Lead time is the clause most often disputed in a purchase contract; it must be written down clearly before ordering rather than chased up after delivery. A warehouse cage lead time is not a number the maker guesses at — it is built up by adding together the time for raw material, production scheduling, surface treatment, inspection and transport.
For standard cages such as the common 1200×1000×890mm, 5.8mm wire version, if stock is on hand, goods can ship 3–5 days after payment. Once non-standard changes are involved — new dimensions, a steel plate base, a special powder-coat color — the lead time usually stretches to 15–25 days, and hot-dip galvanizing batches need to be scheduled around the galvanizing bath queue.
There are four main factors. First, whether steel raw material is in stock — tight steel markets mean waiting for material. Second, surface-treatment queues — both powder coating and hot-dip galvanizing are run in batches. Third, order quantity — hundreds of cages and thousands of cages get different scheduling priority. Fourth, transport method — full-truck loads leave on demand, while LTL has to wait for consolidation.
The right way to confirm lead time is to write in the contract 'ship on the Xth working day after payment received', rather than the vague 'deliver in X days', and agree on a daily penalty — a per-mille of contract value — for delay. When production is halfway, ask the maker for workshop photos to confirm progress, and lock in the logistics vehicle three days before dispatch.
For rush orders, negotiated split shipments are more realistic than pressing for the whole order at once: ship the urgently needed half first, then top up the rest at the normal pace. After contract confirmation, Nanjing Tongnuo Warehouse Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. provides estimated dates for four milestones — raw material, scheduling, galvanizing and dispatch — to help buyers plan their own production.