has a long and storied history, deeply rooted in small- to medium-sized businesses that form the backbone of American manufacturing. Approximately 95% of U.S. kitchen cabinet manufacturers are family-owned, many of which began as small operations in garages or barns. These businesses have grown to support an industry that provides over 250,000 American jobs, with a significant presence in small and rural communities across the country.
The kitchen cabinet manufacturing industry is critical for many small communities across the United States where it serves as both a major employer and a bedrock for the community. Many of these companies have been passed down through generations, creating a lasting legacy of craftsmanship and quality. Their widespread presence across the United States underscores their importance not only to local economies but also to the broader national manufacturing landscape.
Moreover, the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance highlights how 40% of the over 250,000 kitchen cabinet industry jobs come from underserved communities, demonstrating the industry’s vital role in providing employment and economic stability to a broad range of workers. The industry has a strong presence in a wide range of states, with the largest number of employees in Texas, Indiana, California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida as shown by Figure 1.
Import Surge Devastating Manufacturers
However, this vital American industry has been under assault over the past decade. Foreign producers have surged imports into the United States and dumped products at below market rates to drive out local U.S. businesses.
As shown in Figure 2, U.S. imports of wood kitchen cabinets have surged in recent years. Total imports reached $3.7 billion in 2024, more than double import levels 10 years ago.
The relentless import surge has devastated U.S. kitchen cabinet manufacturers, forcing closures and layoffs nationwide. The influx and dumping of cheap and subsidized imports have undercut U.S. producers, making it increasingly difficult for them to compete on price while maintaining the quality standards and supportive labor practices that built the U.S. industry.
This import surge has already impacted major manufacturers, triggering closures and layoffs. The Cabinetworks Group was forced to close several manufacturing facilities in 2024, with hundreds of jobs lost in Pennsylvania and 350 jobs lost in Texas. In January 2025, Dura Supreme Cabinetry in North Carolina was forced to lay off all of its 74 employees. In addition, another North Carolina, UltraCraft Cabinetry, recently announced it will need to close its plant and lay off 200 employees effective September 2025 and American Woodmark is closing its Virginia facility, with the loss of 131 jobs.
These are just the most recent closures within the wave of damage caused by imports, including other losses such as the 750 employees lost from MasterBrand Cabinets in Alabama in 2018 and 2021. Further losses include Tru Cabinetry in Alabama in 2022 and Solid Wood Cabinets in Pennsylvania in 2020. Without immediate and decisive action, the U.S. kitchen cabinet industry will continue to suffer, jeopardizing the livelihoods of thousands of American workers.
Table 1: Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturer Closures Amid Import Surge
Closed Plant
Location
Timing
Employees
MasterBrand Cabinets
Auburn, AL
Q2 2018
445
Solid Wood Cabinets
12 Locations in PA & NJ
Q1 2020
200+
MasterBrand Cabinets
Talladega, AL
Q2 2021
300
Tru Cabinetry
Ashland, AL
Q3 2022
260
Cabinetworks
Marshall & Jefferson, TX
Q4 2024
350
Cabinetworks
Thompsontown, PA
Q1 2025
100s
Dura Supreme Cabinetry
Statesville, NC
Q1 2025
74
American Woodmark
Orange, VA
Q1 2025
131
Olon Industries
Lexington, NC
Q2 2025
53
UltraCraft Cabinetry
Liberty, NC
Q3 2025
200
U.S. Manufacturing Market Share Falling
The combined import surge and growing damage to U.S. kitchen cabinet producers has cumulated in a diminishing U.S. market share. As foreign producers control more and more of the U.S. market, the benefits for U.S. businesses and workers have also declined. As shown in Figure 3, in the past 10 years, U.S. producers have lost 20% domestic market share since 2010 due to rising imports and a growing intrusion of foreign producers into the U.S. market.
FIGURE 3:
This deteriorating U.S. domestic market share is also represented by the worsening trade deficit. As shown in Figure 4, while U.S. exports of kitchen cabinets remains at near zero, surging import have taken significant market share from U.S. producers. In total, the deteriorating U.S. domestic market share and swelling trade deficit in kitchen cabinets takes away over $3 billion in market share that should be captured by U.S. producers. The large majority of this deficit has also emerged in just the last 10 years, putting substantial strain on U.S. businesses and workers across the country.
FIGURE 4:
Illegal Chinese Product Dumping Drove the First Import Surge
One of the primary drivers of the import surge and U.S. job losses has been the illegal trade practices of many foreign producers—particularly those in China. These illegal practices have given foreign producers advantages over U.S. businesses as our ports remained wide open to the import flow. The most notable tactics include government subsidies and product dumping at artificially low prices.
For decades, Chinese producers have increasingly flooded the U.S. market with artificially cheap kitchen cabinets, devastating domestic manufacturers. As shown in Figure 5, imports of Chinese kitchen cabinets were near zero in 2002, but imports surged to unprecedented levels amid the product dumping push, reaching $1.7 billion from China alone in 2018. China’s aggressive and illegal dumping efforts caused widespread damage to U.S. families and workers across the country.
FIGURE 5:
This dumping and import surge was only halted after long and expensive efforts to finally secure tariff action against China. In 2018, the Trump Administration imposed Section 301 tariffs against a wide range of imported products from China, including kitchen cabinets.
Then, in 2019, U.S. producers secured an antidumping case against the excessive dumping from Chinese kitchen cabinet producers. In 2019, the Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission finally confirmed what had long been obvious to all those suffering in the industry. In an antidumping investigation, the U.S. government confirmed that Chinese producers were engaging in market-distorting effects caused by injurious dumping and unfair subsidization of imports into the United States. The U.S. then enacted antidumping and countervailing duties against Chinese kitchen cabinet producers and finally provided a brief relief for U.S. producers.
