Freight Quote Requests: What to Send Your Forwarder

Two ocean freight quotes can show very different prices for what is, on paper, the same operation. If an importer gets three proposals back and each one covers a different scope, the numbers on the spreadsheet are not really comparable. The cheapest proposal may just be the one that left out the most costs. This usually starts at the quote request itself: when the request lacks enough data, each forwarder fills in the blanks with its own assumptions, and each assumption lands on a different number.

Take the China-to-Santos lane. The gap between a port-to-port quote and a door-to-door quote can exceed USD 1,500 per container once you add origin THC, handling, inland transport, and insurance. If an importer asks for a “freight quote from China to Santos” without saying what scope they want, one forwarder quotes ocean freight only while another quotes from the supplier’s warehouse to the terminal in Santos. Both prices are correct for what each one understood, but you cannot compare them side by side.

An incomplete quote request produces incomparable proposals

A forwarder needs a minimum set of data to quote a price that reflects the actual cost. When something is missing, the forwarder either asks for clarification (which slows down the response) or picks a default value (which may not match the real cargo). Either way, the importer loses.

The data point most often left out is volumetric weight. Ocean freight is calculated on whichever is greater, gross weight or cubic volume, at a ratio of 1 metric ton to 1 cubic meter. If an importer reports only gross weight, the quote may be built on the wrong basis, because light, bulky cargo (foam, injection-molded plastics, packaging) always pays on volume. That difference alone can shift the freight price by 30% or more.

Shipping date matters too. An ocean freight quote is typically valid for 7 to 15 days in a stable market, sometimes less when a GRI has been announced. An importer who requests a quote without saying when the cargo will ship may get a price valid for the following week but only close the booking 40 days later, after the rate has already moved. We covered this in a previous post on freight quote validity.

What a freight forwarder needs to build the price

Seven data points define a quote. Leave any one out and the forwarder is guessing, not quoting.

Origin and destination, as precisely as possible: port of loading and port of discharge, or, if the importer needs door-to-door freight, the supplier’s address and delivery address in the destination country. Commodity, identified by its HS code. The tariff classification tells the forwarder whether the cargo requires regulatory clearance, whether there are shipping restrictions, and whether additional charges apply. Gross weight and dimensions of each package, so the forwarder can calculate volumetric weight and figure out whether the cargo fits a standard container, a high cube, or needs a flat rack.

Quantity: how many FCL containers or how many cubic meters of LCL. Incoterm agreed with the supplier, because it sets the point from which the forwarder takes on responsibility and cost. Expected shipping date, which pins down the quote’s validity and determines which carrier tariff applies. Cargo value (CIF or FOB depending on the Incoterm), needed to calculate insurance and, in Brazil, the basis for AFRMM, a federal levy of 8% on ocean freight for long-haul navigation.

When all seven data points arrive in the initial request, the forwarder responds faster and every proposal comes back built on the same basis, ready for a direct comparison.

Incoterms and HS codes change the scope of the quote

The Incoterm says who pays for what and where responsibility changes hands. If an importer negotiates EXW with the supplier, the forwarder handles everything: inland transport at origin, ocean freight, and delivery in the destination country. Under FOB, the forwarder handles freight and destination costs only. For the same cargo, the quote can swing by more than 40% depending on the Incoterm, because the scope of service is different in each case.

The HS code tells the forwarder whether the import requires licensing, whether there are certification requirements, and whether the product faces anti-dumping duties. Each of those adds cost and time. A forwarder who gets the HS code up front can fold these costs into the proposal from the start, instead of sending an addendum after the importer has already compared prices.

Without both the Incoterm and the HS code, the forwarder is pricing a job whose size it doesn’t know. Together, the two are what separate an estimated quote from a workable one.

How Tier2 Cargo organizes every line of the quote

Tier2 Cargo records each quote with every component on its own line: ocean freight, origin THC, destination THC, terminal handling, estimated storage, insurance, B/L fee, ISPS, and AFRMM. The system applies calculation rules per container, per weight, per TEU, or as a percentage of freight, depending on the charge. As the shipment moves forward and actual costs come in, the margin between quoted and invoiced amounts shows up automatically, shipment by shipment.

An importer working with a forwarder on Tier2 Cargo gets quotes at this level of detail because each component lives in the system as a rule, and the price on each line tracks the current tariff. Through Tier2 Portal, the importer can view invoices with the same breakdown as the original quote, without having to call the operator to ask what a charge means.

Learn more about Tier2 Cargo or get in touch.