When comparing cabinet material suppliers, it’s natural to focus on product pricing. After all, saving a few dollars on a sheet of melamine, a box of screws, or a set of hinges feels like a smart business decision.
But material price is only part of the equation.
Every supplier you add to your purchasing process brings additional purchase orders, deliveries, invoices, and follow-up calls. Those administrative tasks take time, and over the course of a year, that time can become one of the biggest hidden costs in your business. Procurement experts increasingly recommend evaluating the total cost of purchasing, not just the price on the invoice.
The Hidden Costs That Don’t Appear on Your Purchase Order
A purchase order tells you what you’re paying for materials. It doesn’t show what you’re paying in labour to manage the order.
Consider what happens when you’re buying from several cabinet material suppliers.
One supplier delivers sheet goods.
Another supplies hardware
A third provides edgebanding.
A fourth ships adhesives.
Each supplier means another order to place, another delivery to receive, another invoice to process, and another point of contact if something changes.
Those tasks may only take a few minutes each, but they happen repeatedly throughout the year.
For a typical cabinet shop, those minutes quickly turn into hours.
Where the Time Goes
Every additional supplier can add time spent on:
- Receiving multiple deliveries
- Processing separate invoices
- Following up on backorders and ETAs
- Coordinating different delivery schedules
- Managing multiple accounts and contacts
While none of these activities generate revenue, they still consume valuable production time.
The Lowest Price Isn’t Always the Lowest Cost
Saving a few dollars on materials may seem worthwhile until you calculate the labour required to manage multiple vendors.
The example below illustrates how administrative tasks alone can represent hundreds of hours annually.
In this example, a shop purchasing from a single supplier instead of several could potentially save approximately:
- 200 hours annually
- Up to $6,000 in labour costs
These estimates are based on fewer deliveries, fewer invoices, reduced supplier follow-ups, and less paperwork—all time that can be redirected toward production.
What to Look for in Cabinet Material Suppliers
Price matters.
But it shouldn’t be the only factor.
| If you’re comparing suppliers… | Look Beyond Price |
|---|---|
| Product cost | Total purchasing cost |
| Number of suppliers | Administrative workload |
| Delivery reliability | Production downtime |
| Inventory | Backorders |
| Customer support | Time spent resolving issues |
| Product range | Ability to consolidate purchasing |
A supplier that helps simplify your purchasing process often delivers greater long-term value than one offering the lowest price on a handful of products.
Why Cabinet Shops Choose One Supplier
Many successful cabinet shops reduce administrative work by purchasing as much as possible from a single supplier.
Instead of managing multiple vendors, they place:
- One order
- One delivery
- One invoice
That means less paperwork, fewer interruptions, and more time building cabinets.
Find More Than Just Materials at McFadden’s
McFadden’s supplies much more than panel products.
Cabinet shops can source many of their everyday products from one place, including:
- Board and panel products
- Decorative cabinet hardware
- Drawer slides
- Hinges and lift systems
- Edgebanding
- Woodworking adhesives
- Finishing products
- Shop supplies and safety products
- Fasteners
- Shelf hardware
With over 25,000 SKUs available online, consolidating these purchases with one supplier can simplify ordering while reducing the administrative burden of managing multiple accounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do cabinet material suppliers sell?
Most cabinet material suppliers offer a combination of sheet goods, hardware, drawer slides, hinges, edgebanding, adhesives, fasteners, finishing products, and shop supplies. Some suppliers provide a broader product range than others.
Is it better to buy from one cabinet material supplier?
For many cabinet shops, purchasing from one supplier reduces administrative work, simplifies deliveries, minimizes paperwork, and saves valuable production time. While individual product prices may occasionally vary, the overall operating cost can often be lower because there are fewer orders, invoices, and supplier interactions to manage.
Should I choose a supplier based only on price?
No. Product price is important, but it should be weighed alongside delivery reliability, product availability, service, and the time required to manage the purchasing process. Looking at the total cost of ownership often leads to better long-term decisions.
Save Time Beyond the Purchase Order
The best cabinet material suppliers do more than deliver products—they help your business operate more efficiently.
When you can source boards, hardware, edgebanding, adhesives, finishing products, and shop supplies from one trusted supplier, you spend less time managing paperwork and more time doing what matters most: building great cabinets.
