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Two suppliers quote the same 6 × 3 m container house and the numbers differ by a third. Buyers assume the gap is margin. It is almost never margin — it is six line items, and each one is either written into the specification or deliberately left out of it.
The Six Line Items
| Line item | Our standard | What the cheap quote does |
|---|---|---|
| Measured steel thickness | 2.2 / 2.45 / 2.75 / 3.0 mm (4.0 mm on request) | 1.45–2.1 mm, often overstated on paper |
| Galvanising | 60 g/m² double-sided, to 300 g/m² on request | 40 g/m² |
| Panel core and thickness | 50–200 mm — rock wool, glass wool, EPS, PU/PIR, phenolic | One core, one thickness, no upgrade path |
| Doors and windows | Insulated casement 1,120 × 1,100 mm, custom model; 0.4 mm door skin; 3 stainless hinges | Single glazing, thinner skin, fittings that pit |
| Floor | Grade A, asbestos-free magnesium or cement-sand board, 15 / 18 mm | B-grade board — salt migration corrodes the frame |
| Coating and fixings | Virgin powder at 80+ miu, 5-year warranty; stainless self-tapping screws, dacromet bolts | Recycled powder, unspecified fixings |
The Audit Number: Bare Box Weight
The cheapest way to check all six at once is bare box weight: 1.3 t for this module, shell only, against 0.8–0.9 t for a low-end complete build of the same footprint. Steel that is genuinely 2.2–3.0 mm with 60 g galvanising cannot weigh 0.8 t. If a quotation claims premium steel and a light module, one of the two numbers is wrong.
The Seventh Line Item Is Freight
Buyers compare unit price and forget the denominator. This module loads 16–17 sets per 40HQ, which is 288–306 m² of floor area in one container. A conventional flat pack of the same nominal size loads around 8 sets, or 144 m². Halve the floor area per container and you double the freight content of every square metre you sell.
freight per m² = container freight to your port ÷ floor area per container
On a long-haul lane that line frequently outweighs the difference in unit price — and it is invisible in a quotation that lists modules instead of square metres. Container house cost per m² is the number that actually lands on site.
Where to Save, and Where Not
- Save on finishes — colour, trim and internal lining are real choices with real alternatives.
- Do not save on galvanising, floor grade or corner blocks — those three decide whether a module survives being dismantled, stored and re-erected, which is the whole reason to buy a bolted product.
- A cheap and a standard container house rarely differ where you can see it — they differ at 40 g against 60 g galvanising, and B-grade against A-grade board.
Fix These in the RFQ So the Quotes Compare
- Module count, and whether units will be relocated after the project
- Panel thickness and core per climate — 50 mm EPS is not a mountain or desert specification
- Door and window schedule, with glazing type
- Floor grade and thickness
- Destination port, so freight per m² can be calculated
- Whether a crane and site power will be available at erection
FAQ
- Why is bare box weight a better proxy than the specification sheet? Because weight cannot be typed in by a salesperson. A 2.2–3.0 mm frame with 60 g galvanising weighs 1.3 t as a shell; 0.8–0.9 t means thinner steel or lighter galvanising.
- Is a cheaper panel core a safe saving? Only if the climate allows it. Downgrading 100 mm rock wool to 50 mm EPS on a cold or high-altitude site moves the cost into heating and condensation, not out of the project.
- How do I compare quotations with different loading density? Convert both to cost per square metre delivered, using floor area per 40HQ — and ask how many container houses fit in a 40HQ. This module: 288–306 m² per container.
Send the module schedule, climate, door and window list and destination port, and we will return a costed specification with the 40HQ loading plan — item for item, so two quotes can be compared on the same six lines.
