Kitchen equipment budgets go wrong in a predictable way: the fabricated scope is estimated from a per-square-foot rule of thumb, the bought-out equipment is priced from a brochure, and the utilities, ventilation and installation are left out entirely. The result is a number that is usually thirty to forty per cent short.
This guide breaks the cost into the categories that actually appear on an invoice and explains what moves each one. All ranges are indicative and vary by specification, grade, city and project size.
What makes up a commercial kitchen budget
A commercial kitchen budget has five components, and only the first two are what most people mean when they say "equipment".
- Fabricated stainless-steel scope — work tables, sinks, racking, counters, hoods
- Bought-out equipment — ranges, ovens, refrigeration, dishwashers, small equipment
- Ventilation and ducting — hoods, ducting, fans, fresh-air make-up
- Utilities — gas pipeline, electrical distribution, plumbing and drainage
- Installation, commissioning and freight
Indicative cost ranges by category
The table below gives broad ranges for the fabricated scope. Bought-out equipment varies far more, because a range can cost anything from a modest figure to several times that depending on brand and specification.
| Category | Indicative range | Main cost driver |
|---|---|---|
| Work tables and benching | ₹ 8,000 – ₹ 25,000 per unit | Length, sheet gauge, sink integration |
| Sinks and wash-up lines | ₹ 15,000 – ₹ 60,000 per line | Bowl count, drain board length, grade |
| Storage racking | ₹ 6,000 – ₹ 20,000 per bay | Shelf type, load rating, cold-room spec |
| Exhaust hood and ducting | ₹ 1,200 – ₹ 3,000 per sq ft | Filtration type, duct run length, fan |
| Cooking range | ₹ 25,000 – ₹ 2,00,000 | Burner count, HP/LP, oven base |
| Refrigeration (per unit) | ₹ 45,000 – ₹ 2,50,000 | Capacity, doors, ambient rating |
| Display counter | ₹ 40,000 – ₹ 1,80,000 | Length, glass profile, refrigeration |
The five variables that move the number most
Two kitchens of identical size can differ by fifty per cent in equipment cost. These are the reasons, roughly in order of impact.
1. Steel grade and sheet thickness
SS 202 is meaningfully cheaper than SS 304 and looks nearly identical on day one. It also corrodes in a wet kitchen. Sheet thickness matters as much: a 0.8 mm top and a 1.2 mm top are different products at different prices, and only one of them survives a chopping board.
3. Refrigeration ambient rating
A unit rated for 32°C ambient costs less than one rated for 43°C. In most Indian kitchens the cheaper unit will struggle every summer, run continuously and fail early. This is the single most common false economy in kitchen procurement.
4. Ventilation
Ventilation is routinely under-budgeted because the hood is visible and the ducting is not. On a mall or high-rise site with a long duct run and mandated filtration, ventilation can approach the cost of the cooking equipment itself.
5. Site condition
A shell that needs floor levelling, drainage falls cut, gas routed from a distant bank and power upgraded will add substantially to a budget that only counted equipment.
How to build a budget that holds
Start from the menu and the cover count, not from the floor area. Get the equipment schedule agreed before pricing anything, because a schedule can be priced accurately and a floor area cannot.
Then price the five components separately, add a contingency of ten to fifteen per cent for site conditions, and confirm what is excluded — freight, unloading, statutory approvals and civil work are the usual omissions.
