A gearbox price list is a table of numbers, and almost none of those numbers mean what a first-time buyer assumes. Two quotations can name the same model, quote within a few dollars of each other, and still describe machines that will behave very differently in service - because the columns that matter most, the ratio, the service factor behind the rating, the mounting build and the price basis, are the ones usually left implicit. This guide explains what each column does, what sits outside the quoted figure, and how to line two offers up so the comparison is real.

The Columns That Decide Whether Two Prices Are Comparable

A usable price list carries five things for every line: the model designation, the ratio, the rated input power or output torque, the mounting build, and the price with its trade term. Drop any one of them and the row becomes a hint rather than an offer.

The model designation alone is not enough, because a designation describes a frame and a layout, not a complete machine. The same frame can be built with several ratio bands, several shaft arrangements and several sealing or lubrication options. A list that shows only model and price is effectively quoting a family, and the actual unit will be priced again once the details are fixed.

The ratio matters because it sets output speed, and output speed is what the driven machine actually needs. A conveyor that must run at 1.6 m/s with a given pulley diameter needs one specific output speed; a quote at a neighbouring ratio changes the belt speed, and sometimes the motor size with it. When two lists show different prices for what looks like the same model, check the ratio column first.

Why the Same Model Number Carries Different Prices

Three mechanisms explain most of the gap between two offers for an identical designation.

The first two are engineering differences, and they are legitimate. The third, fourth and fifth are commercial, and they are where most of the confusion lives.

Reading the Price Basis: EXW, FOB and What Sits Outside

An EXW price covers the goods at the factory gate. The buyer pays for inland transport to the port, export clearance, terminal handling, ocean freight, insurance and destination charges. An FOB price includes getting the goods on board at the named port, so inland haulage and export clearance are inside the figure. A CIF price adds freight and insurance to the destination port, but still stops at the port - unloading, duty and inland delivery remain with the buyer.

The practical consequence is that an EXW figure and an FOB figure for the same unit are not competing numbers; they are two different scopes. Before comparing, convert both to the same basis, using your own freight forwarder's rates rather than the supplier's estimate. A forwarder's quote for a full container of gearboxes is usually a small fraction of the goods value, but for a single crate it can be a fifth of the invoice, and that changes the ranking of two offers completely.

There is a second layer that rarely appears on a price list: what happens after the goods land. Spare parts availability, the warranty terms, and whether a technical response arrives in a day or a fortnight all sit outside the unit price and inside the real cost.

Options That Move the Price Quietly

Options are where a cheap line becomes an expensive order, because they are frequently quoted as "included" without saying which variant is included.

Oil grade is the first. A standard mineral fill and a synthetic fill for a hot or cold site differ in price and in drain interval. If the list does not name the fill, the buyer does not know which one is being offered.

Sealing is the second. A general-purpose nitrile seal and a fluoroelastomer seal for washdown or solvent exposure are different parts with different prices. The same applies to the breather and the paint system on an outdoor unit.

The third is documentation and inspection. A standard certificate pack, a material certificate for the shaft, a witness test or a third-party inspection each add cost, and each is often assumed rather than stated. On a project order these items can add more to the invoice than the difference between two competing frame sizes.

A price list that itemises these options is more useful than one that does not, even when the itemised version looks more expensive at first glance.

Quantity Breaks, MOQ and the Lead Time Clause

Gearboxes are built to order in most sizes, so the quantity on the line changes both the unit price and the delivery date. A price list usually shows a single unit price at a stated minimum order quantity, and the effective price at the quantity actually needed may be higher.

The lead time clause deserves the same attention as the price. A figure of "five to ten weeks" is a range, and the difference between the two ends is a month of project schedule. Ask what the range depends on - casting availability, gear cutting slots, test bay capacity - and ask for the specific lead time in writing against your quantity and options.

Turning a Price List into a Cost-of-Ownership Comparison

Unit price is an input, not an answer. Two units of the same rating can differ in efficiency by a couple of percentage points, and on a continuous duty that difference is paid every hour. For a drive running 6,000 hours a year, a two-point efficiency gap on a 15 kW duty is roughly 1.8 MWh a year - a figure that often exceeds the initial price gap within the first two or three years of service.

The same logic applies to the service factor behind the rating. A frame quoted at the edge of its thermal capacity for the duty will need more attention: shorter oil intervals, closer temperature monitoring, and a shorter bearing life. A frame with reserve costs more at the invoice and less over the decade.

Building that second column yourself, even roughly, is the difference between buying a machine and buying a decade of operation.

A Checklist for Comparing Two Offers Line by Line

Before ranking two quotations, confirm that both describe the same duty:

1. Model, frame and ratio, stated separately rather than folded into a description.
2. Rated output torque and the service factor the rating assumes.
3. Mounting build and, where relevant, shaft or bore dimensions.
4. Trade term, named port, and what the price excludes.
5. Options: oil, seals, paint, nameplate, documentation, inspection.
6. Quantity and the unit price at that quantity.
7. Lead time against your quantity, in writing.
8. Warranty terms and the spare parts route.

Any offer that cannot answer items two and four is not yet comparable; it is a starting point for a conversation.

It also helps to know what the unit has to bolt onto. If the drive replaces an existing one, the centre height, bolt spacing and shaft diameter constrain the choice more than the price does, and a quotation that ignores them will produce a machining job on site. A dimensional drawing request costs nothing and settles it early.

For a worked reference on how frame size, ratio and mounting build combine, see the SF57 helical worm gear reducer for a foot-mounted general-purpose build, or the M3PSF60 parallel shaft industrial gearbox for a heavier industrial frame. You can also run the numbers yourself in the online selection system and send the result with your enquiry, which shortens the quotation to a single exchange.

A price list read this way stops being a list of numbers and becomes a specification. The buyer who compares on ratio, trade term, options and lead time usually ends up paying a little more per unit and considerably less per year - and spends far fewer hours explaining why the drive does not fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do two suppliers quote very different prices for the same gearbox model?

Usually because the quotes are not for the same machine. Check the ratio, the mounting build, the oil and seal specification, the trade term and the quantity basis before treating the two figures as comparable. A gap of ten to twenty percent often disappears once the scopes are aligned; a gap that survives alignment usually reflects a real difference in materials, gear finishing or inspection.

Is an EXW price always cheaper than an FOB price?

No. EXW covers less, so the number is smaller, but the buyer then pays inland transport, export clearance and terminal handling. Convert both to the same basis with your forwarder's rates before comparing, especially on small shipments where those costs represent a large share of the invoice.

How much does the mounting build affect the price?

The gear train is shared, so the difference is mostly in the housing and the output end. A foot-mounted build is the baseline; a flange build adds a machined flange and register; a shaft-mounted build with a torque arm removes the need for a foundation and a coupling on site, which often offsets its higher unit price in installation labour.

Should I choose the cheapest frame that meets the torque?

Only if the duty is smooth, continuous and well understood. Where the drive starts against a load, reverses, or runs in a hot or enclosed space, the reserve in the next frame up is cheaper than the interventions it prevents. State the duty pattern on the enquiry and let the service factor decide the frame rather than the price column.