A black masterbatch quote is not one number - it is five decisions. What sits behind the price per kilo, and how to compare two suppliers on cost per tonne of compound instead.
A black masterbatch quote is not one number — it is five decisions. The figure a supplier gives you per kilo only becomes meaningful once you know the carrier resin, the carbon black loading, the grade system, the volume and the delivery terms behind it. Two quotes at USD 2.60 and USD 3.40 per kilo can work out to the same cost per tonne of finished compound, or a 30% difference, depending on the let-down each one is built for.
Why the price per kilo is the wrong number
Black masterbatch is not bought as a material. It is bought as a way of putting carbon black into a polymer. What your plant pays for is the black that ends up in the finished part — and that is a function of price per kilo and let-down ratio together.
A 40% grade at a low price sounds cheaper than a 46% grade at a higher price. Run the arithmetic and it often is not: the 46% grade may need fewer kilos per tonne of resin to hit the same opacity or UV protection, and it may run with fewer gels, which is where the real cost sits — scrap, rework and lost line time.
So the first question to ask is not "what is your price", but "what let-down do you expect this grade to run at, and what does that give me per tonne of compound".
The five variables that actually move a quote
| Variable | What it does to price | What to send us to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier resin | PE is the baseline; PP, PS, ABS and carrier-free systems cost more because they are less standard | The polymer you run — or the one in your regrind |
| Carbon black loading | The main driver. 10% to 50% carbon black spans a wide cost band, because you are buying carbon black by the kilo with polymer wrapped around it | The opacity, UV life or conductivity you need — not a percentage |
| Carbon black type and dispersion | Higher-structure blacks and tighter dispersion cost more to make, and are what stop gels in thin film or fine cable jacket | Your gauge or wall thickness, and your filtration level |
| Ash / filler content | Filled grades (with CaCO₃) are cheaper per kilo and are the right answer where you only need colour and opacity | Whether the application can carry filler |
| Volume, packaging and terms | 25 kg bags on pallets vs big bags; FCL vs LCL; FOB vs CIF; T/T vs L/C. Each one moves the landed figure | Your monthly volume, port pair, and payment terms |
Everything else — lead time, minimum order, sample policy — is negotiable around those five. Nothing else changes the number much.
What a factory-direct quote includes that a trader's does not
When you buy from the plant, three things behave differently:
- The formulation is open to tuning. A compounding plant can adjust carbon loading and carrier per order; a trader is reselling a fixed grade. If your requirement sits between two standard grades, one of those two can formulate, and the other has to say no.
- The dispersion spec is theirs to defend. Filter pressure value and gel count come off our own lines, so the person quoting you can also tell you what it will do at your let-down.
- The paperwork is under their control. CoA per lot, SGS reports on file, and a lot record that makes a reorder repeat the last one. With a trader, every claim passes through a third party before it reaches you.
None of this makes a factory automatically cheaper. It makes the quote more answerable — which is what you want when a number looks high or low.
How to compare two quotes fairly
Four steps, in this order:
- Normalise to cost per tonne of compound. Take price per kilo ÷ let-down, and compare that figure. This is the only number that reaches your P&L.
- Add the dispersion risk. Ask for the filter pressure value at your intended let-down. A cheap grade that raises screen pressure every few hours is not cheap.
- Check what ships with the lot. CoA, packaging, pallet spec, and whether trial lots are available before a container commitment.
- Then compare the landed terms. FOB price is not the cost of getting material to your silo. Add freight, insurance, duty and clearing before you rank them.
As a working indication, our unfilled PE grades sit in the region of USD 2.10–4.50 per kg depending on carbon loading and carrier — that is the range published on our grade chart. Filled and carrier-free systems sit outside it, and specific grades are quoted per requirement.
What we need to give you a firm price the same working day
Three things:
- The carrier polymer (or your resin blend, if it is a mixed stream)
- The let-down ratio you run, or the final carbon content / opacity you need
- The monthly volume and destination port
Send those and we quote the lot size, the packaging and the Incoterms with it. If you would rather test before committing, trial lots start from 1 tonne and we compound a free 1–5 kg sample on your own carrier resin — courier on your account, or ours and deducted from the first order.
Questions buyers ask about price
Do you publish a price list?
Why is your price higher than a local trader's?
Is there a minimum order?
Does price change with volume?
How fast can you quote?
The point
A masterbatch price is a decision about carbon loading, carrier and dispersion, expressed as one number. Ask what sits behind the number and you can compare suppliers properly. Ask only for the number and you are comparing the one variable that matters least.
Continue reading
- How to read a black masterbatch CoA — the lot-level document that proves what actually shipped.
- How to calculate let-down ratio — why the cheaper bag per kilo often costs more per finished part.
- How to vet a black masterbatch supplier — twelve checks before the first container.
Related pages
- E-LUCK certifications — ISO 9001/14001/45001 and IATF 16949, with certificate references
- Production & plant — the Huizhou floor, lines and quality process
- All 12 black masterbatch grades — data sheets by application series