"What's your best shade net price?" is the first line of most inquiries we receive, and it is almost impossible to answer honestly from that sentence alone. Two rolls that look identical in a photo can differ by 30% in cost — one is virgin HDPE with a real UV package at full weight, the other is recycled resin running 15% light. This guide breaks down the five variables that actually set the price of knitted shade cloth, the container math that changes your landed cost, and how to compare two quotes that are not quoting the same thing.
1. GSM — you are buying plastic by weight. Shade net is priced fundamentally on how much HDPE is in it. A 180 gsm net contains twice the polymer of a 90 gsm net, and the price tracks that almost linearly. When a quote looks suspiciously cheap, the first question is whether the stated GSM is the GSM you will receive.
2. Resin: virgin vs recycled. 100% virgin HDPE costs more than recycled or blended resin, and the difference shows up two years later as cracks along the fold lines. For agricultural netting that lives outdoors, virgin resin with UV stabilization is the floor, not the upgrade.
3. The UV package. UV stabilizer is an additive you cannot see in a photo. A proper package adds real cost per kilogram and is the difference between a net rated for 2 seasons and one rated for 5–8. Ask what UV life is guaranteed in writing.
4. Width and construction. Wider nets (up to 12 m) run on wider looms with lower output per hour, so very wide rolls cost more per kilo than standard widths. Tape-yarn and mono-yarn constructions price differently too.
5. Color and order volume. Standard green and black are the most economical; custom colors mean purging looms and minimum runs. And volume moves everything — which is where the container math comes in.
Shade net is bulky for its weight, so freight is a real share of landed cost — and it rewards full containers. Here is what fits, from our own loading records:
| Container | Shade net payload |
|---|---|
| 20'GP | 4.5–5 tons |
| 40'GP | 9–10 tons |
| 40'HC | 11.5–12 tons |
A 40'HC carries roughly 2.4× the payload of a 20'GP for well under 2.4× the freight — the per-kilo freight cost drops sharply as the container fills. This is why factory MOQs exist: our minimum of 2 tons is the point where sea freight stops punishing the order. Below that, courier or LCL freight can add more than the netting is worth. If you are testing the market, take the 2-ton trial order rather than a pallet.
Before comparing prices, force both quotes onto the same line items:
A quote that answers all five is almost never the cheapest number on the table. It is usually the cheapest net over its service life.
Buyers often assume a custom spec carries a custom price. Mostly it does not — within standard ranges, width, length and color changes cost little because the looms already run them daily. Where customization genuinely costs: unusual widths that waste loom capacity, non-standard colors that interrupt a production run, and retail packaging (individual bags, printed inserts, barcodes) which adds labor per piece rather than per kilo. The cheapest "custom" order is a standard color in a standard width, cut to your length. The most expensive is a bespoke color at an odd width in retail packaging — we will tell you which of those you are asking for before you commit to it.
Buyers ask why factories quote instead of posting prices. The honest reason: HDPE resin is a commodity whose price moves monthly, and a published list would be fiction within a quarter. What we can fix in writing on every quote is the spec — GSM with tolerance, virgin resin, UV life, roll weights, and the payment structure: T/T 30% deposit, 70% before shipment, or 100% L/C at sight, with production in 25–35 days from deposit.
Every shade net quote from our factory states the full spec, so you can compare it line by line with anyone else's:
| Material | 100% virgin HDPE + UV stabilization |
| Weight (GSM) | 40–350 gsm, with stated tolerance |
| Shading rate | 40% / 50% / 65% / 70% / 80% / 90%, or as required |
| Width | 1–12 m, length as requested |
| Service life | 2–5 years minimum under normal conditions |
| MOQ | 2 tons |
| Loading | 4.5–5 t / 20'GP · 9–10 t / 40'GP · 11.5–12 t / 40'HC |
| Payment | T/T 30/70 or 100% L/C at sight |
For a current price, send your GSM, shading rate, width and quantity via the contact page or WhatsApp — we reply within 24 hours with a spec-stated quote.
Mostly GSM honesty and resin grade. A cheap quote is often a lighter net than stated, recycled resin, or a minimal UV package. Compare GSM with tolerance, resin grade and UV guarantee before comparing numbers.
By the container, decisively. A 40'HC carries 11.5–12 tons and the per-kilo freight drops sharply once the container is full. Factory MOQs exist because partial loads carry punitive freight costs.
Yes, roughly in proportion — you are buying HDPE by weight. But per year of service life, a heavier virgin-resin net is usually cheaper than a light net replaced every other season.
Send five things: GSM, shading rate, width and length, quantity, and destination port. With those, a factory can quote a firm price within a day.
Only if you ask for it. Quotes default to EXW or FOB — say the word and we quote CIF to your port with the freight broken out, so you can see exactly what the container costs versus the netting.
Shade net price is five variables — GSM, resin, UV package, width and volume — plus container math. Force every quote onto those lines and the cheapest honest number reveals itself. Send your spec and we will quote it line by line.