# Freight and Delivery Costs in Cabinet Job Reviews

Canonical: https://millbase.ca/blog/freight-and-delivery-costs-in-cabinet-job-reviews
Author: [Coby Birenbaum](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cobybirenbaum/)
Published: 2026-10-19
Updated: 2026-10-19
Archive edition: 2026-06-26

Cabinet delivery costs can disappear into general expenses when one truck carries several jobs.

Cabinet delivery costs can disappear into general expenses when one truck carries several jobs. Choose a consistent allocation approach and retain the shipment connection. The aim is an explainable estimate of cost, not false precision.

## Record the shipment

- Identify jobs, delivery areas, route, and special handling requirements.
- Separate ordinary delivery from repeat visits or expedited recovery.
- Record external freight charges and internal resources according to the costing policy.
- Document the allocation basis for mixed loads.

## A simple illustration

If an illustrative $600 freight charge serves two jobs, allocating $300 each may be reasonable only when that basis fits the shipment. Large differences in space, handling, or route requirements may justify a different approach.

## Improve estimating

Review repeat delivery costs and their causes. A missed accessory that requires another trip should remain visible rather than blending into routine freight.

## Related reading

- [Overhead Allocation for Custom Millwork Jobs](https://millbase.ca/blog/overhead-allocation-for-custom-millwork-jobs)
- [Cost-to-Complete Reviews for Open Cabinet Jobs](https://millbase.ca/blog/cost-to-complete-reviews-for-open-cabinet-jobs)

## Definitions and further reference

- [Intuit: job costing and cost records](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/job-costing/track-job-costs-quickbooks-desktop/L2X01vi47_US_en_US)

## How Millbase can help your shop

### Bring job-cost reviews back to the recorded work

Use [Millbase project tracking](https://millbase.ca/#projects) to keep a cabinet job and its sub-projects together, then compare estimates with recorded labour and material costs. [Insights and reports](https://millbase.ca/#insights) help the team inspect the people and workstations behind a total and export supported results for the next review.

Ask the [Millbase AI agent](https://millbase.ca/#how-it-works) a question grounded in your workspace records. For example: *“Compare this project’s estimated and actual labour, then break the logged hours down by workstation.”* You can select a project or worker, ask follow-up questions, and request [supported reports and CSV exports](https://millbase.ca/#insights).

Check the date range, job scope, and recorded inputs before changing a quote. Keep the accounting treatment of overhead, tax, and revenue in the appropriate financial process; a shop-floor cost breakdown is only as complete as the inputs recorded.

## Explore the wider topic

For the broader workflow and decisions behind this guide, read [Cabinet Shop Job Costing: Separate Margin From Markup](https://millbase.ca/blog/cabinet-shop-job-costing-separate-margin-from-markup).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is allocation by sales value always appropriate?

No. Sales value may have little relationship to delivery effort. Choose a basis that reasonably reflects the shipment and document it.

### Should return trips be charged to the same job?

Keep the job connection and reason visible, then apply the business's agreed costing and commercial treatment.