How to Read a Diamond Tool Quotation From a Chinese Factory

A quotation arrives with a unit price. It looks cheap. Six weeks later the goods arrive with the wrong bond, in packaging that did not survive the route, and the “unit price” turns out to exclude the tooling charge that was mentioned in a footnote.

Here is what to check, in order.

1. What exactly is the unit?

“Diamond blade, 350 mm — US$8.50” is not a specification. Before comparing anything, confirm:

Segment height (10 mm and 12 mm blades are not the same product)
Segment width (affects kerf, material removal and price)
Core thickness and steel grade
Whether the price is per piece or per set

A quote that is 15% cheaper because the segment is 2 mm shorter is not a cheaper quote. It is a different product.

2. Is the tooling charge included?

Custom profiles, non-standard bores, and laser marking often carry a one-time tooling charge. It is legitimate — but it needs to be visible before you compare, because it does not scale with quantity.

A quote with a US$400 tooling charge and a US$8.50 unit price beats a quote with no tooling charge and a US$9.10 unit price at any volume above about 650 pieces. Below that, it does not.

3. What are the payment terms, actually?

30/70 deposit/balance is standard. But ask specifically:

Is the balance due before or after inspection? (Before is the norm and is the source of most disputes.)
Is there a Letter of Credit option, and at what cost?
What currency, and who bears the transfer fee?

A factory asking for 100% upfront on a first order is telling you something about how it expects the relationship to go.

4. What is the lead time measured from?

“25 days” from what? From order confirmation and deposit receipt are the usual assumptions, but confirm. A quote that says 25 days but starts counting from “materials arriving” can slip by weeks if the diamond grit is on backorder.

Ask: what is the current lead time on the diamond grade specified? A factory that cannot answer this is not tracking its own supply.

5. What is excluded?

The most common exclusions that surprise buyers:

Export packaging. Standard cartons are often assumed; palletised, ISPM-15 heat-treated crating is extra.
Testing. Hardness reports, material certificates and third-party inspection are usually not included.
Freight to port. FOB means the factory gets it to the port; everything before that is on the price.
Documentation. Certificate of origin, if you need a specific form for a trade agreement, sometimes carries a fee.

The comparison that actually works

Put the quotes in a table with the specification columns filled in, not just the price column. If two quotes cannot be compared line by line, one of them is not a quote — it is an indication.

The cheapest valid comparison is landed cost per unit of expected life, not price per piece. A blade that costs 20% more and lasts 50% longer is the cheaper blade, and the only way to know is to hold the specification constant and test.

We compare factory quotes for a living. Send us a specification and we will show you what the comparison should look like.