Buyer guide Cost
Custom acrylic does not have a public price per kilogram that means anything. The unit cost is the sheet, plus every station the part actually visits, spread over the quantity, plus pack and the Incoterm you asked for. Two “clear boxes” with different lids are different products. This page lists what moves the number. It does not quote a price, and it is not a material data sheet.
What the cost actually is
Working definition. A custom acrylic unit price is the cost of a named construction at a named quantity, under a named Incoterm. Change the construction or the term and the price is for a different job.
Sheet is often not the largest line on a small display. Cutting, a pocket, a joint, an edge finish, a print, and a magnet can each exceed the plate. Pack and air freight can exceed all of them on a thin holder. Asking for a price per kilogram skips those stations.
The factors that move it
| Factor | Why it moves cost | What to specify |
|---|---|---|
| Sheet route and grade | Cast and virgin optical sheet cost more than generic extruded. Mixed or recycled sheet can be cheaper and less predictable. | Cast or extruded; virgin if required; tint |
| Thickness and nest | Thicker plate costs more per part and can worsen yield on a standard sheet size. | Thickness by member, not “about 5 mm everywhere” |
| Stations | Each of laser, CNC, bend, join, polish, print, and hardware is a crew and a setup. | Which steps are required |
| Yield and risk | Tight optical faces and brittle corners raise scrap. Scrap is in the price whether it is a line or not. | Which faces are camera faces |
| Quantity | Setup is once per design. Few pieces means a high unit. | Pieces per design, and repeat outlook |
| Decoration and hardware | UV print, multi-color screen, magnets, and lined inserts often exceed sheet on small parts. | Method, color count, magnet size |
| Pack and freight | Corner blocks, individual bags, and air can dwarf a thin part. The Incoterm decides what is inside the number. | Carton method, mode, Incoterm, destination |
ISO 7823 names cast and extruded sheet. It does not set a price. Use it to make the quote say which sheet, not to justify a number.
Stations, counted not described
Count the stations. Adjectives do not price.
- Laser outline on a simple holder is one station.
- CNC pocket for a device well is another, plus programming.
- Heat bend for a lip is another, and it needs a jig.
- Solvent or UV joint on a five-sided box is labor and a reject risk. Blush is scrap.
- Flame polish is faster than diamond polish. They are different prices and different edges. Do not let a quote swap them silently.
- Print or engrave adds artwork setup and a placement check.
A brochure lip and a magnet-lid cube are not the same station list. Comparing their unit prices is comparing different factories of work.
Quantity and setup
Minimum order quantity is a commercial floor set by setup, sheet yield, and packing labor. It is not a property of PMMA. Many display plants plan a first production lot in a three-digit quantity per design.
Sanait’s published planning number for most displays, boxes, trays, and stands is 100 pieces per design. That figure is on their FAQ. It is one plant’s term, not a market law. A lower first run is a question to ask. A one-piece prototype usually sits outside the production floor and is priced as a one-off.
Ask for unit prices at named breaks — for example 100, 300, and 500 — so the setup effect is visible. A single “from” price hides which quantity it assumes.
Why two quotes differ
Comparison rule. Align sheet route, thickness, finish, hardware, quantity, and Incoterms. Then read the price. A gap that remains after those six match is a real gap. A gap before they match is a different product.
| What was asked | Lower quote may have assumed | Higher quote may have assumed |
|---|---|---|
| “Clear box” | Extruded, thinner walls, sawn edge | Cast, thicker walls, diamond edge, solvent joints |
| “With lid” | Loose lid, no magnets | Magnet lid and local thickness for the magnet |
| “To our warehouse” | EXW, buyer books freight | DDP, duties inside |
| “100 pieces” | Sample amortized, or a stock-like process | Custom sample plus a first-run setup |
Send the same pack to every plant. A photo to one and a drawing to another produces a price gap that is not a price gap.
Where buyers overpay or under-specify
Diamond polish on a hidden edge
Polish the camera edges. A sawn or lightly flamed hidden edge is usually enough and costs less.
Cast sheet on a simple bent holder
Cast earns its cost on polished edges and solvent joints. A basic extruded bend often does not need it. Say which you want.
Air freight on a heavy plinth
Mode can exceed making. If the date allows sea, ask for both numbers before you freeze the calendar.
One design, many SKUs
Shared bodies spread setup. Unique prints and unique pockets do not. Split the quote that way.
Constructions these choices usually sit on: boxes, trays, and display stands.
What is not a cost factor
- A laboratory strength number without a grade and a test method. It does not price a brochure holder.
- Years in business. Context, not a line item.
- “Food safe” or “outdoor” as a phrase. A named grade and the documents for the destination market are the cost. The adjective is not.
- A render. It does not state wall thickness.
FAQ
Why won’t a factory quote a price per kilogram?
Because the kilogram is the sheet. The job is the stations, the yield, the hardware, and the pack. A per-kilogram number would describe a different product than the one you are buying.
Is the sample price a guide to bulk price?
No. A sample is a one-off: programming, a partial sheet, hand finishing. Bulk is a nest and a crew. Ask for both numbers, and whether the sample fee credits against bulk.
What single change usually moves cost the most?
On a small polished box, adding a magnet lid or switching from flame to diamond polish. On a thin holder, switching from sea to air. On any first run, cutting quantity in half.
Should I accept the cheapest quote?
Only after sheet route, thickness, finish, hardware, quantity, and Incoterms match. A cheaper quote that changed one of those is a different part.
Does a higher MOQ always mean a lower unit?
Not always. Yield, a new station, or a freight mode can offset the setup saving. Ask for the breaks rather than assuming the curve.
Where do Sanait’s commercial numbers fit?
They are that plant’s terms — including the 100-piece planning floor on the FAQ — not a cost model for the industry. Use the factors on this page to read any quote, including theirs.
Sources
Cost is commercial. The references below cover the sheet types a quote should name, and the trade terms that make two freight numbers comparable. They do not set a price.
- ISO 7823-1:2003, Plastics — Poly(methyl methacrylate) sheets — Part 1: Cast sheets. iso.org
- ISO 7823-2:2003, Plastics — Poly(methyl methacrylate) sheets — Part 2: Extruded sheets. iso.org
- International Chamber of Commerce, Incoterms® rules. iccwbo.org
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