Check the unit before comparing the number

A lower printed price can be misleading when one quote is per metre and another is per yard. Write the currency and unit beside every price before comparing offers. Also identify whether the quantity requested and the quantity quoted use that same unit.

The international yard is exactly 0.9144 metre, as documented by NIST. That relationship lets you convert length-based prices consistently. It does not tell you whether the quoted fabrics are equivalent or whether their commercial terms match.

Work through a clearly hypothetical example

Suppose one offer is 10 currency units per metre and another is 9 currency units per yard. These are teaching assumptions, not Hanzhong prices or a current supplier quote.

  • To express the yard price per metre, divide 9 by 0.9144: approximately 9.8425 currency units per metre.
  • To express the metre price per yard, multiply 10 by 0.9144: 9.144 currency units per yard.
  • On length price alone, the hypothetical second offer is lower, but the difference is smaller than comparing 9 with 10 without conversion suggests.

Keep sufficient precision in the working calculation and agree how the actual invoice quantity and price are rounded. Do not silently change the requested unit when copying a quotation into an order sheet.

Establish whether the cloth is comparable

Check the SKU, composition, construction, finish and width. Two fabrics quoted per linear metre can cover different areas if their widths differ. A wider fabric does not automatically reduce garment cost, because the usable width, pattern and layout also matter.

The width and order-quantity guide covers those separate inputs. Use the garment maker's actual layout rather than converting a width difference directly into a promised percentage saving. A fabric substitution also needs its own sample approval.

Keep fabric cost and other charges visible

Ask what the quoted price includes and list other agreed charges separately. Sample cost, courier cost, special development, packing or shipping arrangements may be separate questions depending on the offer. This guide does not assign universal charges or interpret a particular delivery term for your contract.

Do not assume that a per-kilogram price can be compared directly with a per-metre price. Ask for the supplier's measurement basis and the actual specification needed for any conversion. Packing weight and fabric weight are different concepts, and an approximate calculation should remain labeled as an estimate.

Build a comparison sheet that can be checked

  • Supplier reference and exact fabric SKU.
  • Original quoted currency, quantity unit and unit price.
  • Converted comparison unit, factor and working precision.
  • Composition, width basis, finish and proposed quantity per color.
  • Included costs, separately confirmed charges and unresolved assumptions.

Use the same confirmed currency basis if offers are in different currencies; this page provides no exchange-rate forecast or landed-cost quotation.

Return to the supplier with the differences

The quotation checklist helps you resolve missing commercial fields. Send the fabric reference and quantity in an explicit unit, then retain the original quote beside your comparison. The useful result is a like-for-like purchasing discussion, not a conclusion based on a smaller number alone.