You receive two quotes for the same 30mm golden granite cladding panels. One is 12% cheaper. The temptation is to award the order to the lower number. But in natural stone, the difference between a competitive quote and a budget-busting mistake almost always hides in the fine print. After supplying facade projects across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, here are the seven line items procurement teams should verify before signing any granite supply contract.
1. Is the Quote Price Per Square Meter Based on Finished or Raw Size?
This is the single most common source of dispute. Some suppliers quote based on the block or gang-saw slab size, while others quote based on the actual cut-to-size finished panel dimensions. Because cutting waste can run 15–25% on complex facade geometries, a price that looks cheap on raw slabs can end up more expensive than a slightly higher finished-panel quote. Always confirm whether the quoted unit price includes cutting, edge profiling, and the exact panel sizes on your shop drawings.
2. What Surface Finish Is Included — and What Costs Extra?
A flamed finish and a polished finish are not the same price, and neither is a sandblasted or bush-hammered finish. Some suppliers quote a base price for flamed finish and then add a surcharge for honed or polished surfaces. Others charge separately for epoxy filling, resin treatment, or custom edge details (arris, chamfer, bullnose). Make sure the quote explicitly states the finish per panel and whether edgework is included.
3. Which Quarry or Block Source Is Guaranteed?
Granite color varies not just between quarries, but between different veins within the same quarry. A supplier who cannot guarantee the block source — or who buys from multiple small quarries to fill volume — will almost certainly deliver color variation between shipments. Ask: “Will all panels for this project come from the same quarry and block range?” Get it in writing. A direct quarry supplier can commit to block-level traceability; a trading company often cannot.
4. What Are the Tolerances and Quality Grades?
Natural stone is not engineered like porcelain or aluminium. But reputable factories do work to stated tolerances. Ask whether the quote specifies:
- Thickness tolerance (typically ±1mm for 30mm panels)
- Length and width tolerance (±0.5–1mm on cut-to-size panels)
- Flatness and squareness tolerances
- Color grading (A/B/C classification and which grade you are paying for)
If the quote says only “good quality” without numbers, you have no basis to reject a substandard shipment.
5. Are Packaging and Loading Costs Included?
Granite is heavy. A 20-foot container loaded with 30mm facade panels weighs roughly 26–28 tons. Proper export packaging — fumigated wooden crates, corner protectors, foam inserts, and secure steel strapping — costs money. Some suppliers quote low FOB prices and then add packaging fees that can run 3–5% of the order value. Confirm whether the quoted price includes standard export packing, and whether crates are numbered and labeled for your site delivery schedule.
6. What Are the Payment Terms and Delivery Window?
For new suppliers, a 30% deposit with the balance against bill of lading copy is standard. Be cautious of suppliers demanding 100% advance payment, or offering unusually long lead times that signal they are buying blocks on your dime. Ask for a firm production schedule: block selection, cutting, finishing, packing, and container loading dates. For a project requiring multiple containers, request a rolling delivery plan rather than a single bulk shipment that may not match your installation sequence.
7. Is After-Sales Support Documented?
No supplier wants to ship a container, only to get a photo of cracked panels on site two weeks later. Before ordering, confirm: who bears the cost of breakage in transit? What is the claim window? Does the supplier offer panel matching for replacements two years into the project? The best suppliers will provide pre-shipment photos of every packed crate, panel layout drawings, and a named contact for quality complaints — not a generic sales inbox.
The Bottom Line
A granite quote is not a commodity price list. The lowest bid often wins on paper and loses on site. Before committing a facade budget, compare quotes line by line — finished vs. raw size, included finish, block source, tolerances, packaging, payment terms, and after-sales support. At Suizhou Xuhui Stone, we provide fully itemized quotes for G682 golden granite facade panels, with block-level traceability and pre-shipment photo documentation on every order. If you are evaluating suppliers for an upcoming Gulf or Southeast Asian project, request our quotation template and sample kit for your next tender.
Leave a Reply