How Much Does Custom Joinery Cost in Australia?

At a Glance

Custom joinery in Australia typically costs $5,000–$25,000 per job, depending on the size of the piece, material choice, and finish complexity. A simple built-in bookshelf in painted MDF sits toward the lower end. A full wall of floor-to-ceiling library shelving in solid hardwood with integrated lighting pushes toward the upper range. Most jobs — an entertainment unit, a home office built-in, or a window seat with storage — land around $12,000.

What's Included

A custom joinery quote typically covers:

• Design and measure-up: on-site measurement, design consultation, and CAD drawings or detailed sketches. Some makers charge a separate design fee ($200–$600) that is credited against the build if you proceed.
• Materials: substrate (MDF, plywood, or solid timber), edging, backing, shelving hardware, soft-close hinges, drawer runners, and any integrated lighting or cable management.
• Workshop fabrication: cutting, assembly, sanding, and finishing in the maker's workshop. Workshop-built joinery produces a more refined result than on-site construction because the environment is controlled (dust, temperature, humidity).
• Delivery and installation: transport from workshop to site, fitting to walls and floors, scribing to uneven surfaces, and final adjustments. Includes fixing to studs or masonry as required.
• Finishing: paint, stain, lacquer, or clear coat applied in the workshop before delivery. On-site touch-ups after installation are standard.

All work should comply with AS 4386:2018 Cabinetry in the Built-in Environment, which covers design, manufacture, and installation of built-in furniture for domestic and commercial settings.

Materials and What They Cost

Material choice is the single biggest variable in custom joinery pricing. Here is what to expect across the main options:

Melamine-faced board (~$150/m2 installed). The budget option. A decorative paper layer is bonded to a particleboard or MDF core. Available in hundreds of colours and woodgrain patterns. Durable for shelving and internal carcase work. Not suitable for exposed edges without edging tape or lipping, which adds to the labour. Commonly used for the internal structure of higher-end pieces (shelves, backs, dividers) even when the exterior uses a premium material.

Painted MDF (~$200–$300/m2 installed). Medium-density fibreboard provides a smooth, paintable surface with no visible grain. The most popular choice for bookshelves, entertainment units, and home office built-ins where a clean, contemporary look is wanted. Spray-painted in the workshop for a factory-smooth finish. Polyurethane paint (2-pack) is harder-wearing than standard acrylic but adds 15–20% to the finishing cost.

Birch plywood (~$100–$150 per sheet, 2400x1200mm). Increasingly popular for a modern, layered-edge aesthetic where the plywood edge is left exposed as a design feature. Structural strength is excellent — plywood shelves span further without sagging compared to MDF or particleboard. Often finished with a clear coat or light stain to highlight the grain layers.

Timber veneer (~$300/m2 installed). A thin slice of real timber bonded to an MDF or plywood substrate. Gives the appearance of solid timber at roughly 60–70% of the cost. Common species include Tasmanian Oak (warm, honey tones), Blackbutt (pale, consistent grain), and Spotted Gum (dramatic figure with interlocking grain). Supply of Victorian Ash, which is botanically the same species group as Tasmanian Oak, has tightened since January 2024 when Victoria ended native timber harvesting. Expect longer lead times and 10–20% price increases on Victorian-sourced stock.

Solid hardwood (~$450/m2 installed). The premium option. Pieces are built entirely from solid timber — no substrate. Tasmanian Oak and Blackbutt are the most commonly specified for joinery. Solid hardwood is heavier, requires more skilled joinery (mortise-and-tenon, dovetails), and moves with seasonal humidity, so the maker needs to allow for expansion and contraction. The result is furniture-grade work that lasts generations.

Specialty finishes add 20–30% to the labour component. Hand-rubbed oil finishes, multi-coat lacquers, and custom stain matching (e.g. matching existing timber floors or heritage details) require more workshop time and skill. Japanese-inspired stains, two-tone finishes, and fluted or routed panel detailing are increasingly requested and priced on a case-by-case basis.

