Cling Film Price Guide 2026: PVC, PE, Jumbo & Retail Roll Costs

Cling film pricing looks opaque until you take it apart. A jumbo roll and a supermarket retail pack can have the same polymer inside and yet differ by a factor of three in price per kilogram — not because anyone is cheating, but because packaging, converting, logistics and distribution layers each add a predictable margin. This 2026 guide walks through the entire cling film price stack, from PVC resin at the refinery gate to the consumer shelf, so that B2B importers can read a quotation with confidence and spot where a supplier is cutting corners.

All figures below are 2026 market references for food-grade product. Prices fluctuate with crude oil (which drives PVC and PE resin), freight, and exchange rates, so treat the ranges as indicative rather than a live quotation.

The cling film price stack, at a glance

Raw PVC resin  →  Factory ex-works  →  FOB Ningbo  →  CIF destination  →  Distributor  →  Retail
~RMB 6,000/t      RMB 8,000–12,000/t   + port fees     + freight +         + 10–30%       + 30–50%
                  (factory margin       (~RMB 2,000–     insurance         markup          markup
                  15–25%)               4,000/FCL)

The headline numbers:

• PVC resin (2026): approx. RMB 6,000/tonne.
• Factory ex-works, jumbo roll: RMB 8,000–12,000/tonne.
• Factory margin: 15–25% at factory level.
• Distributor / wholesale markup: 10–30%.
• Retail markup: 30–50%.

Raw material — the biggest variable

Raw material is 60–70% of factory cost, which is why resin prices drive cling film pricing more than any other single input.

Resin	2026 range (RMB/tonne)	Notes
PVC suspension resin	~6,000	Food-grade lots priced at a small premium
Food-grade plasticiser	15,000–25,000	Blend dependent; non-phthalate grades cost more
LDPE film grade	7,500–9,000	For PE cling film
LLDPE film grade	7,500–9,000	Often blended with LDPE for cling film
Tackifier (PIB) for PE	20,000–40,000	Low % but meaningfully affects cost

A typical food-grade PVC cling film formulation is roughly 65–70% resin, 25–30% plasticiser, plus small amounts of stabiliser and processing aids. A PE cling film is mostly polymer plus a small tackifier percentage.

Factory cost structure

Inside the factory, a tonne of finished jumbo roll breaks down approximately like this:

Cost line	Share of factory cost	Notes
Raw material	60–70%	Resin + plasticiser + additives
Conversion (extrusion, slitting, winding)	10–15%	Energy, labour, line maintenance
Packaging	5–10%	Cores, stretch film, master cartons
Factory overhead	5–10%	Rent, admin, QC, certifications
Margin	15–25%	Factory profit

At a factory ex-works price of RMB 10,000/tonne, that decomposes roughly to RMB 6,500 material + RMB 1,200 conversion + RMB 700 packaging + RMB 600 overhead + RMB 1,000 margin. If a supplier quotes meaningfully below RMB 8,000/tonne ex-works on a food-grade spec, the material side is almost certainly being compromised — either through recycled resin, off-grade plasticiser or under-spec thickness.

FOB vs CIF: what you are actually paying for

For export, most B2B importers see either FOB or CIF quotations. Know the difference before you compare.

Quotation type	Covers
EXW (Ex-Works)	Goods at the factory gate. Buyer arranges trucking, port fees, freight, insurance.
FOB (Free On Board)	Ex-works + trucking to port + export clearance + THC + documentation. Goods on the ship.
CFR / CNF	FOB + ocean freight to destination port.
CIF (Cost Insurance Freight)	CFR + marine insurance.
DAP / DDP	Delivered to buyer’s door, duties handled (DDP) or not (DAP).

Typical port-side add-ons to go from ex-works to FOB Ningbo (per 20GP FCL):

• Export clearance: RMB 200–500
• Port handling and THC: RMB 700–1,000
• Documentation and B/L: RMB 300–500
• Port miscellaneous: RMB 500–1,500
• Total: RMB 2,000–4,000 / FCL (approx. USD 280–560)

Ocean freight is the wild card. In 2026, indicative rates from Ningbo:

Route	Transit	Indicative 20GP
Ningbo → Ho Chi Minh	3–5 days	USD 200–400
Ningbo → Bangkok	5–7 days	USD 300–600
Ningbo → Manila	5–7 days	USD 300–600
Ningbo → Jakarta	7–10 days	USD 400–800
Ningbo → Port Klang	5–7 days	USD 300–500
Ningbo → Jebel Ali	18–22 days	USD 900–1,400
Ningbo → Alexandria	15–20 days	USD 1,000–1,600
Ningbo → Lagos	30–40 days	USD 1,800–3,000

Always ask for freight validity — rates move weekly, sometimes daily.

Price ranges by SKU

The following are 2026 indicative factory-level price ranges for food-grade product. Exact quotations depend on thickness, width, length, plasticiser grade and packaging.

