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Electrostatic Precipitator Quotation Comparison: 16 Lines That Put Three Offers on One Airflow, One Scope and One Delivery Basis Before You Read a Price

An electrostatic precipitator quotation comparison is the work of putting two or more ESP offers on one airflow, one set of stages and one delivery basis before any price is read. Offers for different airflows, or one with a UV stage and one without, are not two prices for one job. Sixteen lines below settle whether the offers compare.

The expensive mistake is not choosing the dearer offer. It is choosing the cheaper one and discovering at installation that it was quoted for a smaller airflow, a single stage or an EXW price, and that the difference arrives as a second invoice. The lines below are the ones where that happens.

This page helps you decide which of the electrostatic precipitator quotations in front of you can be compared as they stand, which have to be completed first, and which to place the order on once they sit on one basis. It gives a sixteen-line sheet, says what each line is checked against, works one kitchen through three offers on the lines that most often go unread, and fills the sheet in for our own offers. Five of the lines, the stages, the airflow basis, the pressure-drop basis, the fan and the included items, are the Three-Quote Rebasing Sheet on our pollution control unit cost page, written for buyers who received one offer headed ESP, one headed ecology unit and one headed PCU; this sheet carries those five over and adds the evidence and commercial lines. It does not size the unit, give a price range or judge another supplier’s product. For what to send so the offers come back comparable, see our ESP enquiry sheet; for why two quotations differ in price at all, see electrostatic precipitator price.

QuestionOur answer
What “comparable” means hereThe same design airflow, the same stages in scope, the same delivery basis and the same document set, so that the remaining difference is the offer itself
The three lines that most often break itAirflow basis (rated versus the enquiry figure), stages in scope (ESP alone, or ESP with UV and carbon, with or without the fan), and Incoterm
The three lines that look equal and are notEfficiency (what airflow and what method), pressure drop (complete unit or cell only), certificates (which model numbers they name)
What a blank line meansA question to send back, not a point against the offer; an offer is revised on its open points, not re-quoted from the start
The sheetThe 16-Line ESP Quotation Comparison Sheet: one column per offer, copied into a spreadsheet; it carries over the five rebasing lines from our PCU cost page and adds the evidence and commercial lines
Our own offer against itA proforma invoice with Incoterm, lead time and payment terms, the datasheet for the quoted models, the certificate copies that name them, and test reports on request, within 24 hours on business days
Not on this pageModel selection, prices, the enquiry itself, the reading of a test report, pre-shipment inspection, import classification and the certificate of origin; each has its own page

Same job first: airflow, stages and delivery basis

Three lines decide whether the offers describe the same job, and they are checked before any other. The first is the airflow basis. An electrostatic precipitator is sized to the exhaust airflow of the duct it sits in, and every efficiency and pressure drop figure on the offer is read at that airflow. If the enquiry gave one figure and an offer quotes a model rated below it, the offer is for a different job; if an offer quotes a model rated well above it, you are paying for cabinet you do not need, and the pressure drop figure on that offer was read at a flow you will not run. Row 2 of our enquiry sheet fixes the figure and who set it; the comparison starts by writing that figure at the top of every column.

The second line is the stages in scope. A kitchen exhaust train can carry an electrostatic stage alone, or an electrostatic stage followed by UV and activated carbon for odor, and a fan may or may not be in the supply. An offer for a kitchen ecology unit with three stages and an offer for an in-duct ESP are both legitimate answers to a loosely written enquiry; they are not the same scope. Which stages a given discharge needs is a selection question, answered on our kitchen exhaust filtration page, not a comparison question. For the comparison, every column has to list the same stages, and an odor stage that one supplier included and another priced as an option is moved to its own line.

The third is the delivery basis. An EXW price, an FOB Shanghai price and a CIF price to your port are three different numbers for the same crate, and the gaps between them are freight, insurance and handling that you will pay to someone. The International Chamber of Commerce publishes the Incoterms rules as a set of eleven three-letter trade terms; the one written on each offer decides where the seller’s costs stop. Offers on different terms are brought to one term before the totals are read, usually by asking the EXW and FOB suppliers for a freight line to your port, or by asking the CIF supplier to split the freight out.

