China sourcing desk: supplier evidence and comparable quotations for modular building projects.
Sourcing process Contact our desk Compare optionsCompare sourcing options by the same design loads, envelope targets, shipping dimensions and installation scope. The buyer’s local design team sets the project criteria before suppliers propose a system.
| If the brief says | System that usually fits | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|
| Office or classroom with road delivery | Volumetric modular construction with supplier-confirmed shipping dimensions | Lifting points and a foundation interface still need the crane chart and soil note. |
| Remote camp, many identical rooms | Repeat modules with a written MEP preinstallation split | Fire resistance is a linked-wall question. Rock wool may be required and will add mass. |
| House, longer stay, tight freight | Panelized cold-formed steel (CFS) or a folding house | Site labour closes thermal bridges. Request a loading plan per 40HQ and a separate site assembly schedule. |
| Workshop or hangar, span past a module | Pre-engineered building, portal frame, clear span specified around doors, equipment and crane movement | Q355 or S355 is named only with the load sheet. Purlin and girt layout follows the door and crane. |
| Hot-humid coast, light members | Light-gauge steel (LGS) with coating mass stated for the exposure class | Cut edges and welds need a repair spec. Paint on heavy plate is a different maintenance plan. |
| Core | Mass | Heat | Fire conversation |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPS sandwich panel | Lowest of the three | Useful, usually behind PIR at equal thickness | Needs the tested assembly, not a marketing line |
| PIR sandwich panel | Still light | Compare declared U-value at equal thickness and check the calculation boundary | Check joints and openings separately |
| Rock wool sandwich panel | Highest | Adequate when thickness is increased | Usually the stricter fire and acoustic option |
R-value targets come from the energy rule at the site, not from a global default. A thermal bridge at the steel rim can erase a good centre-of-panel U-value, so the selector asks for a rim detail before it praises a core.
Temporary classification versus permanent compliance is the disagreement that wastes the most weeks. A building that can be lifted is still occupied under the local fire and accessibility rules. We request supplier documentation against the named code path. We will not describe a permit as granted before the local authority has reviewed the project.
A second disagreement is freight versus field time. Buyers who optimise only the container loading plan often meet a longer sealant and alignment crew. Buyers who optimise only factory completion meet crane constraints and route-specific width permits. The selector keeps both costs visible.
Intumescent coating on an exposed portal frame is not interchangeable with a sandwich panel rating. If the workshop brief asks for minutes on the frame, that test method and the section factor belong in the same email as the span.
Share occupancy, climate loads, module count and target delivery date. The desk identifies missing criteria for the supplier shortlist.
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