Kitchen landed in Melbourne

The kitchen we priced

About 8 lineal metres plus an island, 2-pac doors, moisture-resistant carcasses, Blum hinges and runners, flat-packed over 1 metre.

Landed in Melbourne, line by line

Every line from the factory gate to your site. Low, middle and high use the low, middle and high of every published rate at once. Estimate: no delivered Elje job sits behind this figure yet.

Against Melbourne prices

Supply only is the fair comparison with a landed price; installed prices include labour, which you pay either way.

Per lm, Melbourne (Site Pro, 27 Jun 2026): mid-range $1,500 to $2,500, premium custom $2,500 to $3,500+, supply vs installed not split; trades and installation 15 to 30% of a mid-range kitchen.

The local supply-only figure is worked out from published per-metre cabinetry rates, not a single quote, so treat it as a guide.

Is it worth it?

Yes, on the numbers we have. About $17,530 landed against $20,000 to $33,000 for local joinery, supply only, so roughly $2,470 to $15,470 less, before you add the benchtops, tapware and anything else that rides in the same shipment for far less than it would on its own. Estimate.

The Melbourne market

Melbourne sits about 5 percent above Brisbane on the cost index, level with Perth. Rider Levett Bucknall forecasts a flat 4 percent a year rise in building costs, the gentlest of the capitals. Stone fabricators charge 15 to 20 percent more per metre than in Brisbane or Adelaide, and Melbourne's big tile houses do not publish online prices.

How it gets to Melbourne

Foshan factory to Nansha, Shekou or Yantian, a direct service to the Port of Melbourne, then a short run to the suburbs.

Australia's busiest container port, with terminals at Swanson Dock (DP World, Patrick) and Webb Dock (VICT), a few kilometres from the city.

Outer suburbs and growth corridors: container at the kerb. Inner suburbs: depot unpack and a small truck is usually easier.

What moves the number

• Door finish. 2-pac and timber veneer cost more than a decorative board, at the factory and here.
• Volume. Pieces over 1 metre come flat-packed, which can halve the shipped volume. Freight is charged on cubic metres.
• What it travels with. A kitchen on its own pays a whole set of port, broker and delivery charges. In a whole-house container it shares them.
• Hardware. Name the hinge and runner brand on the quote (Blum or Hettich). Unnamed hardware is where a cheap quote gets cheap.
• Benchtops are a separate line. See stone benchtops.

What it has to comply with

• Board: E0 or E1 formaldehyde emission, with the test report for the batch.
• Timber products: as the importer you run illegal logging due diligence and answer the community protection question on the import declaration.
• Tariff 9403.40.00, general duty 5 percent, Free from China with a ChAFTA certificate of origin.

Notes for Melbourne

Cool and changeable. Kitchens and bathrooms run cooler and drier than in Queensland, so standard moisture-resistant board in wet rooms is normal.

• Melbourne gets the most sailings from South China of any Australian port, so there is more choice of vessel and shared container.
• Inner-city Victorian and Edwardian houses have narrow side lanes and laneway access. Plan the delivery before the container is booked.
• Plumbing and building practitioners are registered with the Victorian building regulator. Imported certified products are installed the same way as local ones.

Questions