British Columbia
HOW TO CHOOSE BETWEEN IMPORTED AND LOCALLY MADE PARTS
An imported part is a good buy when nothing about it will change and you need enough of them to make the wait worth it.
An overseas quote came back at half the local number, and you're wondering whether to take it. Imported sheet metal parts make sense when the design is final and won't change. You also need more than the smallest order the factory will make, and a schedule that can wait for a long shipment. For standard sizes, a distributor's stock often beats both importing and custom work. The quick test below shows whether your part is ready, and the steps after it keep the savings intact.
Every condition that isn't true yet adds risk to an imported order. Enough of them, and the savings on the unit price disappear on the way to site.
| What has to be true | Why an import needs it | If it isn't true yet |
|---|---|---|
| The design is final | A change means a new production run and another shipment | Finish the design first, or keep the part local for now |
| You need more than the factory's minimum order | A factory spreads its setup cost across every part, so it won't make fewer than a set number | Look at distributor stock or a local run instead |
| The schedule can wait | Production, shipping, and customs take weeks, not days | Order the slowest parts first, or have them made locally |
| The spec is written down in full | A factory builds exactly what's written, and nothing it wasn't told | Write the spec package before you ask for a price |
| Someone checks the parts before they ship | A problem found after shipping costs a second shipment | Arrange a check at the factory before you pay the balance |
| Spares are in the same order | A short or damaged part can't be replaced quickly | Add spares to the run before it's made |
The unit price is only one part of what you pay. The landed cost of imported metal parts adds freight, brokerage, duty, surtax, and tax before you compare.
Duct Duct Goose buys spiral duct, snap-lock pipe, kitchen hoods, and some types of louvers rather than making them. Where a stock or factory part does the job, making it one at a time only adds cost.
If your duct is round and the diameters are standard, buy spiral from a supplier. We buy ours in too, and make only the fittings that tie it in.
Commonly used for long, straight round runs in commercial buildings.
If the sizes are off the shelf and nothing has to fit an odd opening, stock parts are faster and cost less. Keep custom work for the pieces that don't match.
Commonly used for smaller round branches and light commercial runs.
Buy the hood ready-made, and have the grease duct and connections behind it made to fit. That's how we supply hoods ourselves, bought in and then installed.
Commonly used over restaurant cook lines.
If the design won't change and you need thousands a year, a stamping die can make each part for less than cutting and bending. That's a factory run, here or overseas.
Commonly used by equipment makers with a long-running product.
Standard ductwork and fittings also price instantly on WebDuct. That gives you a local stock price to set beside an imported one before you commit.
The two questions that decide most jobs are how many you need and whether the design is final. Put the two together, and the better buy is usually clear.
| Your situation | Usually the better buy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A standard size, any quantity | Distributor stock | It's already made, so there's no setup to pay for |
| One or a few parts that fit an existing condition | Custom, made locally | The part follows your site, and nobody else makes it |
| Dozens or hundreds, design still changing | A local run | Changes cost little while the drawing is still being revised |
| Hundreds a year, design final | A local repeat run | The run is too small for tooling, and the parts come off the same drawing each time |
| Thousands a year, design won't change | A stamping run, local or imported | Tooling pays off once its cost is spread over a big run |
| Standard runs plus a few odd pieces | Split the order | Buy the stock parts, and have the odd ones made to fit |
Small orders are where local most often beats imported. When a local shop beats a production run shows why for one part or a few.
Most imported orders go wrong because someone skipped a check. These six steps catch each problem at the point where it's cheapest to fix.
Write the full spec package. Put every size on the drawing, with how far each one may be off. Add the metal, gauge, seams, joints, finish, packing, and labels.
Approve a sample made the production way. Ask for it in the production metal, on the production tooling, and check it against the drawing.
Agree how the run will be checked. Write down which sizes are measured, how many parts are sampled, and what fails.
Have the parts checked at the factory before they ship. A fix at the factory costs less than a second shipment.