Decision rule. IF the three lines above differ between offers, THEN send the differences back as questions and wait for revised offers, BECAUSE a price compared across different airflows, stages or terms is not a price comparison; it is a scope comparison with a price attached. Only when the three lines agree do the remaining thirteen lines mean anything. How the stage, airflow, pressure-drop and fan lines are rebased when the three offers carry three different product names is worked through, with figures, on the PCU cost page; this page does not repeat that arithmetic.

The 16-Line ESP Quotation Comparison Sheet

An electrostatic precipitator quotation comparison done on paper needs a fixed set of lines, so the sheet has one row per line and one column per offer. The second column says what the offer has to state for the line to be filled; the third says what you check it against, which is usually a row of the enquiry sheet, a datasheet or a certificate; the fourth says what to do when the line is blank or differs between offers. Copy it into a spreadsheet, one column per offer, and fill it from the documents, not from the covering email.

An offer that fills all sixteen lines from its own documents is comparable as it stands. An offer with blanks is completed first, by questions, before it is ranked; a blank is not a mark against the supplier, but a filled line that contradicts the enquiry is.

The 16-Line ESP Quotation Comparison Sheet (our own working sheet, not an industry standard)

#LineThe offer must stateChecked againstIf blank, or different between offers
1Models and unit countModel number of each unit, the number of units, and how they are arranged (one per duct, or units in parallel)The duct count on enquiry row 2 and the position on row 4Ask for the arrangement drawing; a different unit count is a different scope, not a cheaper one
2Rated airflow per unitThe rated airflow of the quoted model, in m³/h or CFM, and the design airflow it was selected forEnquiry row 2 and the datasheet of the quoted modelWrite the enquiry figure at the top of the column; an offer rated below it is for a smaller job and is set aside until revised
3Stages in scopeElectrostatic stage; UV stage; activated carbon stage; fan; control panel, each marked included, optional or excludedEnquiry rows 5 and 6 (discharge, complaint and any odor requirement)Move any stage that is optional in one offer and included in another to its own priced line, so the totals compare on the same stages
4Efficiency figure and its basisThe figure, the airflow it was measured at, the test method and the report number and laboratoryThe test report itself; our test report reading sheet lists the fourteen fieldsA figure without an airflow or a method is a claim, not a line entry; ask for the report before the figure is compared with another
5Pressure drop and its basisThe figure at the design airflow, and whether it is for the complete unit or the collector cell aloneThe datasheet; the fan selection the ventilation contractor is makingTwo figures on different bases are not compared; ask for the complete-unit figure at the design airflow. How two offers can state it differently is explained on our ecology unit price page
6Collector cellsMaterial of the collector plates, whether the cells are washable, how many cells per unit and how they are withdrawnThe datasheet and the service side on enquiry row 4Washable stainless steel cells and disposable media are different running costs; the offer states which it is
7Power supply and electrical configurationSupply voltage, frequency and phase the unit is built for; the high-voltage power supply typeEnquiry row 7, the panel reading on siteA unit built for the wrong supply is rebuilt, not adjusted; a blank here stops the comparison until answered
8Certificates naming the quoted modelsWhich certificates are offered, and that each one’s model list includes the quoted model numbersThe certificate copies, read against the model numbers on line 1A certificate that does not name the model does not cover it; a brand-level statement is not a line entry
9Dimensions, flanges and weightExternal dimensions, flange sizes, service clearance and weight of each unitEnquiry row 4: straight duct length, service side, space, outdoor or indoorA unit that does not fit the position is not an offer for that position; ask for the general arrangement drawing
10Included itemsTransition pieces, control panel, interlock to the fan, first fill of consumables, spare cells, installation manual, toolsThe scope split with the ventilation contractorList every item one offer includes and another excludes; price the difference or have it added
11Incoterm, port and freightThe Incoterm with the named place, the port of loading, and freight and insurance as separate lines where the port is knownEnquiry row 8; the forwarder’s quoteBring all offers to one term before totals are read; under CIF the insurance level is checked, since the Institute Cargo Clauses (C) remain the default under Incoterms 2020; the lines that remain to be paid after the term is settled are on our electrostatic precipitator landed cost page
12Payment termsDeposit percentage, when the balance is due, and the instruments acceptedYour own treasury rulesBalance before shipment and balance after delivery are different risks; compare them as terms, not as discounts
13Lead time and on-site dateProduction lead time from deposit, and whether it is for standard models or custom workEnquiry row 10: the required on-site date, counted back through freightA shorter lead time quoted for a different model is not a faster offer for your model
14Warranty boundaryPeriod, what is covered (cells, power supply), what is a consumable (UV lamps, carbon media), and whether labor or site visits are includedThe written warranty, not the covering emailConsumables priced inside one offer and outside another move to line 10
15After-sales and sparesRemote support channel, spare parts availability, and how long spares are supplied after a model is discontinuedThe supplier’s published terms; the manufacturer verification you ranA blank here is answered with a written statement, not assumed
16Open assumptionsEvery input the supplier did not have and the assumption made for eachYour enquiry: which rows you left blankAnswer the assumptions; the offer is revised, not re-quoted. Two offers that made different assumptions on the same blank are not yet comparable