These prior trade actions were successful in bringing down direct import levels from China and also did not raise the price of cabinets for U.S. consumers. The Producer Price Index (PPI) for Wood Kitchen Cabinet and Countertop Manufacturing only increased by an annual average of 1.4% from 2018-2020 (the years surrounding the Section 301 tariffs and the kitchen cabinets antidumping case against China). By comparison, the PPI increased by an average 1.6% annually in the previous 3 years, and the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all goods increased by an annual average of 1.8%. With kitchen cabinets, like all other products, tariff and trade have little impact on overall prices consumers pay and inflation.
Second Import Surge: Southeast Asia
While imports from China have dropped off rapidly since the antidumping case, this has by no means solved the import surge issue as a whole. As shown in Figure 2 previously, 2022-2024 have been the highest import years on record at around $4 billion in imports. Moreover, this ongoing import surge continues to force closures of kitchen cabinet manufacturers across the country, as evidence by the ongoing 2022-2025 closures.
The Section 301 China tariffs and antidumping case did curb direct imports from China, but this merely shifted the surge to other countries, notably Southeast Asia and Mexico. As shown in Figure 6, Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Taiwan now make up 57% of the U.S.’s total kitchen cabinet imports, and Mexico holds an additional 10%.
FIGURE 6:
China is no longer the only problem—other countries, like those in Southeast Asia as well as Mexico have stepped in. These countries are continuing to undercut U.S. manufacturers and are quickly taking U.S. market share away from domestic producers and forcing closures. These new exporter countries still have substantial Chinese involvement and supply chain links. Instead of direct imports from China, these other countries have become extensive transshipment and Chinese investment hubs.
Trade investigations have uncovered extensive networks of transshipment, where Chinese producers ship cabinets to third countries, particularly Vietnam and Malaysia, before re-exporting them to the U.S. to avoid tariffs. These shipments through third-countries use substantial Chinese -origin components and have long avoided the full tariffs owed. A Department of Commerce investigation confirmed this extensive use of Chinese components and materials by these Southeast Asian countries. In order to correct for this duty avoidance, the U.S. implemented circumvention duties against these Southeast Asian producers.
However, enforcement challenges persist as foreign producers continue to exploit loopholes and expand their market share through continuously changing evasion tactics. The true scale of the evasion and circumvention efforts remains unknown. The Wall Street Journal reviewed a 2022 Customs report that found a secret warehouse at a Malaysian cabinet manufacturing site. This warehouse was packed with identical ready-to-ship boxes of wooden cabinet. However, some were stamped as “Made in China” and others had “Made in Malaysia”. These inspections are linked to tariff evasion investigations into subsidiaries of the Chinese Qingdao Haiyan Group and may just be the tip of the iceberg.
The Need for a Long-Term Solution Including Broad Tariffs
The ongoing battle against always shifting evasion tactics highlights the need for stronger and more comprehensive trade policies that address all global imports into the U.S. The challenges posed by imports are not limited to China, nor Vietnam, alone. As trade restrictions take effect, foreign producers continuously adapt, shifting production to new regions. Countries such as Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand, and Cambodia have emerged as some of the newest sources of low-cost imports, further harming U.S. manufacturers.
One of the key issues exacerbating this problem is the inconsistent stance of the U.S. government on trade policy. While some rulings have favored domestic producers, others have undermined these protections, creating uncertainty and instability in the industry, leading to mounting business and job losses.
This inconsistency highlights the limitations of the current overreliance on antidumping cases. These cases have helped divert the import surge to third-countries, but done nothing to effectively stem the import surge and protect U.S. businesses and workers. Moreover, the long, slow-moving process of these cases allows foreign producers to continue to maneuver and exploit legal ambiguities, taking more U.S. market share.
Despite these antidumping measures, foreign producers continue to push record imports into the U.S. The persistent influx of underpriced imports highlights the urgent need for a robust, long-term solution to protect the U.S. kitchen cabinet industry from unfair trade.
Recommendations for Protecting the Industry
The ongoing import surge has pushed local American kitchen cabinet producers across the country to the limit and foreign producers threaten to force a collapse of the entire U.S. industry. The domestic industry needs support and trade action from the Trump Administration in order to avoid this fate. President Trump’s Section 232 investigation on timber, lumber, and derivative products that include kitchen cabinets is a critical first step in protecting and boosting investment in the industry.
In addition, to safeguard the future of the U.S. kitchen cabinet industry, further comprehensive trade policy is needed. Key recommendations include:
By taking these actions, the U.S. can prevent further erosion of American jobs in the kitchen cabinet industry and protect U.S. family businesses.
Conclusion
A comprehensive and proactive approach to addressing surging kitchen cabinet imports will be crucial. The unchecked influx of low-cost imports, coupled with foreign producers’ illegal trade practices and circumvention tactics, has already placed significant pressure on domestic businesses and cost thousands of jobs.
The time for action is now. Currently, the Trump Administration should start with protective actions via the current Section 232 investigation on timber, lumber, and derivative products (including kitchen cabinets), allowing for no exemptions. The administration should ultimately pursue a minimum 100% tariff for kitchen cabinets in order to adequately protect American businesses and workers and stimulate investment in domestic production. Without bold tariffs, strict enforcement, and a crackdown on loopholes, the U.S. kitchen cabinet industry—and thousands more American jobs—will be at stake.
MADE IN AMERICA.
CPA is the leading national, bipartisan organization exclusively representing domestic producers and workers across many industries and sectors of the U.S. economy.
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