Short answer: door prices only compare once every factory is pricing the same thing. Put the quotes on one sheet with one size basis, the same construction, named hardware, the same finish, delivery point and terms, and have each factory fill its gaps in writing. Then compare landed cost and risk, not the unit rate.
Why are per-door and per-m² prices not comparable?
A price per door or per square metre means little until you know which area is measured and what is included. One factory measures the structural opening, another the frame, a third the leaf. One includes a named pivot and smart lock; another prices “standard hardware”. Until the scope is the same, the lowest unit rate tells you nothing.
The size basis alone moves the rate. Take one opening, with an example frame that leaves a 10 mm fixing gap and takes 70 mm of profile at each side and at the head:
| Area measured | Size (mm) | Area | Rate needed for the same total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structural opening | 1,800 × 3,000 | 5.40 m² | Base |
| Frame outside size | 1,780 × 2,990 | 5.32 m² | About 1.5% higher |
| Leaf | 1,640 × 2,920 | 4.79 m² | About 13% higher |
Ask too about minimum chargeable areas and rounding. Our guide on what to send a door manufacturer explains the four sizes.
Which line items should you normalise?
Normalise every line that changes cost or risk: the size basis, the construction, the hardware, the finish, and the paperwork and terms. Ask each factory to state every item below in writing. Where a quote is silent on a line, treat it as missing, not as included.
The door itself
- Size basis: opening, frame or leaf, and how the m² figure is worked out.
- Frame and threshold: frame material and depth, threshold type and height, drop seal, any sidelight or transom.
- Face: carved, cast or flat sheet, the relief depth in mm, and what faces the inside. A flat sheet face like Grain Band and a deep carved face like Contour are different products; see cast vs carved faces.
- Core and leaf construction: leaf thickness and every layer, outside to inside.
- Thermal break: yes or no, the strip material, and any U-value with its method and the door size it applies to (door U-values).
- Glass: toughened or laminated, build-up and safety class (glass in entrance doors).
Hardware
- Pivot or hinges by brand, system and model. “FritsJurgens” alone is not enough. On FritsJurgens’ own site, System M+ closes by itself and holds at 90°, −90° and 0°, for doors up to 500 kg. System One swings freely and does not self-close, and the Slim versions are for doors up to 209 kg.
- Lock and cylinder by brand and model: locking points, how it opens, cylinder grade and number of keys (cylinders and keys).
- Handles: model, length and finish, inside and outside.
Finish
- Coating system: fluorocarbon (PVDF), powder or another system, the colour codes, and the standard it meets if your specification names one. AAMA 2605, for example, requires a 10-year South Florida exposure test (finishes for coast and sun).
- Colour count: one colour, or two-tone, patina or brushed effects, which add labour.
Paperwork and terms
- Drawings and samples: a shop drawing before the deposit, how many revisions, and a finish sample.
- Testing and documents: which test reports exist, for which door, and what your jurisdiction requires.
- Packing: face protection, crate type, crate size and gross weight, and an ISPM 15 mark on solid-wood crates. In Australia, for example, non-compliant timber packaging is sent for treatment, export or destruction at the importer’s expense.
- Incoterm: where the price ends. Under EXW the seller delivers at the agreed location and loading is the buyer’s job; under FOB, risk passes once the goods are on the vessel at the named port; under DDP the seller also handles import formalities. See Incoterms for door imports.
- Payment terms: deposit, what triggers the balance, and the currency.
- Lead time: how many days, and from which event: order, deposit or drawing approval.
- Warranty: length, start date (shipment, delivery or installation) and exclusions, such as transit damage, installation faults, glass and electronics.
- Spare parts: seals, keys, cylinder, touch-up paint, and later supply.
- Installation support: drawings, remote guidance or a supervisor on site, and who pays.
What are the red flags in a door quote?
The warning signs are gaps and vague wording: unbranded hardware, an unspecified finish, no drawing before payment, a lead time or price far out of line with the others, and any request to pay a new bank account. Each one moves risk from the factory to you.
- No hardware brands, or “brand X or equivalent”, which lets the factory decide what you get.
- A vague finish: “powder coated, colour as sample”, with no system, colour code or sheen.
- No drawing before the deposit, so nothing to check the finished door against.
- A lead time far shorter than the others for the same scope, or one with no start event.
- A price far below the market for the same size and construction. Something is missing.
- Pressure to pay a different bank account, often because the usual one is “under audit” and cannot receive payments. Pay only into a company account in the name on the contract. The FBI warns that business email compromise targets businesses working with foreign suppliers; it and the US Secret Service advise verifying payment instructions by calling a known number, not one in the email. See checking a factory before a deposit.