This sheet answers whether the offers describe the same job and the same deliverable. It does not answer which unit will perform at your discharge; that is the selection question, and it is answered by the airflow, the cooking duty and the stages, before the enquiry goes out. Nor does it rank suppliers; it ranks offers, and only once they sit on one basis.

Efficiency, pressure drop and certificates: where equal-looking lines differ

Lines 4, 5 and 8 are where two offers can show the same words and mean different things. An efficiency figure is read at an airflow and by a method. A Chinese laboratory report under the national method, a test to ASTM F2519-05(2025), the standard test method for grease particle capture efficiency of commercial kitchen filters and extractors, and an electrical safety listing to UL 867 measure three different things, and one of them measures no efficiency at all. Our own published figure illustrates how a line entry should read: report ZY05W230298, from a CMA-accredited laboratory, records up to 97.6% grease removal on an LK160 at 16,000 m³/h with a resistance of 150 Pa under that test. The model, the airflow, the resistance and the report number are all on the line; a figure offered without them is asked for in that form before it is compared. Which fields to read on the report itself is on our test report page, and what ASTM F2519 does and does not establish is on the ASTM F2519 page.

Pressure drop is the figure the ventilation contractor needs to select the fan, and it is the one most often quoted on two bases. A figure for the collector cell alone omits the inlet and outlet transitions and the cabinet; a figure for the complete unit includes them. Two offers can show the same number and differ by the cabinet. Ask both for the complete-unit figure at the design airflow on line 2, and pass that figure, not the lower of the two, to whoever is selecting the fan. On a kitchen ecology unit, where a fan can be supplied with the stages and is selected against the total static pressure of the configuration, the complete-unit figure for every stage in scope is the only basis that works.

Certificates are a model-number question. A CE certificate, a RoHS certificate or a UL listing names the models it covers, and a model outside that list is not covered by the brand’s holding of the certificate. Our own CE certificate FQC2602501, under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC with the EMC and Low Voltage directives, names LK30 to LK480, LK30E1 to LK150E1 and the UV series; the UL 867 listing under File E522667 names the LK and SE 6K, 12K and 18K models at 230 V, 50 Hz and no others. Reading line 8 means reading the model list on each certificate against line 1, for every offer. The certificates by product line are on our ESP certifications page; how to tell a certificate holder from a trading company is on the manufacturer verification page.

Key point. On these three lines the question to send back is always the same: at what airflow, by what method, for which model numbers. An offer that answers in those terms is comparable; one that answers with an adjective is not yet.

Incoterm, payment, lead time and warranty: lining up the commercial lines

Lines 11 to 15 are commercial, and the comparison here is about putting the terms side by side rather than converting them to money. The Incoterm is the first. Under Incoterms 2020, EXW leaves the goods at the factory with every cost and risk beyond the gate on the buyer; FOB puts them on board at the named port; CIF carries them to the destination port with insurance arranged by the seller, and the ICC notes that under CIF the Institute Cargo Clauses (C) remain the default level of cover unless the parties agree a higher one. Three offers on three terms are three different deliveries. Bring them to one, by asking for the freight and insurance lines separately, and then compare.

Payment terms are a risk line, not a price line. A deposit with the balance before shipment, and a deposit with the balance after delivery, place the risk of the production period and the voyage on different parties; a letter of credit changes the instrument again. Compare them as terms and decide which you accept, rather than reading a longer credit period as a discount. The pre-shipment inspection, which runs before the balance is released, is what makes a balance-before-shipment term safe; the twelve checks are on our pre-shipment inspection page.

