Cabinetmaker

Build custom kitchens, cabinets and furniture in a shop. A 4-year paid apprenticeship, quieter and steadier than site work, with lower pay.

Typical pay: $50,000a year
Time to qualify: 4 to 5 yearspaid while you train, from day one
Demand: Moderate
Licence needed: Nono licence to hold

Click through it

Start

Download PDFDownload the one-pagerPDF

Pay, the path, pros and cons and the facts on one printable page. Counsellors: send it to a student from your own email in one click.

How to start as a cabinetmaker in Ontario

An apprenticeship: you are hired by a sponsor, paid while you learn on the job, and go to class for a few weeks at a time. Every fact here is from Skilled Trades Ontario (STO) and the Ontario government. See every Ontario trade side by side

Cabinet maker (trade 438A)

Licence to work

Not needed, but the certificate helps

Red Seal

Yes: work anywhere in Canada

Training

8,000 hours, about 720 in class

To start

Grade 12, age 16 or older

You are paid from your first day. Over the 7,280 hours on the job, even at the minimum wage you would earn at least $130,676 before tax while you train, and most sponsors pay more as your skills grow.

The trade on Skilled Trades Ontario's site(opens in a new tab)

The steps

Check you can start: you are at least 16, allowed to work in Canada, and have the school grade the trade asks for.
Find a sponsor: an employer, or a group of employers such as a union, that will train you. This is the step most people find hardest.
Apply to Skilled Trades Ontario: online if you are 18 or older, on a paper form a parent signs if you are 16 or 17. Your sponsor signs too.
Sign your training agreement. You get a wallet card to carry at work, and your skills are signed off in a logbook as you learn them.
Work and go to class. Most of the time is paid work; every year or so you spend 8 to 12 weeks in class at a college. Where the trade has an exam, you write it at the end.

Starting an apprenticeship, from STO(opens in a new tab)

Where sponsors come from

Your guidance counsellor, and the youth apprenticeship, Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) or dual credit programs at your school. Source (opens in a new tab)
Employment Ontario: over 700 offices with free one-on-one help, and it matches apprentices with sponsors (1-800-387-5656). Source (opens in a new tab)
Job Bank's apprenticeship job search for Ontario. Source (opens in a new tab)
Unions and trade associations for the trade, college career centres and local companies. Source (opens in a new tab)

Still in high school? In Grade 11 or 12, with at least 14 credits and age 15 or older, you can start an apprenticeship through co-op placements and earn credits at the same time. Ask your school's OYAP recruiter, guidance counsellor or co-op teacher. Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)(opens in a new tab)

Not ready to find a sponsor? Free pre-apprenticeship programs (up to a year at a college or community agency, tools and books covered, with a work placement) get you ready and in front of employers. Employment Ontario helps you apply. Pre-apprenticeship training(opens in a new tab)

The money

Ontario sets no percentage of full pay for apprentices. Your sponsor agrees your wage with you, and it can never be below the minimum wage: $17.95 an hour from 1 October 2026. Source (opens in a new tab)

Canada Apprentice Loan (opens in a new tab): Up to $4,000 in interest-free loans. Red Seal trades only. Government of Canada page (opens in a new tab)
Employment Insurance (EI) in class (opens in a new tab): You may get EI while you are away from work in class. Your college seat letter gives you the EI reference code to apply. Government of Canada page (opens in a new tab)
Apprentice Development Benefit (opens in a new tab): Up to $500 a week while in class if you do not get EI or it is below $500, plus travel and childcare help.
Ontario Tools Grant (opens in a new tab): $400 to $1,000, depending on the trade, after your first level of class and a year registered.

Where to study to become a cabinetmaker in Canada

Programs in the fields this career usually comes through. Each has its own page: what it takes to get in, the courses you need and what it costs.

Colleges

Every university, each on its own page · Every college

Compare where to study thisOntario colleges side by side for skilled trades Compare with other careersPay, time, cost, the path in and the pros and cons, side by side

Or jump to a part

Quick answers

How much does a cabinetmaker make in Canada?

The median pay is about $50,000 a year. Across everyone in the job it runs from about $40,000 at the lower end to about $64,000 at the upper end. The source is listed under Sources at the end of this page.

How long does it take to become a cabinetmaker in Canada?

4 to 5 years, on the usual route, and you are paid while you train from the first day.

What does it cost to become a cabinetmaker?

$500 to $4,050 all in for tuition, fees, exams and kit. Living costs are not counted.

Do you need a licence to work as a cabinetmaker in Canada?

No. There is no licence to hold, though many employers still ask for training or a certificate.

What is the job outlook for a cabinetmaker in Canada?

Moderate demand nationally, from government outlook data. Demand varies by region, so check your area.

