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Cabinet Maker salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a cabinet maker is $72,800 per annum, before tax, up $15,100 since 2018.
- Pay is set by the award or enterprise agreement the workshop operates under, and it moves with the sector you work in, your skill level and how much overtime you take on.
- Installation and commercial fit-out work often carries site allowances that a bench job does not.
- If you set up your own workshop, what you earn depends on the jobs you win rather than an hourly rate.
The median salary rose by $15,100 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than cabinet maker
The largest typical pay rise is $18,700 a year, moving into Carpenter.
- Carpenter+$18,700/yr
How to negotiate a higher cabinet maker salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time cabinet maker salary is $72,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Cabinet Makers are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Reading plans and specifications and Hand and power tool work tend to command a premium over general cabinet maker experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Carpenter pays a typical $18,700 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Cabinet Maker salary questions
How much do cabinet makers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a cabinet maker is $72,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is cabinet maker pay rising or falling?
The median cabinet maker salary is up $15,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than cabinet maker?
Carpenter pays a typical $18,700 a year more and draws on similar skills to cabinet maker.
Related salaries
- Carpenter salary
- Joiner salary
- Shopfitter salary
- Wood Machinist salary
- Furniture Finisher salary
- Assembler salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.