Dana pricing moves on five factors: grain, shade, quantity, distance and what the quote silently includes. Two honest bids for the same wall can differ for good reasons — and one dishonest bid can undercut both by trimming what you cannot see. Knowing the factors is how you read the numbers.
The five factors
1. Grain size
Coarse grain lays thicker and consumes more kilograms per square foot than fine — so the same wall genuinely costs more in coarse (why). A cheaper quote may simply price a finer grain; make bids state theirs.
2. Shade
Natural stone shades differ in source and processing; some cost more at origin. Within a range the spread is modest, but compare like shade with like.
3. Quantity and lot
Volume improves rates, and single-lot supply for a whole job is worth asking for explicitly — it is the difference between one wall colour and three (mistake two).
4. Distance
Freight is real. A Hansi price and a delivered-in-Kochi price differ by logistics, not honesty. Quotes should say delivered-where.
5. What is silently included — or not
The binder, the primer, labour, scaffold. The classic low bid excludes the binder or thins it — winning on paper and losing on the wall (where that surfaces).
Comparing bids properly
- Fix the specification first: grain, shade, area, delivered location.
- Require every bid to price that specification, with binder and primer named and quantified.
- Then compare rates — differences that remain are real, and usually small enough that supplier quality should decide.
Why we do not print a rate here
Any single number would be wrong for most readers within one factor — the wrong grain, the wrong city, the wrong quantity. Send your specification — area, grain, shade, city — via the contact page or WhatsApp, and the quote you get back prices your wall, not an average of everyone else's.
Frequently asked questions
Is per-kg or per-square-foot the better way to buy?
Material sells per kg; applied work quotes per sq ft. For material-only orders, convert using the coverage of your chosen grain (the method) so bags match wall.
Do rates change seasonally?
Demand peaks pre-festival and pre-wedding seasons; planning a job off-peak is occasionally kinder to both rate and crew availability.
Holding two quotes that do not agree? How to read a painting or texture quotation covers what a rate does and does not include.