A request for quote for Two Tone Aluminum Frame Cabinets usually comes back with three very different prices from three very different factories. The reason is rarely the frame itself. It is what the buyer left out: which two tones, which panel filling, which hardware, and whether the sizes on the drawing are finished dimensions or rough openings. The information below is the list we need in order to quote a made-to-measure aluminium frame kitchen without guessing.
1. Room layout and the working dimensions
Send the wall elevations, not just a floor plan. For an aluminium frame run we need overall length and height per wall, the depth of each cabinet line, and the position of every fixed constraint: window sills, radiator positions, gas and water risers, extract ducting, switch plates and skirting that will or will not be removed. Note clearly which numbers are finished wall-to-wall dimensions after tiling and flooring.
Flag the awkward geometry early — a chimney breast, a column, a sloping ceiling, an unlevel floor. These change both fabrication and installation time, and they are the most common cause of a revised quote after the first one has already been issued.
2. The two tones, stated by surface rather than by name
"Two tone" means different things in different workshops, so describe it by surface: what colour or finish is on the carcass, what is on the door face, and what is on the aluminium frame profile itself. If you have a RAL reference, a paint sample code or a photograph of an approved sample, send it. Otherwise tell us which element should carry the darker tone — the tall units and island, for example, with the lighter finish on the wall run.
Finish matters as much as colour. Our aluminium frame kitchen line is offered with material and finish options, and a matte door face against a bright frame reads very differently from a high gloss one under the same lighting. If you are matching an existing joinery package or an appliance front, send that reference too.
3. Door panel type and glazing
Aluminium frame cabinets are defined by what sits inside the frame, so specify it unit by unit. Solid panel fronts give a clean, cabinet-like look; glass fronts — clear, frosted or smoked — turn upper units into display; and a mixed elevation is normal in a residential kitchen. Our Aluminum Frame with Solid Panel and Glass Front Aluminum Frame Cabinets pages show how the same frame family changes character with the infill.
For glazed units, state the glass type, whether the glass is single or double sided on that door, and whether internal lighting is required. Frame profile colour and width should be confirmed for every elevation where a frame is visible, including the island back if it faces a living space.
4. Internal layout, appliances and hardware
List the internal configuration per unit: drawer stacks rather than shelves where the budget allows, pull-out corners, pantry racking, appliance housings, cutlery organisation, waste bins. Send the appliance schedule with model numbers and cut-out dimensions for the oven, hob, extractor, dishwasher, fridge and any wine cabinet, because an integrated appliance changes the carcass depth and the plinth detail.
State your hardware preference or your exclusion — concealed handles versus a profile pull on the aluminium edge, soft-close on all doors or only on the frequently used ones, and whether you have a preferred hinge brand. If you do not have a preference, say so explicitly and ask us to propose one; silence here is what produces a quote that looks cheap until the hinges are itemised separately.
5. Countertops, splashbacks and the scope boundary
Say clearly whether the countertop and splashback are inside or outside this quotation. If they are inside, send the material, thickness, edge profile, sink cut-out type and whether the hob is ｄｒｏｐ-in or undermount. If they are outside, tell us the finished stone thickness so the carcase and support detail can be designed for it, and confirm who supplies the templating.
6. Quantities, site location and delivery terms
Give the quantity as a unit count per elevation or a full set of elevations with dimensions marked, plus the number of identical kitchens if this is a multi-apartment or development job. Then state the delivery address, the floor and lift access, and your preferred Incoterms — FOB, CIF or door-to-door. We handle freight by sea, air and rail with customs paperwork and container loading planning, so tell us whether you want the shipment managed to site or handed over at port.
For Australian villa and apartment work, delivery address and access details are what let us plan packaging and container loading realistically rather than estimating them.
7. Programme and who installs
Give the site programme: when drawings must be signed off, when the kitchen must land, and any trade sequence that cannot move. Then name the installer — your joiner, your builder, or us. Installation changes the drawing set (site tolerances, service clearances, snag access), so it needs to be settled before pricing rather than after.
8. What you expect back from us
State the format of the quote you want: priced by linear metre or by unit, with hardware and countertops itemised separately so you can substitute later. Ask for a marked elevation showing every dimension we have assumed, and for the exclusions to be written out rather than implied. A quote that lists its assumptions can be compared; a single total figure cannot.
A quick pre-quote checklist
- Wall elevations with finished dimensions, plus constraints — windows, risers, ducting, columns, floor levels.
- The two tones defined by surface (carcass, door face, frame profile), with sample references.
- Infill per unit: solid panel, clear, frosted or smoked glass; lighting in glazed units.
- Internal layout and the appliance schedule with model numbers and cut-outs.
- Hardware preference, or an explicit request for a proposal.
- Countertop and splashback in scope or out of scope, with material and thickness.
- Quantity, delivery address, access, and preferred Incoterms.
- Site programme and who is installing.
Send that and the first quotation is usually close to the last one. Our aluminium frame kitchen cabinets are made to measure with material, finish and layout options chosen per project, so dimensions and specifications are confirmed with you before production rather than assumed on the drawing.
For a worked example of how we coordinate cabinetry with the rest of a fit-out, see Custom Kitchen Cabinets for Residential and Hotel Projects, or send us your elevations and we will price them.