What Affects the Cost

• Size and complexity. A simple 2m-wide bookshelf with fixed shelves is far cheaper than a floor-to-ceiling library wall with a rolling ladder, integrated lighting, and a mix of open and closed storage. Linear metres of joinery is the primary cost driver.
• Material. Melamine carcase with painted MDF doors is the most cost-effective combination. Solid hardwood or heavily figured veneer can double the material cost. See the material comparison above.
• Finish type. A basic spray-painted finish is included in most quotes. 2-pack polyurethane, hand-rubbed oil, or multi-coat lacquer adds 20–30% to the finishing labour. Specialty stain matching (to existing floors or trim) requires sample boards and multiple rounds, adding both time and cost.
• Hardware. Soft-close hinges and drawer runners are standard. Push-to-open mechanisms, concealed pull-down shelving, motorised TV lifts, and integrated LED strip lighting add $200–$1,500+ per feature depending on the mechanism.
• Site access. Workshop-built pieces need to fit through doorways and stairwells. If a piece is too large to deliver assembled, it must be built in sections and joined on site, adding installation time. Inner-city terraces with narrow hallways and tight stairwells are the most common access challenge.
• Wall and floor condition. Older homes with out-of-square walls, uneven floors, or crumbling plaster require more scribing and packing during installation. Heritage homes with picture rails, dado rails, or cornicing need careful integration.
• Workshop vs on-site build. Workshop fabrication produces a superior finish (controlled environment, spray booth, precision machinery) but adds transport cost. On-site builds avoid transport issues but produce a rougher finish and create more dust and noise in the home. Most quality makers build in the workshop and install on site.

A straightforward 2.4m-wide painted MDF bookshelf with adjustable shelves sits toward $5,000. A full-wall entertainment unit in Tasmanian Oak veneer with concealed storage, cable management, integrated lighting, and a floating TV panel pushes toward $25,000.

Common Custom Joinery Jobs and Typical Costs

• Bookshelves and library walls: $3,000–$12,000. A single built-in bookshelf in painted MDF starts around $3,000. Floor-to-ceiling library walls spanning 4–6 metres with a mix of open shelving, closed cabinets, and display lighting run $8,000–$12,000+.
• Entertainment units and TV walls: $4,000–$15,000. A floating TV unit with concealed cable management and storage below starts around $4,000. Full media walls with integrated speakers, display niches, and feature lighting push toward $15,000.
• Home office built-ins: $4,000–$12,000. A desk with overhead shelving and filing drawers starts around $4,000. A full home office fit-out with L-shaped desk, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and built-in printer cabinet runs $8,000–$12,000.
• Display cabinets: $3,000–$10,000. Glass-fronted display cabinets with internal lighting for collectibles, art, or wine start around $3,000. Built-in display walls with a combination of glass, timber, and feature lighting run higher.
• Window seats with storage: $2,500–$8,000. A simple hinged-top window seat starts around $2,500. A window seat with drawers, integrated bookshelves on either side, and upholstered cushions runs $5,000–$8,000.

City and Regional Price Comparison

City-level: Sydney (NSW) serves as the baseline at $5,000–$25,000 per job. Melbourne tracks close to Sydney, with a deep custom joinery scene (particularly in the inner north) and strong demand from the renovation market. Victorian Ash supply constraints since January 2024 have added to timber costs for Melbourne makers. Brisbane sits 5–10% below Sydney for equivalent work, though humidity considerations affect timber selection and finishing. Perth and Adelaide run 5–15% lower on labour but have smaller pools of specialist joiners, which can mean longer lead times.

Suburb and regional level: Inner-city properties in any capital typically cost more because of access difficulty (narrow terrace hallways, limited parking for delivery vehicles) and the higher proportion of heritage homes requiring bespoke solutions. Newer suburban homes with standard wall heights, plasterboard walls, and good access are simpler to fit and sit closer to the lower end.

Cross-linking with related trades: if your joinery project involves a kitchen, custom wardrobes, or a bathroom vanity, a single cabinet maker can often handle multiple items in one engagement, reducing the per-piece cost.

How We Calculate

Estimates are based on current trade rates for qualified cabinet makers across Australian capital cities, adjusted for regional labour costs and typical material prices. All figures include GST. Ranges reflect the spread between a straightforward single-piece job in budget materials and a complex multi-piece installation in premium timber with specialty finishes.