Reference
Glossary
Purchasing terms in plain words · 5 articles
- Proforma, invoice, packing list: a glossary for buying abroadA proforma is a bill before payment, an invoice is a bill for the cargo actually shipped, a packing list is what lies in each box. One purchase in China brings two or three dozen such words. Here each is explained in a sentence or two, and the details are in separate articles.
- MOQ, lead time, OEM: what the words in a plant's reply meanMOQ is the smallest lot the plant agrees to make. Lead time is how long the plant needs from order to readiness. OEM means made to your data or under your brand. These words describe terms, but they bind the plant only when they are in the contract or a signed proforma.
- GB, GB/T, JB/T: what Chinese standards mean in documentsGB is China's mandatory national standard, GB/T is a recommended one, JB/T is an industry standard for mechanical engineering. The numbers after the letters are the standard's number and the year of its edition. A GB reference in a passport is normal: it is how the plant says to what rules the item was made and tested. For import into Uzbekistan it does not replace local conformity assessment.
- Mesh, bar, inches, hp: how to convert units from a catalog1 bar = 0.1 MPa, 1 kgf/cm² is almost a bar, but 2% less. 1 inch = 25.4 mm. 1 hp is about 0.74 kW. 40 mesh means an opening of about 0.42 mm. In a Chinese catalog 斤 is half a kilo, and 寸 is not an inch. Below are conversion tables and the mistakes met most often.
- 型号, 功率, 转速: common inscriptions on a Chinese nameplate型号 is the model, 功率 is power, 转速 is speed, 电压 is voltage, 电流 is current, 出厂编号 is the serial number. The numbers and Latin codes on a Chinese nameplate are the same as on any other: kW, V, A, IP55. The characters only label the lines. Below is a table of common inscriptions with their English meaning.
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