Or read the whole thing here

Cabinetmaker salary in Canada

What you earn and what it costs to get there.

What cabinetmakers make

Median

$50,000

Lower end

$40,000

Upper end

$64,000

Job Bank's national median is $24 an hour, about $50,000 a year at 40 hours a week. The lower and upper ends are Job Bank's low and high wages for everyone in the group, $19 and $31 an hour. Be honest with yourself: Job Bank's national medians are higher for electricians ($35 an hour), plumbers ($34) and crane operators ($42.77). Shop leads, CNC (computer-controlled cutting machine) programmers and owners of a successful custom shop are the ones near the top.

You earn while you learn

A share of the full rate

Apprentices are paid part of the journeyperson rate, rising at each level

Your employer pays you while you train, and the rate rises as you pass each level. In Ontario no share is set in law: your sponsor agrees your rate, often in a union or company agreement, and it can never be below the minimum wage.

Where pay is highest

$26.00 an hour

The median in British Columbia, the highest in Canada

Ontario ($25.00) and Quebec ($24.00) follow, and Manitoba is lowest at $22.50. Running the CNC (computer-controlled cutting machine) or leading a shop floor gets you toward the top of the range.

What it costs to get there

In-school blocks (3 over the apprenticeship): $400 to $800 each. Ontario pays the Level 1 classroom fee for classes from January 2026
Hand tools and measuring tools: $500 to $1,500
Certificate of Qualification exam: Free on your first try in Ontario once your apprenticeship is complete, then $150 plus HST (harmonized sales tax) for each retry. Other provinces set their own fee
Help available: Canada Apprentice Loan (no interest, up to $4,000 per school block), plus EI (Employment Insurance) while you are in class

Roughly, all in

$500 to $4,050

Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel

This is a paid apprenticeship, so there is no tuition to find up front and the shop owns the expensive machines. The low end is an apprentice whose employer covers the three in school blocks, who builds a hand tool kit slowly, and whose first Certificate of Qualification exam try is free in Ontario once the apprenticeship is complete. The high end is paying for all three blocks yourself at the top provincial rate plus a fuller set of hand and measuring tools. The Canada Apprentice Loan lends up to $4,000 per block with no interest, and EI (Employment Insurance) can replace some income during class time.

The shop owns the big machines, so your own costs stay low. The federal Apprenticeship Incentive Grant closed in March 2025. The new federal Red Seal Completion Bonus pays $5,000 if you finish your apprenticeship and get certified in a Red Seal trade on or after April 1, 2025. Applications open November 16, 2026.

Benefits

Steady, year-round indoor work
No winter layoffs, no rain days. Most shops run 8 to 4, Monday to Friday.
Health benefits at larger shops
Small shops often offer none. Unions are rare in this trade.
Skills that transfer
Millwork, furniture, store fixtures, boat interiors, film sets, restoration.
You can build your own things
Most cabinetmakers furnish their own homes at cost.

How to become a cabinetmaker in Canada

The exact path from high school to qualified.

The path to becoming a cabinetmaker, step by step

A paid apprenticeship in a shop, plus college blocks.

1
High school diploma
Grade 12
Grade 12. Woodworking, math and design classes help. Ontario students can start early through OYAP (the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program).
2
Find a sponsor
Weeks to months
A cabinet shop, millwork factory or furniture maker willing to register you. A one-year college woodworking program makes this much easier.
3
Register the apprenticeship
Days
With your provincial trades authority: Skilled Trades Ontario, Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training, or SkilledTradesBC.
4
Work and study
About 4 years
About 8,000 hours in Ontario: 7,280 in the shop plus 720 hours in class, usually three blocks at a college. Other provinces set their own hours.
5
Certificate of Qualification and Red Seal
After your hours
Pass the provincial exam. Add the interprovincial Red Seal endorsement to work in any province.

High school courses that help you become a cabinetmaker

Woodworking or construction technology
The most direct preparation there is.
Math
Fractions, angles and cut lists every day. Mistakes waste expensive sheets of material.
Drafting or design
Shop drawings and 3D design software are now standard.
Computer classes
CNC (computer-controlled cutting machine) programming is a big part of the modern shop.

Time and money, at a glance

Years to certificate: About 4
Total out of pocket: Usually under $4,000, more with a college program first
Paid while training?: Yes, from day one
Exam required: Yes for the certificate, but you can work without it

A voluntary trade

In Ontario, cabinetmaker is a voluntary trade. No licence is required to build cabinets for pay, and many good cabinetmakers never certify. The Certificate of Qualification and the Red Seal endorsement matter most if you want to work in a large millwork shop, teach, or move provinces. Alberta and BC (British Columbia) also treat it as voluntary.

