One of the main deciding factors in cabinet pricing is what the center panel of the cabinet door consists of. In the construction of the cabinet, the face frame and the door frame typically will be made of wood. However, the way the center panel of the cabinet door is manufactured is going to be where the money is. About 75% of what you're paying for in the cabinet, is for the frame and door material.Remember this; it’s very easy to get tunnel vision on the final price of your kitchen. However, don’t worry about the final price until the final design is completed, and all of the possible promos and discounts are applied. The last thing you want to do is to get fixated on the individual price of each individual cabinet as the design is in progress. If you worry about price too early you’ll over load your mind with numbers, and you’ll drive your designer crazy in the process. Get the final design & pricing done first, and then if the price is still too high for your liking, then you can ask your designer about ways of cutting down the price without affecting the permanent design of the cabinet layout.Keep in mind that the prices will fluctuate wildly depending on the door styles and wood species. Also, remember to choose the cabinets that you’ll love to look at for the next 10 to 15 years, regardless of price, during the design process because this is what you’ll be looking at….for a while. ​ FLAT VENEER CENTER PANEL-The Flat Veneer Center Panel surrounded by a wood door frame is typically the least expensive cabinet door option in wood. The center panel in this type of door style is usually ¼” plywood. The center panel recesses below the door frame. This door is the least expensive option in wood door styles. These cabinets are available in square, arch, and cathedral door styles. These doors are the lightest of varieties compared to the other door styles which are available to you. If I had to pick a downside to the recessed veneer door panel it would be that the doors are light, and some people will not take kindly to the feel of the door as they are opening and closing the doors over a period of years.  ​ RAISED VENEER CENTER PANELThe Raised Veneer Center Panel will typically have the same thickness as its door frame. Once again, the door frame will almost always be solid wood. Usually the center panel will be flat with soft smooth edges around its perimeter. One of the ways to almost always be able to tell a veneer center panel from a solid wood center panel are its soft smote edges. There is only a very thin veneer of wood covering the center panel. You would more than likely not be able to sand down this door in the future, to stain it in another color without sanding through the center skin. If you decide to go with the raised veneer center panel make sure that you pick a stain or paint that you can live with because refinishing these cabinets in the future isn’t an option. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t look or feel of the veneer recessed center panel then the raised veneer center panel door is the next step up, in price and looks.  This door style is right in the middle of the road when it comes to pricing.   ​                    SOLID WOOD CENTER PANELThe Solid Wood Center Panel will usually have a nice detailed routed cut in its solid wood center panel. However, the details within the solid wood center panel styles will differ between cabinet manufacturers. This door style is generally the most expensive option when it comes to pricing. Keep in mind that most of the cabinet doors styles that you’ll come across will be solid wood center panel doors. Along with that, there will be many, many styles & cuts available to you. These will cost more than any other door profile, but don’t despair because the choices are many.    Now we’ll look at a rarity in the kitchen industry door styles, a curve ball if you will. Typically on base cabinets you’ll almost always only see square doors. Only in very rare instances will you ever see anything other than a square door on a kitchen base cabinet. One of the reasons for this is because arched or cathedral style doors on kitchen base cabinets appear to be too much for the human eye to get used to, for most people. ​  Sometimes you’ll see a vanity cabinet in a bathroom with an arch or cathedral style door, but this is usually only on single cabinets, so it’s easier on the eye. Vanity cabinets fall under different rules because there’s usually only one of them in a stand-alone setting. In conclusion, now you can see how and why pricing & styles of cabinets can fluctuate wildly. The best route to go in sifting through the many choices would be this; ​1st- Choose your cabinet manufacturer                   2nd- Choose your wood species                   3rd- Choose a door style which you like                   4th- Choose the color of the cabinet (paint, glaze or stain)