Quick answer: Two quotes for one drawing often differ twofold, and the gap sits in the basis: kilograms of resin, pieces absorbing the mould, 304 versus 316 hardware, and the start of lead time. Strip an 8.5 kg case: 100 CNY of resin, 42 of rotomolding, 26 of hardware, 7 of packing, 12 of tooling, 18 of overhead.
Table of contents
- Why the Same Drawing Costs 205 or 380
- Minimum Order and Mould Ownership
- When the Lead Time Clock Starts
- Factory Audits, Payment Terms and Quote Wording
- FAQ
1. Why the Same Drawing Costs 205 or 380
Three factories quoted 205, 268 and 380 CNY for one drawing of 700 × 450 × 380 mm. The first used 8.5 kg net weight; the second 9.2 kg, with the extra 0.7 kg in a thicker base and corners; the third was landed, with sea freight and 316 stainless throughout.
The 205 CNY quote breaks into quantities you can check on the floor: 8.5 kg of resin at 11.8 CNY, 25 minutes of oven time, two latches and two handles, and 48,000 CNY of tooling over 4,000 pieces.
| Cost item | Basis | Per case (CNY) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resin | 8.5 kg at 11.8 per kg | 100.3 | 49% |
| Rotomolding | Three-arm machine, 25 min | 42.0 | 20% |
| Hardware | 2 latches, 2 handles | 26.0 | 13% |
| Packing | Foam wrap, five-ply carton | 7.0 | 3% |
| Tooling | 48,000 ÷ 4,000 pieces | 12.0 | 6% |
| Overhead and margin | Cost plus | 18.0 | 9% |
| Total | — | 205.3 | 100% |
So ask for six numbers: net weight, wall thickness, resin grade with virgin content, hardware grade, tooling fee with amortisation quantity, and delivery terms.
2. Minimum Order and Mould Ownership
Five hundred pieces is the practical floor. Below it, four hours of purging and six hours of mould change spread over 200 pieces add roughly 30 CNY each. Additives also come in 25 kg packs, so a colour below 500 cannot be mixed cleanly.
| Quantity (pcs) | Unit price (CNY) | Tooling share (CNY) | Lead time (days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 236 | 96 | 30 |
| 2000 | 208 | 24 | 38 |
Mould ownership matters more than price. A 48,000 CNY rotomould is paid by the buyer, amortised by the supplier or split. Buyer ownership needs four clauses: mould number stamped on the frame, storage address, free retrieval after 24 months without orders, and a 3,000 CNY relocation fee. Tool life goes in too: 50,000 cycles before cavities distort.
Case warehouse storage sampling is quoted separately, typically 3,000 CNY, credited against an order of 2,000 pieces. Opening production before sign-off turns every rib change into a mould modification.
3. When the Lead Time Clock Starts
Lead time disputes in case warehouse storage come from the start date: thirty days means the order date to the buyer and the signed sample date to the supplier, and the gap is tooling plus sampling.
- Tooling: 35 days, including three trials
- First article: 5 days, shipping plus written sign-off
- Resin: 7 days, colourant ordered separately
- Production: 30 days, 90 cases a day on a two-arm machine
- Inland: 3 days to the load port
- Sea freight: 22 days to a European base port
That totals 102 days; six segments in the contract beat one number.
Case warehouse storage capacity is scheduled, not promised. A factory running three projects has six stations at best. A 2,000-piece order queued behind others slips from 30 to 45 days. Ask for eight weeks of scheduling with your slot marked. Check resin stock too, since a 7-day replenishment becomes 15 when LLDPE must be ordered in. Separate ex-works from landed: risk passes at loading in the first, and the second adds insurance and unloading, about 6 percent.
4. Factory Audits, Payment Terms and Quote Wording
Three checks settle a case warehouse storage audit: a rocking-arm rotomould with a 280 °C oven and at least three arms; an in-house CNC mould shop, because outsourced moulds double the repair cycle; and salt spray reports, 96 hours for 304 and 480 for 316.
In case warehouse storage, payment terms are part of the price. Moving from 30 to 60 days adds 1.2 to 1.8 percent and 90 days adds 2.4 percent; that premium is the supplier financing you.
Read case warehouse storage quotes closely:
- Wall quoted at 2.8 mm, then surcharged when production runs at 3.2 mm
- Hardware listed as stainless with no grade, arriving as 304 instead of 316
- Regrind left out, though 30 percent cuts 8 percent of cost and hurts wall uniformity
- Tooling charged three times, as sample fee, trial fee and modification fee
- FOB and CIF mixed in one line, with insurance and unloading billed later
The first three affect the case, the last two only money. Regrind is the clause buyers miss most: leave it out and the first and the third batch feel like different products while looking identical.
Conclusion
Quotes for case warehouse storage differ by a factor of two because six parameters are left open: net weight, wall thickness, resin grade with virgin content, hardware grade, tooling amortisation and delivery terms. Fill those six into the enquiry sheet and 205 against 380 reconciles line by line. Add minimum order, mould ownership and lead time start date, and the buyer compares like with like. The goal is not the lowest price but the lowest price on one basis.
This article discusses only the container (case body) side of specifications and design intent, and does not cover any handling, loading or use of the contents.
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