If you are importing doors and cabinetry for the first time, the two terms you will see on almost every quotation are FOB and CIF. They look like a simple question of who books the shipping. In practice they determine who controls the schedule, who handles a damaged container, and whether your landed cost is predictable.
What the terms actually mean
| Term | What it covers | Risk transfers |
|---|---|---|
| FOB (Free On Board) | Supplier delivers the goods to the port and loads them onto the vessel. You arrange and pay ocean freight, insurance and destination charges. | Exporter's port |
| CIF (Cost, Insurance & Freight) | Supplier arranges and pays freight and insurance to your destination port. You still pay destination charges, duties and inland delivery. | Your port |
| EXW (Ex Works) | You collect from the factory. Rarely sensible for container shipments. | Factory |
| DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) | Supplier handles everything including duties. Highest price, most convenience. | Your door |
Why we usually quote FOB
FOB gives the importer three advantages that matter on a project:
- You control the forwarder. Your freight forwarder works for you — which matters enormously if something goes wrong in transit.
- You see the real freight cost. When freight is bundled into a CIF price it is difficult to tell whether you are getting a competitive rate, especially when rates move quickly.
- You control the sailing. You can choose a service that matches your installation date rather than the one the supplier prefers.
For buyers who would rather not manage freight at all, CIF is a perfectly reasonable option — just ask for both prices on the same quotation so you can compare the delta against a forwarder quote.
What FOB does not include
A common surprise for first-time importers is that the FOB price is not the landed cost. Budget for:
- Ocean freight and marine insurance
- Destination terminal handling and port charges
- Customs clearance and brokerage
- Import duties and any applicable tariffs
- Inland trucking to your warehouse or site
Container economics for doors
Doors are bulky but relatively light, so door shipments are usually “volume-limited” rather than weight-limited: you run out of space before you run out of payload. That has two implications:
- A 20ft container typically carries around 150–200 door leaves depending on size and packing. A 40ft high-cube roughly doubles that.
- Mixing doors, wall panels and cabinetry in one container improves the economics significantly — which is easier when one supplier makes all three.
Practical checklist before you book
- Confirm the Incoterm in writing on the quotation, not just in email conversation
- Ask for the container loading plan and total CBM before production starts
- Get a landed-cost estimate from your forwarder, including duties
- Confirm who handles damage claims and how they are documented at destination
- Check whether the price includes packing suitable for ocean freight — project packing, not retail cartons
Send us your door schedule and destination port — we will quote FOB and provide a container loading plan.
Get FOB pricing