Sixteen weeks door to door is a realistic number: 30–45 days production, 18–35 days at sea, a few days for clearance and one to two weeks for installation. Production is less than half of it. The date is usually lost at drawing approval in weeks one and two, not on the factory floor.
Production is 30–45 days from approved drawings.
Sea freight is 18–35 days depending on destination.
Drawing approval is the critical path; a week lost there moves every date.
Allow two weeks of buffer on a first shipment.
Flat pack changes the install window, not production or sea time.
1. Where the weeks go
| Stage | Duration | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Drawing and approval | 1–2 weeks | Buyer and factory |
| Production | 30–45 days | Factory |
| Pre-shipment inspection | 2–3 days | Third party |
| Sea freight | 18–35 days | Carrier |
| Clearance and delivery | 2–5 days | Broker and haulier |
| Installation | 1–2 weeks | Installer |
Add the rows and the total is 14–18 weeks. Sixteen is the realistic middle. The only row fully within the buyer control is the first.
2. Production: 30–45 days
Production starts when drawings are approved and the deposit clears, not when the order is placed. Door style, finish and the number of custom sizes move the duration within the range. A painted shaker door takes longer than a slab door because of the finishing cycles. Ask for the production schedule with the quote, not after the deposit.
3. Sea freight by destination
| Destination | Transit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| US West Coast | 14–18 days | LA/LB, Seattle |
| US East Coast | 30–35 days | Via Panama |
| UK | 30–35 days | Felixstowe, Southampton |
| Australia / NZ | 18–25 days | Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland |
| Gulf | 18–25 days | Jebel Ali, Jeddah |
| Southeast Asia | 7–15 days | Singapore, Port Klang |
Transit is the least controllable row. Port congestion, blank sailings and weather can add a week without warning, which is why buffer belongs at the end, not in production.
4. Clearance and delivery
A clean entry clears in two to five days. Holds add a week or more, and most trace to a late filing, a missing certificate or a valuation query. Send documents to the broker before the vessel sails. The packaging standard also matters here, because a damaged container can trigger an inspection that adds days.
5. Installation and snagging
Installation takes one to two weeks depending on unit count and site access. Flat pack adds assembly days before installation; assembled arrives ready to fix. Snagging runs in parallel with the last units, so the practical completion date is usually a few days after the last cabinet is hung.
6. Buffers and risk
Allow two weeks of buffer on a first shipment and one week once the factory and route are proven. The buffer is not slack; it is the cheapest insurance against a port delay or a missed inspection. Put it at the end of the programme, where it can absorb any row, rather than inside production where it is invisible.
7. A week-by-week schedule
| Week | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Drawings, approval, deposit |
| 3–8 | Production |
| 9 | Pre-shipment inspection and fix window |
| 10 | Loading and export clearance |
| 11–13 | Sea freight |
| 14 | Import clearance and delivery |
| 15–16 | Installation, snagging, buffer |
This is the 16-week pattern most projects should plan against. If the programme is tighter, the only honest lever is earlier approval.
8. What moves the date
Four things move the completion date more than anything else: approval timing, door finish complexity, inspection findings and port congestion. Approval and finish are within the project control; inspection findings are partly so; port congestion is not. Plan the first two tightly and hold buffer for the last two. The shop drawing guide covers the approval step in detail.
9. A checklist before you commit
Before you sign, confirm six things: the board grade, the hardware model, the finish system, the packing standard, the inspection scope and the payment schedule. Each should be in writing, not in a call. The quote checklist turns the six into a one-page comparison.
10. Common mistakes
The most common mistake is comparing a factory price with a landed cost. The second is leaving the inspection out of the budget. The third is paying the balance before the inspection is signed off. Each is avoidable with a written scope and a pre-shipment inspection.
Frequently asked questions
How long does production take?
30–45 days from approved drawings for a typical project. The range depends on door style, finish and how many custom sizes are in the schedule.
How long is sea freight?
18–35 days depending on destination: about 14–18 to the US West Coast, 30–35 to the UK or US East Coast, 18–25 to the Gulf and 7–15 within Southeast Asia.
Can the schedule be compressed?
Partly. Production can sometimes be shortened with a premium or a reserved slot, but approval and shipping cannot. Compressing approval is the cheapest week to save.
What is the biggest cause of delay?
Drawing approval after week two. Every day lost there moves every later milestone by the same amount, and it is the one delay entirely within the buyer control.
How much buffer should I allow?
Two weeks on a first shipment, one week once the factory and the route are proven. Buffer is cheaper than a recovery programme.
Does flat pack change lead time?
It changes the install window, not production or sea time. Flat pack adds site assembly days, which is why the programme needs a build window before installation.
