The FOB price on a stainless steel quote is usually about half the invoice. The rest — ocean freight, import duty, port charges and inland delivery — is where two quotes that look equal at FOB quietly diverge into very different landed numbers. Understanding the gap is the difference between a budget and a surprise.
Here is what a stainless steel landed cost actually includes, in the order the money leaves your account.
1. FOB price
The Free On Board price covers the metal, its export packing and delivery to the named port, loaded on the vessel. It is the number buyers compare first — and the number that is least informative on its own, because everything after it is a variable.
2. Ocean freight
Container freight for stainless — usually breakbulk or FCL in a 20' or 40' container — is quoted per container, not per ton, so the loaded weight and the container utilization decide the per-ton freight. Heavy plate fills a container by weight; sheet and coil fill it by volume or footprint. A mixed load of plate, tube and fittings that leaves air in the container pays freight on the air.
3. Insurance
Marine cargo insurance is typically a fraction of the cargo value and covers loss or damage in transit. For stainless, where a dented coil or a scratched plate is a claim, insurance is not optional — and the packaging that prevents the damage (edge protectors, steel-strapped pallets, desiccant) is part of the FOB, not an add-on.
4. Import duty and taxes
Duty is levied on the CIF value — cost, insurance and freight combined — not on the FOB price. That is a common surprise: the duty base is the landed-in-port number, so freight and insurance push the duty up. The duty rate varies by country and by the exact classification of the product (flat-rolled, tube, fittings carry different codes).
5. Port and terminal charges
Terminal handling, documentation, customs brokerage and any inspection or fumigation land at the destination port. These are fixed-ish per shipment rather than per ton, which is why a small order carries a disproportionately large port-charge share.
6. Inland delivery
The last leg — port to your warehouse — is usually the most underestimated line. It is quoted on distance and access, and it can exceed the ocean freight on a short, awkward delivery.
The gap in one table
| Line | Typical driver | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| FOB | metal + packing + port loading | grade, gauge, quantity |
| Ocean freight | container, not ton | utilization, route |
| Insurance | cargo value | coverage, packaging |
| Duty | CIF value × rate | classification, origin |
| Port charges | per shipment | small orders pay more per ton |
| Inland delivery | distance + access | the last mile |
Where the numbers go wrong
The most common mistake is comparing two quotes on FOB alone and buying the cheaper one, then paying the difference in freight and duty. A supplier that quotes a lower FOB but a poorly utilized container, a vague classification or no packaging spec has not saved you money — it has moved the cost into a line you did not compare.
The second mistake is asking for "landed cost" without saying which port. Landed to Rotterdam and landed to an inland German warehouse are different numbers, because the inland leg and the terminal charges differ. Name the destination and the delivery address, not just the country.
Bottom line
A stainless landed cost is FOB plus freight, insurance, duty, port charges and inland delivery — and three of those are per-shipment or per-value, not per-ton. Ask for the quote broken out line by line, and compare landed-to-your-door, not FOB. The cheapest FOB is rarely the cheapest invoice.
For the six costs that land in your yard in practice, see what lands in your yard. When you quote stainless, tell us the destination port and the delivery address — we will break the landed cost out so the comparison is apples to apples.