Lead time is read against the on-site date on enquiry row 10, counted back through freight and clearance, and it is compared only for the same model. Warranty is read as a boundary: the period, what is covered, what is a consumable, and whether labor or a site visit is in the price. An offer whose warranty covers the collector cells and the high-voltage power supply, and prices UV lamps and carbon media as consumables, is written in the terms that matter for an electrostatic precipitator; an offer that says “full warranty” and nothing else is asked to say the same four things. Spares and after-sales are a written statement line: the support channel, and how long spares follow a discontinued model.

Decision rule. IF two offers differ on a commercial line, THEN record the difference as a term and decide whether you accept it, BECAUSE converting terms to money hides the risk they move, and the risk is the point of the line.

Three offers, one kitchen: a worked comparison

Teaching example only. Not Polygee test data, not a product claim, not an acceptance threshold. The offers are invented to show how the sheet is read; no prices are given because the sheet is read before the price is.

A hotel kitchen sends the ten-row enquiry: one exhaust duct, a design airflow set by the mechanical consultant, a roof discharge with one odor complaint on file, 380 V three-phase, FOB to a named port, and an on-site date. Three offers come back. In this example lines 1, 2, 3 and 5 have already been brought to one basis, the way the PCU cost page works through them, so all three offers name a model rated at the design airflow, the same two stages and a complete-unit pressure drop at that airflow. The lines below are the ones that still differ, and they are the ones a price-first reading skips.

LineOffer AOffer BOffer CWhat the sheet says
4 Efficiency basisFigure with airflow, method and report numberFigure, no airflow, no methodFigure with airflow and method, report on requestB’s figure is a claim; ask for the report. A and C compare once C’s report arrives
8 CertificatesCE copy names the quoted model“CE certified” in the emailCE copy names a different model in the same seriesOnly A fills the line; B and C are asked for the copy that names the quoted model
11 IncotermFOB named portEXWCIF destinationBring B and C to FOB by asking for freight and insurance as separate lines; C’s insurance level is read against the Institute Cargo Clauses (C) default
12 PaymentDeposit, balance before shipmentFull payment with orderDeposit, balance after deliveryThree different risks, not three discounts; B’s term puts the production period and the voyage on the buyer without an inspection point
13 Lead timeStated for the quoted model, from depositStated, but for a stock model that is not the quoted oneStated for the quoted model, from drawing approvalB’s lead time is for a different machine; C’s clock starts later, so count back from the on-site date on both bases
14 Warranty boundaryCells and power supply covered; lamps and carbon as consumables; labor excluded“Full warranty”Cells and power supply covered; first lamps included; labor excludedB is asked to state the same four things; C’s first lamps move to line 10 as an included item
16 Open assumptionsNone listed; all ten rows were answeredNone listed, but the odor requirement on row 6 was not addressedAssumed carbon was requiredB’s silence on row 6 is an unlisted assumption; C’s is listed and is answered with the written requirement

Read this way, the kitchen has one offer that fills the lines and two sets of questions, not three prices. After B states the efficiency basis, sends the certificate copy, states FOB and writes the warranty in four parts, and C splits the insurance and the first lamps into lines and restates lead time from deposit, the three columns can be read together. The order may still go to B or C; the sheet does not choose the supplier. It stops the kitchen from choosing the smallest number before the columns describe the same deliverable.

Our own offers against the sheet

The sheet applies to our offers as it does to any other, so here is where each line is answered on ours. The enquiry sheet page lists the eight items an offer from us states; the lines below say which document carries each one.

