How Much Does a Stainless Steel Countertop Cost? A Room-by-Room Breakdown.
Small galley, medium L-shape, large open-plan island kitchen — the square footage of stainless countertop you actually need varies dramatically by layout. Here's what each size kitchen realistically costs at every thickness, with no guesswork.
The question I get most often isn't "what thickness should I choose?" — it's "what's this actually going to cost me?" Fair. Custom fabrication pricing can feel opaque if you've never ordered before. So let's make it concrete.
Below, I've broken down three realistic kitchen layouts — small, medium, and large — with accurate countertop surface areas, and priced each one across all four thickness options. All prices are in USD; Canadian customers can apply roughly a 1.36× multiplier for CAD estimates.
How we measure: Countertop area is the actual surface you're covering — standard cabinet depth (24") plus a ~1.5" overhang gives roughly 25.5" of depth per run. Sink and cooktop cutouts are deducted from the quoted area. We don't charge for material removed.
Small kitchen
A compact galley — one or two cabinet runs, typically 8–12 linear feet — lands around 20 to 30 square feet of countertop. Common in apartments, condos, and secondary prep kitchens.
Medium kitchen
An L-shape or U-shape with 15–20 linear feet of cabinets — the most common layout in detached homes — typically runs 35 to 50 square feet. This range covers most of our residential orders.
Large kitchen with island
A large open-plan kitchen with a substantial island — perimeter cabinets on two or three walls plus a freestanding island — typically runs 65 to 90 square feet. This is the configuration where thickness choice has the most visible impact, both structurally and visually.
The prices above cover fabrication and packaging. Freight is quoted separately based on your delivery address — typically $200–$500 for residential US delivery, $350–$700 to Canada depending on province.
Add-ons like integrated sinks, faucet cutouts, and backsplash panels are line-itemed on top of the base countertop price. Multiple pieces for the same kitchen ship in one freight crate.
Installation is not provided. These countertops are designed as drop-in replacements and are installed by your contractor or yourself.
How to measure your kitchen
Measure each cabinet run in inches — length × depth. Standard base cabinet depth is 24"; with overhang you'll have roughly 25.5" total depth. Multiply length × depth, divide by 144 to convert to square feet, then add all runs including the island.
When in doubt, overestimate slightly. We review every measurement before cutting and will flag anything that looks off. If your project has unusual geometry — long spans, floating installations, integrated sinks — mention it in your quote request and we'll advise before anything gets fabricated.