commercial
Prime vs Near-Prime vs Off-Grade
Prime: full-spec with CoA. Near-prime: minor spec deviation, batch-tracked, 10–25% discount. Off-grade: out-of-spec, sold without CoA at 30–50% discount; quality varies widely.
Why it matters for procurement
Understanding prime vs near-prime vs off-grade matters whenever you need to translate a producer's technical data sheet into a procurement specification. Misreading the term can result in pricing the wrong material or accepting a non-compliant lot.
When you submit an RFQ, naming the relevant standard or property explicitly (rather than relying on a generic equivalent) reduces re-quote cycles and accelerates routing to the supplier with the matching grade in stock.
Related terms
commercial
Certificate of Analysis (CoA)
Per-batch document listing tested properties (MFI, density, moisture, ash, color) against grade specification. Required for prime material; absent on off-grade.
commercial
Spot Market vs Contract Pricing
Contract: monthly negotiation tied to monomer index, typically 60–85% of EU demand. Spot: lot-by-lot, usually 5–20% above or below contract reflecting near-term tightness.