Industry News

The exercise described on this page is a working tool for procurement and engineering staff. It does not describe any single supplier's offer. An air filter price breakdown is built by the buyer, line by line, so that two bids can be read against the same columns instead of against each other's totals.

Two filters marked F7 can differ in media area, frame thickness, the presence of a separator, the gasket type and the documentation pack. None of those differences changes the class label, yet each moves the price. The sections below explain where the money goes and which lines a buyer can press on.

The eight-line air filter price breakdown

This table lists the eight components that should appear on every quotation for a medium-efficiency filter. Each line is marked negotiable or not, with the reason a buyer can use in discussion. A complete F7 bag filter quote can be read straight into these columns.

Cost line	Component	Negotiable?	Reason
1	Media area and grade	Area yes, grade no	A larger effective area lowers face velocity and extends service life, but the F7 grade must stay fixed by test.
2	Frame material and depth	Negotiable	Paper, aluminium and galvanised frames carry different material and weight costs, and depth affects housing fit.
3	Separators or pleat support	Negotiable	Partitioned and self-supported constructions use different media pack methods and tooling.
4	Gasket and seal	Negotiable	Neoprene, PU and gel seals differ in cost and in the leak path they control at the frame seat.
5	Testing and inspection	Not negotiable	The class claim rests on a tested sample; removing test cost removes the evidence behind the grade.
6	Packaging	Negotiable	Carton, wrap and pallet spec are adjustable, especially for export shipments.
7	Certification and documentation	Not negotiable	A tested class declaration and batch record are part of the delivered assurance a buyer may need at audit.
8	MOQ and tooling amortisation	Negotiable	Small batches absorb tooling over fewer units; volume smooths the per-unit charge.

Media area and grade, where the real difference starts

Engineers comparing bids should ask for media area in square metres, not just the class letter. A larger area at the same rated airflow means lower face velocity. Industry practice treats lower face velocity as a route to longer life and lower initial resistance, though the site publishes no quantitative pressure-drop values, so no Pa figure should be quoted as a product fact here. A buyer can read the area line to see whether two F7 quotes describe the same physical filter or two different ones.

Frame, separators and the seal

The frame sets the structural cost and the housing interface. A paper frame is lighter and cheaper; an aluminium frame adds cost but is expected in humid or washable service. Pleat support, whether by separators or by self-supporting media, is a construction choice that changes pack density. The gasket is the line most often overlooked: a wrong seal type fails at acceptance, not at quotation.

A disposable paper frame sits at the simplest end of the frame cost range.

Separators, partitions and pack density

A partitioned high-efficiency filter uses spacers between pleats to hold the media open, while a self-supported panel relies on the media stiffness. The choice affects how much media fits in a given frame depth and therefore the area line above. Buyers should record which construction each bid uses so the area and price can be reconciled.

Why testing and documents are not the lines to cut

A class declaration without a test reference is only a label. The testing and inspection line pays for the sample test that supports the grade. The certification line pays for the batch record a buyer may need at audit. These two are the lines a buyer should protect, not bargain away, because removing them removes the proof that the F7 claim is real.

Packaging and the export surcharge

Packaging looks trivial until a shipment arrives with crushed corners. Carton grade, edge protection and pallet pattern are negotiable, and a buyer can specify them in the purchase order. For sea freight, the packing spec is worth a line of its own because damage at delivery is a cost the buyer absorbs, not the seller.

A V-bank module shows how folding the media raises effective area inside one frame.

MOQ, tooling and the amortisation illusion

Small orders carry tooling amortisation per unit. A quote built on a 50-unit batch and a quote built on a 500-unit batch are not the same product at different margins; they are different cost structures. A buyer should state batch size up front so the comparison is on like volume, and so the MOQ line is transparent rather than hidden inside the unit price.

The fields a request for quotation must require

A request for quotation form should force every supplier to fill the same fields, so the air filter price breakdown lines above can be completed by the vendor rather than guessed by the buyer. The form should require the following fields:

• Media area in square metres, stated explicitly rather than implied by a model code.
• Frame depth in millimetres, because depth changes both cost and housing fit.
• Gasket type and material, so the seal line is comparable across bids.
• Test airflow in cubic metres per hour, the basis on which the class was measured.
• Efficiency class, quoted together with the test standard used for the grade.
• Batch size, so tooling amortisation is comparable between suppliers.
• Packing specification, including carton grade and pallet pattern.
• Incoterm, because the landed cost depends on who carries freight and risk.

An illustrative example with hypothetical numbers

Consider two bids for a nominal F7 panel. Bid A lists a media area of 0.8 square metres, a paper frame and a neoprene gasket. Bid B lists 1.2 square metres, an aluminium frame and a PU gasket. The figures below are illustrative, not product specifications: at a hypothetical batch of 200 units, Bid A totals a lower unit price but a higher face velocity; Bid B totals higher on frame and seal but lower on lifecycle change-out frequency. The point of an air filter price breakdown is that the lower bottom line is not automatically the better buy once the operating cost is counted.

Comparing two bids line by line

A buyer should build a comparison sheet with the eight lines as rows and the two suppliers as columns. Start with the not negotiable lines and confirm they match: class by test, batch record present. Then read the negotiable lines for what each bid actually delivers. A three-times spread usually resolves into two or three lines, and those lines tell the buyer whether the cheaper bid omitted something or the dearer bid simply built a different filter. An air filter price breakdown is only useful when the lines, not the totals, are what get compared.

The figures, weights and templates on this page are general industry practice, offered as a working template. They are not product specifications, test results, quotations or supply commitments, and no numerical value here should be read as one.