Modular kitchen cost in India: what the price per square foot hides

Modular kitchen quotations in India commonly land between ₹1,200 and ₹3,500 per square foot of shutter area, and the spread is not a negotiating margin. It is three different products wearing one name.

The carcass decides most of it. Commercial-grade plywood with a BWP core costs meaningfully more than MDF or particle board, and in a kitchen — where the space under the sink is wet for years — it is the difference between a cabinet that survives a decade and one that swells at the base in year three. Ask which material is used for the bottom cabinets specifically. Some quotes use plywood everywhere except there.

Then hardware. Channels and hinges are typically 12 to 18 per cent of a kitchen's cost and account for almost all of the daily experience of using it. A quote that names the hardware brand and series is a quote you can compare. One that says 'imported soft-close' is not.

Finally, count what is excluded. Countertop, sink, chimney, hob, backsplash and electrical points are frequently outside the modular quote and inside your budget. A ₹1,200 per square foot kitchen with those excluded and a ₹2,000 kitchen with them included are the same kitchen at the same price.

A rate per square foot with the countertop excluded is not a lower price. It is a shorter list.