Two quotes for what appears to be the same crate can differ by a third, and buyers reasonably assume someone is being overcharged. Usually neither is. The crate is different in ways that are invisible in a photograph and obvious on a specification sheet – and the first place to look is weight.
Weight is the tell
Ask for the unit weight in grams. It is the single number that reveals most of the difference, because material is the dominant cost in an injection-moulded crate and weight is material. Two crates of identical external dimensions can differ twenty per cent in weight, and the heavier one is more expensive to make and usually performs better.
If a supplier will not give a weight, that is itself information.
Resin grade
Virgin versus recycled content, and the grade of polypropylene – impact-modified, UV-stabilised, food-contact. A crate for cold storage needs different resin from one for ambient warehousing, and the difference is real money.
This is also where claims get loose. Ask what the recycled content is and whether it is post-industrial or post-consumer, and what testing supports any food-contact statement. The details of what can be put in writing are covered in recycled content claims you can put in writing.
Tooling
If the size is standard to that supplier, there is no tooling cost and the price reflects it. If it needs a new mould, that cost is either in the price or billed separately – and if it is in the price, the unit cost carries it over the first order quantity, which makes short runs look expensive.
Ask whether an existing tool fits your requirement. Accepting a standard size in a slightly different dimension is often the largest single saving available, and it is usually available immediately.
Quantity basis and terms
The price for a full container is not the price for a pallet. Validity period matters too – a quote valid for thirty days during a resin rise is not comparable to one valid for a day.
And whether the price includes delivery. On bulky crates freight is a large fraction of landed cost, and an ex-works quote that looks cheaper can be more expensive delivered.
What actually differs in use
Stacking strength under load, impact resistance at low temperature, and how long the crate lasts in your loop. A lighter crate may be entirely adequate for a gentle application and a poor choice for a rough one – which is why the application belongs in the enquiry.
How those differences show up over a season is described in how many trips a PP crate survives.
How to compare properly in one step
Ask both suppliers for four numbers on the same form: unit weight in grams, resin grade and any recycled content, quantity the price applies to, and delivery term. Four numbers, one email, and most gaps become explainable.
Where a supplier will not give a weight, treat that as the answer. Weight is material and material is cost; there is no commercial reason to withhold it.
What to do when the gap stays
If specification, quantity and terms are genuinely the same and the gap persists, it is price – and it is usually worth taking, subject to a first-delivery check. Real price differences exist and they come from resin purchasing, factory loading and margin. That is the market working.
What we can do
We make PP crates for fruit and vegetables and quote with weight, resin grade, quantity basis and delivery stated separately, so you can see what you are comparing. Send us two quotes you are weighing up and we will tell you where the gap is.