What should a quote comparison table look like?
One table, with a row for each item and a column for each factory, so every gap shows up as an empty cell. Copy it into a spreadsheet, fill each column word for word from that factory’s quote, and leave a cell empty rather than guess.
| Item | Factory A | Factory B | Factory C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote date and validity | |||
| Currency, Incoterm and named place | |||
| Size basis and m² charged | |||
| Door type and opening direction | |||
| Frame and threshold | |||
| Face type and relief depth | |||
| Core and leaf thickness | |||
| Thermal break and U-value basis | |||
| Glass build-up | |||
| Pivot or hinges, brand and model | |||
| Lock and cylinder, brand and model | |||
| Handles, model and length | |||
| Finish system and colour count | |||
| Drawings and samples | |||
| Test reports and documents | |||
| Packing, crate size and gross weight | |||
| Payment terms and deposit | |||
| Lead time and start event | |||
| Warranty length, start and exclusions | |||
| Spare parts | |||
| Installation support | |||
| Price as quoted | |||
| Estimated landed cost |
What should you ask each factory?
Send every factory the same drawing and the same questions, in writing, so the answers line up in your table. These cover the lines that most often differ between door quotes. Treat a reply of “standard” or “equivalent” as no answer.
- Which size is the price based on, and how many m² are charged?
- Which pivot or hinges, lock, cylinder and handles, by brand and model?
- Is the face carved, cast or sheet, and how deep is the relief?
- What are the leaf layers and thickness? Is there a thermal break?
- What glass, and what build-up?
- Which coating system, colour codes and number of colours?
- Will I get a shop drawing and a finish sample before the deposit?
- Which test reports can you send, and for which door?
- How is the door packed, and what are the crate size and gross weight?
- Which Incoterm and named place?
- What are the deposit and balance, and whose name is on the account?
- How many days is production, counted from which event?
- What does the warranty cover, from when, and what does it exclude?
- Which spare parts and what installation support are included?
How do you weigh price against risk?
Compare landed cost first. Bring every quote to the same point, your site, by adding freight, insurance, duty, tax and local delivery; our guide on EXW price vs landed cost shows the steps. Then ask what each quote would cost you if it went wrong:
- Rework. A door made to the wrong size or handing may need a remake, a second crate and a second sea freight.
- Delay. A custom entrance door is often on the critical path. A missed date can hold up handover, the follow-on trades and your own payment.
- Hardware. A lock with no local support, or a pivot of the wrong system, is expensive to change once the door is hung.
The cheapest quote is often the one that leaves lines out. Check the door against the drawing before it is crated and before the balance is paid, as our pre-shipment inspection guide explains. The full order sequence is in ordering custom doors from China.
How does this work with Dooream?
We quote EXW at our factory in Wuyi, per square metre of the opening and by design. Our quote names the hardware by brand: FritsJurgens pivot hinges, and smart locks from KFV, G-U or Wintech, or the hardware you choose. The first design direction is free, usually within one working day; we can send a 20 × 20 cm sample of the face and give video factory tours. Production takes 35–45 days after drawing approval and the deposit. Payment is 50% deposit and 50% before shipment, and we send photos and video of the finished door before it ships. Doors are packed in blankets, foam and a wooden crate, and the warranty runs for two years from shipment. Your local installers fit the door with our installation drawings and remote guidance. Send your opening through our contact page.
Sources, checked November 2026: ICC Academy, Incoterms 2020: EXW or DDP and Incoterms 2020: FCA or FOB; FritsJurgens, pivot hinges; PPG, FGIA/AAMA 2605; Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, ISPM 15; FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, business email compromise public service announcement; US Secret Service, business email compromise.
Quick answers
Why can't I compare door quotes by the price per square metre?
Because factories measure the area differently and include different things. In our example a 1,800 × 3,000 mm opening is 5.40 m², but its leaf is only 4.79 m², so a rate per m² of leaf must be about 13% higher to give the same total. Agree one size basis and one scope first.
Which parts of a door quote should be named by brand and model?
The pivot or hinges, the lock, the cylinder and the handles, and also the coating system and the glass. A brand alone is not enough. FritsJurgens System M+ closes by itself and holds at 90°, while System One swings freely and does not self-close.
How do I protect the deposit when I choose between factories?
Pay only into a company account in the same name as the contract, and confirm any new or changed bank details by calling a number you already have, not one given in the email. The FBI and the US Secret Service both advise this check.