LineWhere it is answered on our offer
1, 2, 6, 7, 9The datasheet for the quoted models (read field by field on our electrostatic precipitator datasheet page): model, rated airflow, dimensions and flange sizes, the supply configuration, stainless steel collector cells that are washed and reused, and weight where the datasheet publishes it. Units are configured to order for 220 V or 380 V at 50 or 60 Hz
3The proforma invoice lists the stages quoted; an odor stage is quoted against a requirement on enquiry row 6, or listed as an option, and a fan can be supplied with a kitchen ecology unit and is selected against the total static pressure of the configuration
4Third-party test reports on request, each naming the model, the airflow and the report number; report ZY05W230298 is the one quoted above
5Stated per model at the design airflow, as a complete unit; measured values exist in CMA-accredited reports for named models
8Certificate copies for the quoted models only: CE FQC2602501 where the model is on its list, RoHS 2.0 certificate BKC25114877LC for the lines it names, and the UL 867 listing under File E522667 only when the LK or SE 6K, 12K or 18K models at 230 V, 50 Hz are quoted
10The proforma invoice lists what is in the supply; the installation manual and certification pack are emailed within one business day of a request, as listed on our downloads page
11Incoterms arranged to suit the buyer: EXW, FOB or CIF, with shipments leaving from Shanghai Port; freight is a separate line when the port is known
12A 30% deposit, or 50% on some orders, with the balance paid before shipment; T/T and L/C accepted
137 to 15 days for standard models; OEM and customized orders quoted individually; MOQ 1 unit
141 year on the complete unit, including the ESP cell and the SPP power supply; UV lamps and activated carbon media are consumables and not covered; on-site labor is a paid service
15Remote support by video call and illustrated manuals; common spare parts kept in stock; supply continues for 1 year after a model is discontinued
16The offer lists the inputs that were missing and the assumption made for each; the standing terms behind every line are published on our supplier profile

Cleaning interval is deliberately not a line on this sheet. It depends on the cooking duty, the hours and the grease load, and we state it in writing at quotation for the kitchen described, not as a number on a page. An offer that gives one number for every kitchen is giving a sales figure, and the sheet treats it as a line 16 assumption.

Scope and limits

The sheet compares offers on paper. Three layers follow, and passing one layer does not clear the next.

  • Layer 1, the offer. The sixteen lines establish that the offers describe the same job and that each figure has its airflow, method and model attached. They do not establish that the unit will perform at your discharge. Action: hold the selection inputs (airflow basis, cooking duty, stages) fixed before the enquiry, as on the filtration selection page.
  • Layer 2, the site. Dimensions, flanges, service clearance, supply voltage and the fan selection are interfaces with the duct, the panel and the ventilation contractor. A comparable offer can still not fit. Action: have the general arrangement drawing checked against the site before the deposit; the eleven lines to check are on our electrostatic precipitator drawing approval page.
  • Layer 3, operation. Source capture, actual airflow, bypass leakage, cell condition and the cleaning regime decide the outlet in service. No line on the sheet measures them. Action: write the cleaning regime, the acceptance measurement and who performs it into the order, as set out on our cleaning page.

What changes the comparison: a revised design airflow (every column is re-read); a change of stages after an odor requirement arrives in writing; a change of port or Incoterm; a change of supply voltage read at the panel; a model substitution by any supplier after the offers are in. The sheet also does not compare a new unit with the repair or rebuild of an existing one; that decision is on our ESP replacement page.

Buyer record and key takeaways

Before an order is placed, your file should hold:

  • The sheet with one column per offer, every line filled from a document, and the document named beside it.
  • The questions sent back on blank or contradictory lines, and the revised offers that answered them.
  • The complete-unit pressure drop at the design airflow for every offer, passed to whoever selects the fan.
  • The certificate copies read against the quoted model numbers, and the test report behind every efficiency figure.
  • The term you accepted on each commercial line (Incoterm and port, deposit and balance, lead time against the on-site date, warranty boundary, spares statement), written on the proforma invoice you sign.

Key takeaways

  • Order of reading: airflow basis, stages, Incoterm first, then the other thirteen lines, then the price, not the total first.
  • Efficiency and pressure drop: a figure with its airflow, method and model attached, not a percentage in an email.
  • Certificates: the model list on the copy against the quoted model numbers, not the brand’s claim to hold the certificate.
  • Blanks: questions sent back and offers revised, not points deducted and not assumptions filled in for the supplier.
  • Commercial lines: terms compared as risks you accept or decline, not converted into a discount.

