Pricing for pultruded FRP profiles is harder to benchmark than steel or aluminium because the major distributors do not publish list prices and the per-meter cost varies significantly with resin system, fibre architecture, and surface finish. This reference collects 2026 direct-from-factory FOB China benchmarks for the most common profile families, updated against active F1 Composite quotes and observed market pricing.
All pricing is FOB China (Shanghai or Ningbo) in USD, polyester resin, standard veil finish, EN 13706 E23 grade, MTC included, packed in wooden crates ready for 40HC container loading. Vinyl ester adds 15–25%; polyurethane adds 20–35%; phenolic adds 40–60%. Powder-coat finish adds $4–8/m.
Standard profile pricing (FOB China, 2026)
| Profile | Size | Weight (kg/m) | FOB China price ($/m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| FRP I-beam | 100×50×6 | 1.6 | 6.5 – 8.5 |
| FRP I-beam | 152×76×6.4 | 2.9 | 9.0 – 12.0 |
| FRP I-beam | 200×100×10 | 5.8 | 18 – 24 |
| FRP I-beam | 305×305×12.7 | 16.0 | 55 – 75 |
| FRP channel | 100×50×6 | 1.4 | 5.5 – 7.5 |
| FRP channel | 200×60×8 | 3.2 | 11 – 15 |
| FRP angle | 50×50×6 | 1.0 | 3.5 – 5.5 |
| FRP angle | 100×100×10 | 3.4 | 10 – 13 |
| FRP square tube | 50×50×4 | 1.1 | 4.5 – 6.5 |
| FRP square tube | 100×100×6 | 3.2 | 12 – 16 |
| FRP round tube | OD 50, wall 4 | 1.0 | 4.5 – 6.0 |
| FRP flat bar | 50×6 | 0.6 | 2.0 – 3.0 |
Volume breaks: 1,000 m order → list pricing. 5,000 m → roughly -5%. 20,000 m → roughly -10%. 50,000 m → roughly -15% with annual contract terms.
Compare these against typical regional distributor pricing — UK/EU distributors quote $14–18/m on a 200×60×8 channel where FOB China is $11–15. The delivered-cost gap (FOB China + sea freight + import duty + inland) is typically 30–40% below regional distributor pricing on profile orders above 5 tonnes.
Grating and deck panel pricing
| Product | Description | FOB China price |
|---|---|---|
| FRP moulded grating | 38 × 38 mm mesh, 38 mm thick, polyester | $35–50 / m² |
| FRP moulded grating | 38 × 38 mm mesh, 50 mm thick, vinyl ester | $55–75 / m² |
| FRP pultruded grating | I-bar 25 mm pitch | $65–90 / m² |
| FRP deck panel | 600 mm × 25 mm, polyurethane core | $45–65 / m² |
Grating pricing is per square meter of grating panel, including standard end banding and lifting cuts. Custom panel cuts add $2–5 / m².
Fenestration profile pricing
| Series | Frame depth | Application | FOB China price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65 Series | 65 mm | Residential casement, U_w 1.4–1.6 | $8–12 / m |
| 70 Series | 70 mm | Commercial casement, dual-glazed | $10–14 / m |
| 80 Series | 80 mm | High-perf residential, U_w 1.0–1.2 | $14–20 / m |
| 90 Series | 90 mm | Passivhaus-certified, U_w 0.78 | $22–32 / m |
| 140 Series | 140 mm | Extreme-climate / curtain wall | $35–50 / m |
Fenestration profile pricing assumes raw profile only (no glazing, hardware, or assembly). PHI-certified 90 Series runs at the upper end of its range; non-PHI 90 Series equivalents are 15–20% below.
Custom pultrusion tooling cost
Tooling cost depends on cross-section complexity, not size:
| Profile complexity | Tooling cost | Tooling lead time |
|---|---|---|
| Simple solid (rod, flat bar variant) | $2,500 – $4,500 | 2–3 weeks |
| Standard structural (I, C, L, square tube) | $4,500 – $9,000 | 3–4 weeks |
| Hollow with dividers (multi-cavity tube) | $9,000 – $18,000 | 4–6 weeks |
| Fenestration profile family | $25,000 – $45,000 per profile | 6–8 weeks |
| Multi-cavity asymmetric custom | $15,000 – $35,000 | 5–8 weeks |
For first-run orders of 500–1,000 m (the typical custom MOQ), F1 Composite folds tooling into the per-meter price at no separate tooling charge. Tooling becomes a separate line item only when the buyer wants to own the die or when first-run quantity is below MOQ.
