Can I audit a Case Quote that shows only a total?

Answer: Yes, once you have the split: 38% to 46% material, 22% to 30% moulding, 14% to 20% hardware, 8% to 14% foam, and question any layer more than 6 points off.

Should foam inserts be quoted separately?

Answer: Yes. Foam is priced by area and the 1400 die sits on its own line; above 500 units it amortises to 2.8 per unit.

How large a gap between EXW and FOB is normal?

Answer: With 480 cases in a 40 foot container, inland haulage and port charges run 2.6 to 3.4 per unit, or 2% to 3%.

Does a Case Quote need a mould life figure?

Answer: It does. An injection tool needs rework after 300,000 shots at 8000 to 12000, and the responsible party belongs in the remarks.

Reading a Case Quote: Material, Moulding, Hardware, Foam

Quick answer: A usable Case Quote splits into four priced layers — material, moulding, hardware and foam — which hold 88% to 94% of the ex-works price, so ask for the split before comparing totals.

Four layers behind one Case Quote
Material: grade, shot weight, regrind cap
Moulding: tonnage, wall thickness, cycle
Hardware and foam: by set and by density
Missing lines and Incoterms
FAQ

1. Four layers behind one Case Quote

A Case Quote arrives as one number built from four units that never convert: material per kilogram, moulding per shot, hardware per set, foam per square metre. The usual shares are 38% to 46%, 22% to 30%, 14% to 20% and 8% to 14%.

Take a 45 litre case at 118 per unit. Material takes 46, moulding 30, hardware 20, foam 13, leaving 9 for packing and sampling. When hardware falls quietly from 20 to 14, nothing looks wrong until latches loosen at 6000 cycles.

Layer	Priced per	Typical share	Write on the quote
Material	kilogram	38% to 46%	Grade, melt index, regrind cap
Moulding	shot	22% to 30%	Tonnage, cavities, cycle seconds
Hardware	set	14% to 20%	Latch cycles, valve membrane
Foam	square metre	8% to 14%	Density, die ownership

Only moulding and foam hold real slack.

2. Material: grade, shot weight, regrind cap

The material line is hardest to audit because it is usually one word. PP against PP copolymer at 9 g/10min melt index differs by 2.8 per unit, and a thin Case Quote will not say which you got.

A 45 litre body weighs 3.6 kg. At 9.4 per kilogram the resin costs 33.8, less 1.2 of sprue, so 32.6. Each 1 per kilogram move shifts the unit by 3.7, hence the resin price date.

Case Quote hardware check: a front-on open black case with two red latches at the lid, a moulded handle and no foam inside

Regrind is the second opening. At 20% the drop height falls from 1.2 m to 0.9 m; at 30% corners split at -20°C. Demand 80% virgin content and in-house sprue only.

ABS takes a gloss without painting at 1.6 per kilogram more, while HDPE holds impact at -40°C but needs ribs above 60 litres.

3. Moulding: tonnage, wall thickness, cycle

Moulding cost lives in the machine. A 45 litre body projects 0.18 square metres, so 450 kg per square centimetre of clamp leaves a 900 tonne press comfortable; at 1100 tonnes the hourly rate moves from 210 to 280, adding 1.9 per unit.

Cycle time is the second lever. At 3.2 mm wall and 26 seconds of cooling the cycle runs 95 seconds, or 37 cases an hour; at 2.6 mm it falls to 74 seconds and 48 cases, saving 1.3 per unit while wall compression drops from 780 N to 540 N.

Above 80 litres the work goes to rotomoulding: 6 mm wall, 22 minute cycle, about 60 pieces a day. The tool is cheaper but trimming adds 4 per unit.

Ask for four lines inside moulding: machine hours, trimming and assembly, energy, depreciation.

4. Hardware and foam: by set and by density

Hardware is quoted by set: two latches, a hinge pair, a handle, a pressure valve, four feet, screws and inserts. At 1.9 per latch, 2.6 per hinge pair and 4.5 per valve, a set lands near 18.

Cycle rating splits the price: a latch rated at 8000 cycles costs 1.2, one rated at 15000 costs 1.9.

Case Quote material and foam layers on a dimensioned drawing: closed 250 by 210 by 70 mm, 32 mm lid and base depth

Foam is priced by density and area. EVA at 38 kg/m³ runs 62 per square metre against 88 at 60 kg/m³, so one insert layout can move 42%. The die costs 1400 per set, and a 1.2 by 2.4 m board yields ten inserts.

Density is not a quality score: 38 kg/m³ already carries an 8 kg point load.

5. Missing lines and Incoterms

Six items drop off a Case Quote most often: 13% VAT, mould cost, sample charge, print tooling, packing and inland freight. The first four get waved through as extra, the last two fold into the unit price.

A sample runs 800 to 1500, print tooling 600 per colour, packing 3.2 per unit, none of it inside the unit price.

EXW excludes export clearance, FOB adds inland transport and port charges, CIF adds freight and insurance. The spread between them reaches 4% to 7% on one case.

Missing line	Usual wording	Separate row	How to check
VAT	included or excluded	Always	13%, invoice type
Mould	inside unit price	Always	Cavities, ownership
Sample	free of charge	Recommended	800 to 1500, credited
Print tooling	not mentioned	Recommended	600 per colour
Freight	collect	Always	EXW, FOB or CIF

A quote worth signing lists at least four of those five as separate rows.

Conclusion

Read a Case Quote in three passes: the four way split, the six missing lines, then the Incoterm. The supplier who answers all three is rarely cheapest per unit, yet the total lands within 3% of plan, while a single number gives back the 4 saved through mould cost and print tooling.

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.