Frequently asked questions

How do I compare electrostatic precipitator quotations from different suppliers?
Put them on one sheet, one column per offer, and fill sixteen lines from the documents: models and count, airflow basis, stages in scope, efficiency with its basis, pressure drop with its basis, collector cells, electrical configuration, certificates naming the models, dimensions, included items, Incoterm, payment, lead time, warranty boundary, after-sales and open assumptions. Read airflow, stages and Incoterm first; where they differ, send the differences back as questions. Only offers that agree on those three lines are compared on price.
Why is one ESP quotation so much cheaper than another?
Most often because it is for a different job: a model rated for a lower airflow, an electrostatic stage without the odor stages the other offer included, an EXW price against a CIF price, or consumables and a fan left out of the supply. Check lines 2, 3, 10 and 11 of the sheet before concluding that one supplier is cheaper. Where the lines agree, the remaining difference is the offer itself, and the six factors behind it are set out on our electrostatic precipitator price page.
Two quotations state different efficiencies. Which one is right?
Neither can be judged until each figure has its airflow, its test method and its report attached. A figure measured at a lower airflow, or by a different method, is not comparable with one measured at the design airflow. Ask both suppliers for the report naming the model, the airflow and the report number, and read the fields on our test report page. Our own figure is quoted that way: up to 97.6% on an LK160 at 16,000 m³/h, report ZY05W230298, under that test.
Should I compare FOB and CIF quotations directly?
No. Under Incoterms 2020 they end at different points: FOB on board at the port of loading, CIF at the destination port with insurance arranged by the seller, where the Institute Cargo Clauses (C) remain the default cover. Ask the FOB supplier for a freight and insurance line to your port, or the CIF supplier to split them out, and compare on one term. Then decide the term you want as a risk question, since it also fixes who handles a loss at sea.
What do you send so that your quotation can be compared?
A proforma invoice with the Incoterm, the lead time, the payment terms and the stages in scope; the datasheet for the quoted models with rated airflow, dimensions, flange sizes and supply configuration; the certificate copies that name those models; and third-party test reports on request, each with the model, the airflow and the report number. The offer lists any input that was missing and the assumption made for it, within 24 hours on business days.

Want an offer that fills all sixteen lines?

Send us the design airflow, the stages you have been quoted and the Incoterm and port, and we return an offer written against the sixteen lines: a proforma invoice with Incoterm, lead time and payment terms, the datasheet for the quoted models, the certificate copies that name them, and the test report with its airflow and report number, within 24 hours on business days. If you already hold our offer and another, send both sheets and we fill in any line of ours that is blank; for three offers under three product names, the rebasing of the first five lines is on the PCU cost page.

Send the airflow, the stages and the port →

If the enquiry has not gone out yet, start with the ten-input enquiry sheet; offers written against it come back with the sixteen lines already filled.

Why we write this. We answer enquiries that arrive with two or three other offers attached, and the question behind them is which one to trust. The questions we hear are why one quotation is so much cheaper than another, and which of two efficiency figures is right. This page answers both by putting the offers on one sheet before the price is read. It does not size or configure equipment; sizing and quotation live on the product pages.

L
Written by Law · Project Manager, Polygee

Law manages project delivery at Polygee and reviews the airflow, stage and interface lines of offers against the site before an order is confirmed. Polygee, founded in 2004, manufactures the in-duct electrostatic precipitators, kitchen ESP hoods and kitchen ecology units named here and has exported to 50 countries. This page states our published terms and a method for reading offers; it is not a specification, a selection or an opinion on any other supplier’s product.


References & further reading

  1. Delivery terms: International Chamber of Commerce, Incoterms® rules and Incoterms® 2020 (eleven three-letter trade terms; CIF insurance default; DAP and DPU). iccwbo.org (Incoterms rules) · iccwbo.org (Incoterms 2020)
  2. Efficiency test method: ASTM F2519-05(2025), Standard Test Method for Grease Particle Capture Efficiency of Commercial Kitchen Filters and Extractors. astm.org
  3. Electrical safety: UL 867, Electrostatic Air Cleaners. shopulstandards.com
  4. Our own terms and documents: the supplier profile (payment, Incoterms, lead time, warranty, spares) and the ESP certifications page (certificate copies by product line). Test report ZY05W230298 is sent on request.
  5. Named, not linked: ISO/IEC 17025, the requirements for testing laboratories, under which accreditation of a test laboratory is granted; the China Metrology Accreditation (CMA) mark carried by the laboratory report quoted above.

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