A ceramic quotation is a specification document that happens to carry a price. Read only the number and you will compare offers that describe different products, different packaging and very different landed costs. This article walks through the lines a complete quotation must carry, the duty statement EU buyers now need, and the red flags that predict trouble before the deposit.
The lines a complete quotation contains
| Line | What complete looks like | What is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Product reference | Item code, golden sample number, body type, glaze, decoration method | A photo and a name, no spec anchor |
| Specifications | Diameter in mm, capacity in ml, weight, piece count per set | Descriptive adjectives only |
| Price tiers | Unit price stepped by quantity, currency named | One price with no quantity basis |
| Decoration charges | Per-color or per-position setup and running costs, amortization basis | "Price includes decoration" without detail |
| Packaging | Individual boxing, cushioning material, carton quantity, carton dimensions | "Standard export packing" |
| Trade term | FOB, CIF or DDP with named port | No term, or a term without a port |
| Duty statement | Explicit whether import duties are included, by market | Silence, which the buyer discovers at customs |
| Validity and currency | Quote validity period, exchange basis | Open-ended quotes that expire on reorder |
| Payment and tooling | Deposit and balance structure, mold cost and amortization | Terms that surface after sampling |
| Lead time | Production window stated from approval point, not from inquiry | A day count with no defined starting condition |
The duty line: where 2026 quotations are won or lost
Trade terms changed faster than quotation templates did. Since 7 February 2026 the EU applies a unified 79.0% anti-dumping duty on Chinese ceramic tableware under Regulation (EU) 2026/274, replacing the earlier 13.1–36.1% company-specific rates, and the measure is under legal challenge. A quotation into the EU that does not state whether the 79.0% is included is an incomplete quotation, full stop. The UK keeps separate rates of 13.1–36.1% under an interim review running since July 2026, so UK quotes should name the rate basis. Into the United States, HS 6911/6912 carried no anti-dumping or countervailing orders as of the September 2026 check, but Section 301 List 3 adds 25%, and since the de minimis exemption ended on 29 August 2025 even sample parcels clear customs with duties. The tariffs page keeps the current position by market; use it to check every duty line you are shown.
Unit price is not landed cost
Ceramics are heavy, and freight answers to weight and volume before value. Two quotations at the same unit price can land several points apart once ocean or air freight, insurance, duties and destination charges are added. Then there is breakage: fragile goods without professional packing run roughly 5–8% losses by industry and insurer convention, and 34% of packaging-related returns trace to damage, so the packing line of the quotation is a financial line too. Serious suppliers quote in a structure that anticipates this, showing freight weight and carton dimensions, or a DDP price with the duty position named. When you compare on a landed basis through a duty-inclusive quote, unit price becomes one input among several instead of the whole decision.
Red flags worth stopping for
- The quotation entity differs from the vetted production entity, without explanation.
- No golden sample or item code is referenced, so nothing pins the price to a physical object.
- Duty is neither included nor explicitly excluded, especially on EU-bound quotations.
- Packaging is described in one word while the shipment is fragile dinnerware.
- Payment terms demand full payment before production on a first order.
- The lead time has no defined starting point, so it starts whenever it starts.
- The validity period is open-ended, which usually means the price is not locked to anything either.
Any one of these can be explained. Three or more together describe a supplier who has moved the risk onto your side of the table in advance, line by line. Freight and trade-term lines are where most of that transfer hides, so it is worth reading the shipping pages before the negotiation rather than after the booking.
A four-pass reading method
- Pass one: identity. Who is quoting, who produces, which golden sample or item code pins the price.
- Pass two: object. Do the specification lines match what you sampled, in mm, ml and decoration method.
- Pass three: door. Which trade term, which port, which duties included, which charges remain at destination.
- Pass four: calendar and cash. Lead time from which milestone, validity until when, deposit and balance against what evidence.
Four passes take minutes and convert a stack of incomparable quotes into a table where one number can honestly beat another. If a quotation survives all four passes, the negotiation that follows is about volume and schedule, which is the negotiation you wanted to have anyway.
Frequently asked questions
Should I just ask every supplier to quote DDP?
DDP quotes are the most comparable because duty and destination charges sit inside the number, which matters now that the EU duty stands at a unified 79.0%. Not every factory can quote DDP competently, though, so a clean FOB quote plus your own duty and freight model is a valid fallback, as long as the basis is explicit.
How long should a quotation stay valid?
Long enough to sample and decide, short enough to mean something. What matters more is that reorder pricing is agreed in the same document, because unit prices agreed today are only useful if the second order inherits them.
What does "decoration included" usually hide?
Setup charges per color or position, amortization assumptions about your quantity, and whether the quoted price holds if you add a color at reorder. Ask for the decoration line broken out; it is also the line that changes first when the design evolves.
Is the lowest-priced line ever the right comparison?
Only when every other line is identical, which almost never happens in ceramics. The quotation with the lowest unit price and the thinnest packing description is often the most expensive once breakage, returns and claims are counted.