Where people study

Ontario
Conestoga College in Kitchener runs a two-year Woodworking Technician diploma with the cabinetmaker apprenticeship levels built in. Other Ontario colleges deliver the apprenticeship in-school blocks.
BC (British Columbia)
BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology) offers joinery and cabinetmaking training.
Quebec
Vocational centres offer cabinetmaking diplomas, mostly in French, with an English program at one Montreal centre.

Quebec routeIn Quebec? The route is different. 1 more card.

The path in Quebec

In Quebec most cabinetmakers start with a vocational diploma, and the trade certificate is voluntary.

1
Secondary IV courses
From age 16
The DEP (Diploma of Vocational Studies) in Cabinetmaking needs a high school diploma, or age 16 with Secondary IV language, second language and math. From 18, the general development test is another way in.
2
DEP in Cabinetmaking (Ébénisterie 5352, or 5852 in English)
About 17 months
1,650 hours of machining, assembly, veneer and finishing. In French at centres across Quebec. In English at the Rosemount Technology Centre in Montreal, with day and evening groups.
3
Get hired in a shop
Varies
Furniture makers, kitchen cabinet shops and architectural woodwork plants.
4
Or learn on the job
2 to 3 years
An employer can train you through the PAMT (workplace apprenticeship program) from age 16. With no experience it takes 2 to 3 years.
5
Qualification certificate and Red Seal
Optional
Quebec's cabinetmaker certificate is recognized under the Red Seal program. After about 2 years in the trade you can have your skills assessed for it without a diploma.

What helps you get ahead as a cabinetmaker

Things you don't need, but that help.

Skills that open doors

CNC (computer-controlled cutting machine) programming
Turning a design into a cutting program for the machine.
3D design software
Programs that draw the kitchen, price it and generate the cut list. Designers who can also build are valuable.
Finishing
Spray lacquer and stain in a finishing booth. A separate skill that many shops struggle to staff.
Solid wood furniture and joinery
Slower, harder, and what custom studios look for.

Nice-to-haves

A college woodworking program first
One or two years. Not required, but it gets you sponsored and skips the sweeping-floors stage.
Patience and precision
A millimetre off on a cabinet door shows.
Respect for machines that can take a finger
Table saws and jointers do not forgive.

Side path: furniture maker

Some cabinetmakers leave kitchens behind and build one-off furniture for designers, galleries and clients. The work is beautiful and slow. Most furniture makers mix custom pieces with steadier millwork or teaching to make the income work, and the ones who succeed are as good at selling as at building.

What being a cabinetmaker is really like

Day to day, pros and cons, where you'd work.

What a cabinetmaker does day to day

7:30 in the shop. Read the drawings, pull sheets of plywood and MDF (medium-density fibreboard), break them down on the panel saw or load the CNC (computer-controlled cutting machine). Edgeband the parts, drill for hinges and shelves, then assemble boxes and hang doors. Sanding, a lot of sanding. Some days you drive out to install a kitchen. Hearing protection and a dust mask all day. Home by 4:30, same time every day.

The honest pros and cons of being a cabinetmaker

The good

Indoor, steady hours, no winter layoffs
Paid from day one, low tool costs
Creative: you see the finished piece
Skills transfer to furniture, film sets and restoration

The hard parts

A lower Job Bank median than electricians or plumbers, and apprentices start on a share of it
Wood dust and noise, so lungs and hearing need protecting
Repetitive work in production shops
Few unions, and small shops often have no benefits

Work life

Typical hours: 40 a week, mostly days
Remote work: None, though design work can be
Physical demand: Moderate
Unionized: Rarely

Similar paths

Things nobody tells you about being a cabinetmaker

Things people don't tell you.

Red Seal everywhere since 1989

Cabinetmaker became a Red Seal trade in 1989, and today the endorsement is offered in every province and territory, Quebec included.

Wood dust is a known carcinogen

Fine dust from hardwoods like oak and beech is linked to nasal cancer after years of exposure. Good shops have dust collection on every machine, and good cabinetmakers wear a mask anyway.

The machine does the cutting now

In a modern shop, a CNC (computer-controlled cutting machine) cuts a whole kitchen's parts from a file in an hour. The cabinetmaker's job has shifted toward design, programming, assembly and the finish quality a machine cannot judge.

How a cabinetmaker compares

Every list is built from the same numbers shown above, so you can see where this career sits next to the others.

More skilled trades careers in Canada

Construction first, then the rest of the field. See every career in skilled trades.

Where these numbers come from

Last checked October 2026. Pay figures are typical full-time annual amounts in Canadian dollars, based on Government of Canada Job Bank wage data and published salary grids. They vary by province, employer and experience. Tuition is for domestic students. How every figure on this site is sourced and checked.