Detailed description
A buyer comparing three quotes for the same nominal product is usually comparing three different constructions. This page sets out what is actually in the tape so the quotes can be read side by side.
What the buyer is choosing
Two things decide whether a roll suits an automated line: the width tolerance at the core and the outside of the roll, and whether the put-up is splice-free. Ask for both in writing. A supplier who quotes a tolerance only for the finished carton is quoting the wrong measurement.
The material question
The fibre is nylon (polyamide). It takes dye deeply, which is why the colour range is wide and why the colour holds through washing at 40 degrees. Its weakness is moisture regain: a nylon roll absorbs water in transit, measures wide on arrival and settles back over about a week, so allow for it in incoming inspection rather than rejecting the lot.
How it is quoted
Payment is 30 percent deposit with the balance against a copy of the bill of lading. Mixed widths on one purchase order are quoted as separate lines with a shared lead time, which is usually cheaper than splitting the order.
What ships with the goods
Colour is checked against the retained standard under D65 on every lot, and weft skew, oil marks and hook damage are inspected across the full roll rather than on a cut sample.
Checking it on arrival
On arrival, measure the width at the core and at the outside of the roll before you cut anything. A roll that measures wide at one end and nominal at the other was slit under uneven tension, and the whole lot will behave the same way on your line.
Send the grade, width and colour with the annual volume and the quote comes back against a real construction rather than a catalogue range.
