Quoting guide Custom acrylic
An acrylic quote is a priced set of assumptions, not a market price for “acrylic.” Two factories can both be honest and still differ by a wide margin if one assumed cast sheet and diamond-polished edges and the other assumed extruded sheet and a sawn edge. Getting a usable quote means sending enough for those assumptions to be written down, then comparing only quotes that name the same ones.
What an acrylic quote actually is
Definition. A custom acrylic quote is a factory’s price for a named construction: sheet route, thickness, finish, hardware, quantity, and delivery terms. It is not a commodity price per kilogram, and it is not valid for a different edge finish or a different Incoterm.
If the email says only “clear acrylic display,” the number that comes back prices the factory’s default, not yours. Typical silent defaults are extruded sheet, one thickness for every face, a sawn or lightly flamed edge, no magnets, and EXW at the plant. Those defaults can be correct. They still have to be written down before the number is compared with another plant.
What to send to get a quote
Enough to open a quote is a short list. Enough to stop the follow-up email is a longer one.
| Open a quote | Reduce guesswork |
|---|---|
| A photo, a dimensioned sketch, or CAD | Overall size and, if known, wall thickness |
| Target quantity and number of designs | Pieces per design, and whether bodies are shared |
| Destination country | Preferred Incoterm, and whether duties must be inside the number |
| Print, engraving, or plain | Placement, color count, and a vector file if you have one |
| The product the fixture must hold, if you have it | SKU envelope, including a cable or tether path |
Send the same pack to every factory you compare. A richer pack to one plant and a photo to another produces a price gap that is not a price gap.
One factory’s intake is published: Sanait asks buyers to email sales@sanait.com with a sketch, photo, or CAD, plus quantity, delivery country, and whether print, engraving, or a tint is required. That instruction is on the custom acrylic FAQ. It is that plant’s door, not an industry form.
What should be on the quote line
Reject, or send back, a quote that is only a unit price. A line you can file should state:
- unit price at named quantities (for example 100 / 300 / 500), not a single “from” figure;
- sample cost, lead time, and whether the sample fee credits against bulk;
- sheet route assumed — cast or extruded — and thickness of each member;
- edge finish and joint method;
- hardware and print, included or listed as extras;
- what starts the sample clock and what starts the bulk clock;
- Incoterms, and what the freight number includes;
- quote validity, in days or to a date.
If any of those is missing, ask for it in one reply. Do not infer it from a low number.
How to compare two quotes
Comparison rule. Align sheet route, thickness, finish, hardware, quantity, and Incoterms. Then compare price. A cheaper quote that changed one of those six is a different product.
| What the email said | Quote A may have priced | Quote B may have priced |
|---|---|---|
| “Clear box” | Cast, 5 mm, diamond edge, solvent joints | Extruded, 3 mm, sawn edge |
| “With lid” | Magnet lid, local thickness for the magnet | Loose lid, no hardware |
| “Logo” | UV print, two colors, both faces | One-color engrave on the base |
| “To our warehouse” | DDP, duties inside | EXW, buyer books freight |
Ask each factory to reissue the quote on the same six fields. The second number is the one worth reading.
What moves the number
- Sheet route and grade. Cast and virgin optical sheet cost more than generic extruded. A mixed or recycled sheet can be cheaper and less predictable. The quote should say which.
- Thickness and nest. Thicker plate costs more per part and can worsen yield on a standard sheet size.
- Stations. Each of laser, CNC pocket, heat bend, solvent joint, diamond polish, print, and hardware is a station. Count stations.
- Quantity. Setup is paid once per design. A 30-piece run carries that setup on few pieces. A 500-piece run does not.
- Pack and freight. Corner guards and air freight can exceed the sheet cost on a thin holder.
There is no honest public price per kilogram for a display. Two 200 mm cubes with different lids are different products. Do not publish or accept a single “acrylic costs $X” line without the construction attached.
Sample price versus bulk price
A sample is priced as a one-off: programming, a partial sheet, and hand finishing. Bulk is priced as a nest and a crew. The sample unit cost is not a preview of the 300-piece unit cost.
Ask three things: the sample fee, whether it credits against the bulk invoice, and whether the sample will be made on the process that will run bulk. A sample that was diamond-polished by hand does not price a laser-left-as-cut production edge.
Sanait’s FAQ says most simple samples leave the bench in about 2–5 working days, and more assembled or printed pieces can take up to about a week, with sample cost depending on size and decoration. Bulk production there is typically quoted at about 15–25 business days after the job is released. Those windows are that plant’s published terms. Other plants will differ. Confirm whose clock starts when.
Incoterms and what is inside the freight
Incoterms allocate cost and risk. They do not describe the acrylic. An EXW quote ends at the factory door. An FOB quote includes delivery to the named port. A DDP quote is supposed to include duties and delivery to the named place — if the quote actually says so. “Shipping included” without a named term is not a term.
When you compare a China factory with a domestic reseller, write the destination and the term on both requests. Otherwise you are comparing a part price with a landed price.
Quote scenarios
First quote from a photo
Accept a range. Ask the factory to list assumptions. Do not issue a purchase order against the range.
Three factories, one box
Send one pack. Require cast or extruded, thickness, edge, magnets, and Incoterms on each reply. Then compare.
Reorder of a signed part
Quote against the signed drawing number. A new logo or a new carton is a new quote, not a repeat price.
Trade-show date is fixed
Ask for sample clock, bulk clock, and freight clock separately. A unit price that misses the booth is not the low bid.
Constructions these quotes often cover: boxes, trays, and display stands.
Red flags on a quote
- One unit price, no quantity, no term, no sheet route.
- “Food safe” or “outdoor grade” as a phrase, with no grade name and no market.
- A lead time that starts from “when you email,” with no sample sign-off.
- Freight described as included, with no Incoterm and no destination.
- A price far below peers that also dropped polish, magnets, or pack.
FAQ
Can I get an acrylic quote from a photo?
Yes, as a starting range. The factory will assume thickness, sheet route, and finish. Ask for those assumptions on the quote before you compare it or place an order.
Why are two acrylic quotes so far apart?
Usually because they priced different sheet, polish, hardware, quantity, or Incoterms. Align those fields and request the quote again. The second pair is the comparison.
Should I ask for a price per kilogram?
No. Sheet price per kilogram does not include cutting, joints, polish, print, hardware, or pack. Those stations are most of a small display.
Does a quote include the sample?
Only if it says so. Ask for the sample fee, the bulk unit price, and whether the sample fee credits against bulk. They are different numbers.
How long is a quote valid?
As long as the quote says. Sheet and freight move. A number with no validity date should be confirmed before a purchase order, especially if months have passed.
What if I do not know cast from extruded?
Say so, and require the factory to name the route it priced. Visible polished edges and solvent-bonded boxes are usually quoted in cast sheet. Simple bent pockets are often quoted in extruded sheet. The quote should not leave the choice blank.
Sources
A quote is a commercial document. 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 factory’s 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
English 
Deutsch 
Italiano 
Français 
Español