The unit price on a steel offer tells you almost nothing about what the order will cost. Landed cost is the goods value plus inland haulage, ocean freight, insurance, duty, any anti-dumping or countervailing exposure, terminal handling, and the storage clock that starts running the day the container arrives. Buyers who compare offers on the per-ton figure alone routinely pick the cheaper quotation and end up with the more expensive shipment.
Duty is decided by three things: the HS code the goods are classified under, the country of origin, and the destination market. The same coil can sit in different headings depending on coating, alloy and thickness, and the spread between headings can be wider than the spread between suppliers. Anti-dumping duties are the part that catches buyers out, because they are set by the importing country, they change with trade rulings, and they apply to origin rather than to your particular seller. Never accept a duty rate from a supplier as settled fact. Ask for the HS code in writing, then have your own customs broker confirm the classification and any trade-measure exposure before you sign anything.
The lines buyers forget are the ones that arrive after the invoice. Terminal handling and documentation charges vary by port far more than people expect. Demurrage and detention start on a clock you do not control if your paperwork or your truck is late. Third-party inspection, currency movement between quotation and payment, and the cost of the payment instrument itself all sit on top. Weight matters too: on plate and coil, the difference between theoretical and actual weight can shift the quantity you are paying for by more than any negotiation you will win on price.
The practical fix is to stop comparing unit prices and start comparing landed cost to a named port. Ask each supplier for the HS code, the Incoterm, the packing list and the mill test certificate up front, then price the whole chain with your broker before you shortlist. JLCC Metals has supplied steel since 2003, first through our predecessor business and now under this company, sourcing from long-term partner mills that operate ISO 9001 quality systems, and ships every order with a mill test certificate traced to its heat number. Send us your specification, quantity and destination port and we will come back with a costed offer you can put straight into your landed-cost model.