Lead time benchmarks
| Order type | Tooling | Production | Sea freight | Total to EU/US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock standard profile | — | 1–3 weeks (from inventory) | 25–40 days | 5–8 weeks |
| Custom profile, first run | 3–6 weeks | 4–6 weeks | 25–40 days | 11–16 weeks |
| Custom profile, repeat | — | 3–4 weeks | 25–40 days | 7–10 weeks |
| Large stocking order (30+ tonnes) | — | 4–8 weeks | 25–40 days | 8–14 weeks |
| PHI-certified 90 Series fenestration | — | 5–8 weeks | 25–40 days | 9–14 weeks |
Air freight (DHL/FedEx) cuts transit to 5–7 days but costs 8–15× sea freight per kilogram — only economic for samples or schedule-critical small orders under 200 kg.
Container freight benchmarks (40' high-cube, 2026)
| Origin | Destination | $ per 40HC |
|---|---|---|
| Shanghai / Ningbo | Rotterdam / Hamburg | 1,200 – 2,500 |
| Shanghai / Ningbo | Felixstowe / London Gateway | 1,400 – 2,700 |
| Shanghai / Ningbo | Los Angeles / Long Beach | 1,800 – 3,500 |
| Shanghai / Ningbo | New York / Savannah | 2,500 – 4,500 |
| Shanghai / Ningbo | Jebel Ali (UAE) | 900 – 1,800 |
| Shanghai / Ningbo | Sydney / Melbourne | 1,500 – 2,800 |
| Shanghai / Ningbo | Santos (Brazil) | 2,800 – 4,800 |
A 40HC packs 18–22 tonnes of pultruded FRP profiles depending on cross-section density. Per-tonne sea freight to Rotterdam runs $55–140; per-tonne to LA runs $80–195. On a 200×100×10 I-beam at 5.8 kg/m, freight adds approximately $0.50–1.10 / m landed in Rotterdam.
Insurance: 0.3–0.5% of cargo value, typically included in CIF terms.
Incoterms cost deltas
Quoted as a percentage above the FOB China price for the same physical shipment:
| Incoterms | Delta vs FOB China | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| FOB Shanghai | baseline | Goods to export port, Chinese customs cleared |
| CFR / CIF [destination port] | +6 to +12% | Adds sea freight (and insurance for CIF) |
| DAP [project site] | +14 to +22% | Adds destination customs, inland trucking |
| DDP [project site] | +18 to +30% | Adds destination import duty |
DDP is the most expensive Incoterm because the factory takes on import-side tax and customs risk, which factories price conservatively. Most experienced buyers run CIF or DAP unless they have no in-house customs capability.
Putting the benchmarks to work
For a typical project — 5 tonnes of 200×100×10 FRP I-beam (≈ 860 m), polyester resin, EN 13706 E23, shipped CIF Rotterdam — the 2026 benchmark math is:
- Profile: 860 m × $20/m = $17,200 - Container freight (1 × 40HC): $1,800 average - Insurance: $90 average - Total CIF Rotterdam: ≈ $19,100, or ~$22.20/m landed
The same project sourced from a UK distributor at $42–48/m delivered would cost £36,000+ ($45,000+). Direct-from-factory savings: ~58% on the same profile to the same standard.
Caveats
These benchmarks shift quarter-to-quarter on three drivers: glass fibre raw material cost (currently stable), resin cost (polyester/vinyl ester moved -3% in Q1 2026 versus Q4 2025), and container freight (volatile — check the [Drewry World Container Index](https://www.drewry.co.uk/supply-chain-advisors/supply-chain-expertise/world-container-index-assessed-by-drewry) for current spot rates).
For a project-specific quote calibrated against current pricing, F1 Composite returns full quotes within 48 business hours through [the contact form](/contact) or describe the application in the [AI Sourcing Assistant](/ai/sourcing) for a spec + price path in one response.