Jumbo rolls (for rewinders, converters, processors)

Spec	FOB USD/tonne	Typical buyer
PVC jumbo, 8–12 μm	1,400–1,800	Converters, processors, supermarket central kitchens
PVC jumbo, 12–15 μm	1,500–1,900	Heavy-duty tray wrap
PE jumbo, 9–12 μm	1,700–2,200	EU converters, microwave-pack finishers

HORECA / commercial finished rolls

Spec	RMB/roll (ex-works)	USD/roll FOB (estimate)
PVC, 300mm × 500m, 10 μm	15–25	2.5–4.0
PVC, 380mm × 1000m, 10 μm	30–47	5.0–7.5
PE, 300mm × 500m, 10 μm	22–32	3.5–5.0

Home retail consumer packs

Spec	RMB/pack (ex-works)	USD/pack FOB (estimate)
PVC, 30cm × 30m, boxed	1.25–3	0.25–0.50
PVC, 30cm × 100m, boxed	2.5–5	0.45–0.80
PE, 30cm × 30m, boxed	1.8–4	0.30–0.60

These are reference figures for Chinese B2B platforms; actual export prices depend heavily on private-label artwork, master-carton configuration and multilingual labelling.

Margin layers after the factory

A factory FOB price is almost never what the end consumer pays. Each intermediary adds a predictable markup.

Layer	Typical markup on incoming cost
Factory gross margin	15–25%
Importer / sales agent	3–8% commission or 10–15% on trading margin
Distributor / wholesaler	10–30%
Retailer (supermarket, e-commerce)	30–50%
Consumer	end of chain

Unit economics are deceptively thin at each single layer, but the real business of cling film is repeat purchase. Once a supermarket or restaurant is onboarded, they typically reorder for years on the same SKU — which is why this category is attractive to importers and distributors despite the modest per-roll margin.

What drives price differences between suppliers

When you compare two quotes side by side on nominally the same SKU and find a 20–30% gap, the most common real reasons are:

1. Resin grade. Virgin food-grade resin vs off-spec or blended resin. The material-safety reports will tell you if you ask for the right ones.
2. Thickness tolerance. A quote for “10 μm PVC” can mean ±0.5 μm or ±1.5 μm. The looser tolerance is cheaper and causes more machine jams downstream.
3. Packaging. Simple jumbo roll in stretch wrap vs printed master carton with colour box. Consumer packaging can be 10–20% of the finished SKU price.
4. Factory size and location. Coastal factories near Ningbo-Zhoushan or Shanghai often quote slightly higher ex-works but lower total landed cost due to port trucking and freight.
5. Export documentation depth. Factories that routinely produce FDA, SGS and EU DoC packages carry a small premium over factories that do the minimum.
6. Volume. A 20GP container quote is different from a 5-tonne trial. Ask for tiered pricing by annual volume.
7. Payment terms. Suppliers who accept L/C or longer terms often quote slightly higher than those demanding 100% T/T upfront.

How to read a cling film quotation

A complete quotation should contain, at minimum:

• SKU spec: material, thickness, width, roll length, core size.
• Packaging: inner wrap, carton, colour box, palletisation.
• MOQ: per SKU and per shipment.
• Price: per kg, per roll, per carton — with the Incoterm (FOB / CIF / DDP).
• Validity: typically 7–30 days given resin volatility.
• Delivery: production lead time + transit.
• Payment: 30/70 T/T, L/C, Trade Assurance.
• Certifications included: FDA, SGS, EU DoC if applicable.
• HS code: 3920.43 for PVC with ≥6% plasticiser (see our HS code 3920 guide).

If any of the above is missing, ask before comparing prices. Two quotes without the same scope are not comparable.

How to save money without cutting corners

1. Buy in full containers. A 20GP FCL is roughly 3–5× cheaper per kg on freight than LCL consolidation.
2. Use FOB if you already have a forwarder. Save 3–8% vs CIF in exchange for managing the freight leg.
3. Standardise on fewer SKUs. Every unique thickness × width × length combination triggers a small line-change cost.
4. Lock annual volume. Ask for a tiered price schedule at 5, 10, 20 FCL/year rather than one-off quotations.
5. Pay on time. Factories quietly reward buyers who respect their terms with small price considerations on the next order.
6. Don’t chase the bottom price. The cheapest food-grade PVC cling film quote in the market is almost always cheap for a reason you will discover three months later.

Conclusion

Price in this industry is not a mystery — it is a stack. Resin, conversion, packaging, factory margin, port fees, freight, and distribution each take a predictable slice. Once you know the slice sizes, a quotation tells you very quickly whether a supplier is pricing honestly or cutting into food-contact compliance to close the deal.

SUNWRAP has produced food-grade PVC cling film for 20+ years under Korean investment, and our 2025 relocation to Ningbo Cixi (40 km from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port) keeps port costs and freight competitive. If you are putting together a 2026 sourcing budget, request a live quote and our export team will send a breakdown by SKU, Incoterm and shipment size within one working day.

Frequently asked questions

How much does PVC cling film cost wholesale in 2026? Factory gate: RMB 8,000–12,000/tonne (USD 1,100–1,700/tonne). Retail rolls on Chinese B2B platforms: RMB 1.25–5 per home roll, RMB 15–47 per commercial roll.

Why is PVC cheaper than PE? PVC resin is ~RMB 6,000/tonne vs PE at RMB 7,500–9,000/tonne, and PVC processes on simpler casting lines. PVC comes out 10–25% cheaper per equivalent roll.

What’s the difference between FOB and CIF? FOB covers the price up to the goods being loaded at the origin port. CIF adds ocean freight and insurance to destination.

How is a cling film quotation broken down? Raw material 60–70%, conversion 10–15%, packaging 5–10%, factory overhead and margin 15–25%, plus port fees for FOB and freight/insurance for CIF.

What drives price variation? Resin grade, thickness tolerance, packaging complexity, factory location and export documentation depth.

Should I negotiate on price or on terms? For first orders, negotiate on terms. Push on price once volume is proven.