The Questions Importers Ask at a Radiator Booth — Answered by the Factory
Fair season is here: the 140th Canton Fair opened in Guangzhou this week, and the HVAC exhibition calendar across Europe, Russia, and Central Asia stays busy well into autumn. Yesterday we published a buyer's guide to vetting radiator manufacturers at a trade fair — what to ask, what to check on a sample, how to verify afterward. Today we answer the other side of that conversation. As a family-run radiator manufacturer since 2002, we have stood on the factory side of the booth table through many fair seasons, and the questions importers ask are remarkably consistent. Here they are, with our answers in writing — useful if you are walking a fair this month, and just as useful if you are comparing suppliers from your desk.
'Are you actually the manufacturer?' The right first question, because fair halls mix factories with trading companies. JD Radiator is the export brand of TIANJIN JIUDING YANGGUANG HVAC CO., LTD., a family-run manufacturer in Tianjin that has produced steel panel radiators, steel column radiators, and towel rails since 2002. The practical proof is in the paperwork: we issue the [Declaration of Performance](/en/blog/who-issues-dop-steel-panel-radiators) for our products ourselves, in our own name, as only a manufacturer can. And we welcome what a booth cannot show — factory visits and [third-party inspections](/en/blog/third-party-inspection-steel-panel-radiator-orders) are normal B2B routine for us, not a special favor.
'Which standards do your radiators follow?' Our steel panel radiators carry CE marking and are manufactured to EN 442, the European standard for radiators and convectors. That means heat output is declared the EN 442 way — at reference conditions such as [ΔT50 and ΔT30](/en/blog/understanding-en442-dt50-dt30) — and documented in the DoP rather than invented for a brochure. Buyers purchasing for Russia and Central Asia regularly ask about GOST paperwork at the booth; documentation requirements genuinely differ by destination country and scheme, so we go through what your market and your customs broker require order by order instead of giving a one-word booth answer. Our certification documents are collected on the [credentials page](/en/credentials).
'How do you test your radiators?' Every steel panel radiator that leaves our line is factory-tested at 13 bar before packing — every unit, not a sampling plan. Buyers who visit the factory can witness the test. The coating line follows the sequence experienced importers listen for: degreasing, phosphating, electrophoretic primer, and a powder topcoat — the layers that decide how a radiator looks after years on a wall, not just at a fair. And each unit is labeled with its model, standard reference, and working pressure, so what arrives in the container can be checked against what was ordered.
'What is your MOQ — and what is the lead time right now?' We think in container logic rather than fixed piece counts: a 40HQ container takes a surprising range of [mixed sizes and types](/en/blog/40hq-container-loading-steel-panel-radiators), so the practical minimum is usually 'a container that makes the freight economics work,' and a trial order one step below your real volume is welcome — that is how most of our long-term relationships started. On lead time we give the honest answer, which changes with the calendar: a quotation in April and a quotation in October carry different production slots, because the [heating-season order calendar](/en/blog/when-to-order-steel-panel-radiators-heating-season-calendar) concentrates every market's demand into the same months. We would rather name a real slot than a pretty number.
'Can you produce under our brand?' Yes. [OEM and ODM projects](/en/blog/oem-odm-custom-radiator-sourcing-china) — your brand, your RAL colors, your packaging and labeling — are a normal part of our export work. One thing we always put in writing at the start: who issues the DoP when goods carry your name. Under European rules, a private-label seller takes on the manufacturer's obligations, so the OEM contract should state clearly who owns the documentation — a detail that protects both sides.
'How will the goods arrive?' Packed for the journey, not just the warehouse shelf: per-unit edge and corner protection, moisture film, export cartons, and palletization agreed per order. Sea and rail stress packaging differently, which is why [export packaging](/en/blog/export-packaging-steel-panel-radiators-sea-rail) is specified at order time, written into the contract, and verified at pre-shipment inspection rather than left to habit.
A booth conversation lasts fifteen minutes; a supply relationship lasts years. These answers do not change when the fair ends — which is rather the point. If you are in Guangzhou this month, we are easy to find: our booth details for both phases are here. If you are not, the same answers, with the documents behind them, are a short email away — and our FAQ covers the next layer of questions importers usually ask.