A purchasing manager forwarded two quotes for the same 5 mm clear sheet. One was 31% higher. Both were legitimate. The gap was in the gauge tolerance, the masking, and whether the price was FOB or delivered.
Driver one: what the gauge actually is
“5 mm” cast acrylic is often 4.8 mm in practice, because cast tolerance runs ±5% at the low end. A supplier quoting a true 5.0 mm is selling more resin per sheet than one quoting 4.7 mm. On a 1220 × 2440 sheet that is about 1.5 kg of material — real money across a container.
Driver two: virgin versus regrind
Regrind content lowers the resin cost and raises the yellowing risk. For an interior display panel it may be invisible for years; for an outdoor sign it shows as a warm tint within two summers. Ask for the virgin content in writing, not verbally.
Driver three: masking and interleaving
Paper masking on both faces, or PE film, or no mask at all: each is a different line item. No mask is cheapest and guarantees scratching in transit. A double-sided PE film is the practical middle and costs a few cents per square metre.
Driver four: the incoterm
FOB and CIF quotes are not comparable line by line. A CIF price includes ocean freight and insurance, and on a 3 mm sheet freight can be a quarter of the landed cost. Convert both to the same delivery point before comparing.
Driver five: order size and season
MMA monomer pricing moves with energy and supply, and acrylic prices follow with a lag of a few weeks. A quote held for 30 days is generous; most are held for 15. Ordering a full container rather than a part load is the one lever a buyer controls completely.
The FOB quoting structure is set out in acrylic sheet FOB price China, and the thickness-specific case in acrylic sheet 10mm price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why are two 5 mm acrylic quotes so far apart?
A:Usually a mix of gauge, regrind content, masking and incoterm. A sheet quoted at 5.0 mm true gauge carries more resin than one at 4.7 mm, and a CIF price includes freight that an FOB price does not.
Q: What is the single biggest cost lever for an importer?
A:Order size. A full container moves the per-sheet price more than any other lever, because freight and handling are spread across far more sheets. Gauge and masking are secondary but still worth writing into the quote.
For a cut-to-size or stock-sheet quotation, send the panel list, thickness and destination port to oversales@rpplexiglass.com.