Order spares in the same run. Extras of the parts most likely to be damaged or short save waiting for the next boat.
Check the delivery against the sample. Count the parts, look for transit damage, and report anything wrong before the parts go up.
Ordering imported parts so the savings hold
Three of the six steps check the parts. Each one catches a problem while it's still cheap to fix.
Spec package
Every size and tolerance, plus metal, gauge, seams, joints, finish, packing, and labels
Approve a sample
Made in the production metal, on the production tooling
Agree the checks
Which sizes, how many parts, and what fails
Check before shipping
Have the parts checked at the factory, so a fix costs less than another shipment
Spares in the run
Extras of the parts most likely to be short or damaged
Check the delivery
Count, look for damage, and compare with the sample
A good sample proves the factory can make the part. The check before shipping is what shows the whole run matches it.
A factory working from a drawing builds what's written, and there's often no quick call to ask about a gap. Close each of these in the spec before the order goes in.
| The detail | What happens if it's left out | Write it as |
|---|---|---|
| Gauge, the thickness of the sheet | The part may come in thinner than your engineer's spec | The gauge for every part, taken from the project spec |
| Seam and joint type | The ends may not connect to the duct already on site | The joint at each end, named the way your drawings name it |
| Tolerances, how far a size may be off | Parts can be off by more than your install allows | The allowed difference on the sizes that matter |
| Finish and visible faces | A face on show arrives with marks or the wrong finish | The finish, and which faces will be seen |
| Packing and labels | Parts arrive mixed, damaged, or hard to find on site | How parts are protected, and a label for each area |
Two buyers can get opposite advice and both be right. These are illustrations, not Duct Duct Goose quotes.
The bracket is galvanized, its design hasn't changed in years, and the maker needs a few thousand a year. A stamping run, here or overseas, will likely make each one for less. The first parts were made locally until the design stopped changing, and only then did it move to tooling.
A contractor is connecting three new rooftop units to a building's existing duct this week. Each one needs a transition, the fitting that ties the unit into the duct. No factory makes that part, and the sizes come from the site, so only custom work made locally fits this job.
The bracket maker needs thousands of a part that won't change, so a factory run fits. The contractor needs site-sized parts this week, so local work fits.
The right buy can be stock, imported, or custom, and sometimes all three on one job.
We tell you where a stock part does the job. If stock or imported is the better buy, we'll say so.
We make the pieces stock parts don't cover. Transitions, offsets, and equipment connections are made to your sizes, so the standard runs tie in.
We make prototypes and first samples. A local first part proves the design before you pay for tooling anywhere.
We make repeat runs that are too small for stamping. A final design needed in hundreds can be made here, run after run.
We give you a local price on standard ductwork. A company account on WebDuct prices it instantly, to set against an imported one.
Once a design is final, sheet metal prototype to production covers how a part moves from a first sample to a reorder. The fittings themselves are on our custom duct fittings page.
Importing suits a design that won't change and a schedule that can wait. It doesn't suit parts whose sizes come from the site.
If your part is a better buy from a distributor or a factory run, we'll tell you, even though it means we don't make it. We'd rather earn your call for the parts that have to be made.
The list covers the six rows of the quick test, plus three more to settle before you order. Custom fabrication vs prefab and imported parts is the wider decision if you're still choosing.
If a part does arrive wrong, what happens when a fabricated part arrives wrong walks through the fix. More on this choice sits in Local Fabrication vs Imported Parts.
Send a drawing, a sketch, or a photo with the quantity you need. We'll tell you whether it's stock, a factory run, or a part we should make.
Standard ductwork and fittings price instantly on WebDuct, the online pricing and ordering portal, with a company account. Stainless, grease duct, installs, and other custom work start with a request or a call.
At Duct Duct Goose, we specialize in sheet metal fabrication and stainless steel services for commercial and industrial applications, including HVAC systems, ducts, and custom metalwork. Please note that we do not offer services for automotive-related projects, such as vehicle parts, repairs, or modifications.
