DN100 PVC drainage pipe is one of the most basic pipes in the construction and municipal drainage system. From the riser of the residential bathroom to the drainage branch pipe of the shopping mall catering area, to the rainwater collection pipe network of the municipal road, it covers almost all living and public drainage scenes. For purchasers, the most common confusion is: why can the price of the same DN100 PVC pipe be different by nearly 10 yuan/meter when it is bought in bulk and bought in retail?

To understand this difference, we must first dismantle the "cost logic behind the price".

is first and foremost the leverage effect of the procurement scale. Engineering procurement is mostly "bulk orders" - for example, a community drainage project requires 5,000 meters of DN100 pipes, and suppliers can reduce unit costs by "centralizing the procurement of raw materials, unifying logistics distribution, and simplifying communication processes". Taking PVC resin powder (the main raw material of pipes) as an example, bulk procurement can save 2-3 yuan per kilogram compared with scattered procurement, and these savings will be directly reflected in the project quotation. Retail is for "scattered demand", such as home decoration to supplement 10 meters of pipes, small shop repair and replacement of 2, the supplier's warehousing, labor and transportation costs cannot be shared, so naturally these costs should be added to a single pipe.

Second is the cost difference of service matching. The quotation of project procurement often includes "additional services": for example, the supplier will deliver the goods to the construction site in batches according to the progress of the project to avoid inventory backlog; some suppliers will also provide installation guidance and after-sales quality assurance (such as 3-year water leakage guarantee). The cost of these services has been diluted through bulk orders, and there will be no additional price increase. The retail price is the "pure single product price", which includes store rent, shopping guide wages, and small batch transportation costs (such as sending 10 meters of pipes to community owners, and the courier fee may cost 15 yuan). These costs will be passed on to consumers.

look at the common price reference in the market (take the national standard DN100 PVC drain pipe as an example, the wall thickness is 3.2mm, in line with the GB/T 5836.1-2006 standard):

- project purchase price: 15-25 yuan/meter (the larger the purchase volume, the lower the price; if long-term cooperation, it can be reduced by 1-2 yuan/meter);

- retail price: 20-35 yuan/meter (the price of offline building materials stores is higher, and the online e-commerce platform may be as low as 20 yuan/meter due to reducing store costs, but pay attention to the risk of transportation damage).

Of course, the price will also be affected by other factors: such as fluctuations in raw materials (if the price of PVC resin powder increases by 10%, the price of pipes will follow by 5% -8%), pipe wall thickness (non-standard pipe thickness 2.8mm, the price is 5-8 yuan/meter lower than the national standard, but the pressure resistance is poor, not suitable for engineering use), transportation distance (remote areas need to add 1-3 yuan/meter freight).

Finally, a reminder to the purchaser:

- Engineering procurement: Priority is given to regular PVC pipe factories, confirm the "national standard" logo and test report, and avoid using "non-standard pipes" (seemingly cheap, but in fact easy to crack and leak, and later maintenance costs are higher);

- Retail procurement: Do not buy "low-priced pipes" cheaply - for example, an e-commerce platform sells DN100 pipes for 12 yuan/meter. The probability is that the wall thickness is not up to standard, and it will be deformed due to water pressure in 1-2 years.

To sum up, the difference between the engineering price and the retail price of DN100 PVC drainage pipes is essentially the embodiment of "scale effect" and "cost structure". Whether it is engineering or retail, choose the right product and understand the cost logic to buy "cost-effective" pipes.