What key points will overseas customers pay attention to when purchasing Mineral insulated thermocouple cable from China ?

1.Technical standards

Compliance with international standards: Overseas customers require that Mineral insulated thermocouple cable must comply with IEC60584 or ASTM/E230 international standards, rather than just the Chinese national standard (GB). The Chinese national standard is based on IEC60584 .There are differences in the accuracy requirements between them,ASTM/E230 requires higher accuracy in low temperature areas. At the same time, in accordance with the Chinese national standard (GB), the temperature measurement point is not a full-range measurement, that is a key point that need to be communicated and confirmed.

2.Materials and performance parameters:

Sheath material for Mineral insulated thermocouple cable : generally stainless steel series (SS304/321, 316/316TI/310/446/347), Inconel series (600/625/800/825), Nicrobell, etc.

Sheath Material	Features	Advantages	Disvantages	Typical Applications
SS304/321	The most common economical type	Good oxidation resistance (up to about 870°C), good forming and welding properties	Average corrosion resistance,  poor performance in reducing atmospheres (such as cracking furnaces, carburizing)	General industrial furnaces (no strong corrosion, no chloride ions), hot water systems, heating systems, non-critical process temperature measurement (<870°C oxidizing atmosphere)
SS316/316Ti	Better corrosion resistance than 304/321 is required, especially in chloride ion environment	SS316:significantly improved corrosion resistance due to add molybdenum SS316Ti:adding titanium (Ti) for stabilization treatment to improve high temperature sensitization issues	Costs more than 304/321. Chloride ion stress corrosion cracking may still occur (although better than 304/321). Does not perform well in high temperature reducing atmospheres (carburizing, sulfiding)	Chemical processes (containing weak acids, chloride ions), food processing, pharmaceuticals, low-temperature sections of flue gas desulfurization (FGD), general petrochemical applications
SS310	Stainless steels that require higher high temperature oxidation resistance	The continuous use temperature in an oxidizing atmosphere can reach about 1150°C	Very sensitive to sulfide corrosion (such as H₂S), and problems in the presence of chloride ions at high temperatures	High temperature air/oxidizing atmosphere furnaces (such as heat treatment furnaces, ceramic kilns, high temperature sections of incinerators), radiant tubes
SS446	Ferritic stainless steel specifically for use in sulfur-containing environments (high temperature resistance to sulfurization)	Excellent resistance to high temperature sulfidation corrosion, Good oxidation resistance, Low thermal expansion coefficient	Poor toughness, difficult to process May become brittle when used for a long time at >480°C. Poor resistance to chloride ion corrosion.	Sulfur-containing fuel combustion environment (such as refinery heating furnace, cracking furnace, coal gasification furnace), garbage incinerator and other sulfur-containing high-temperature reducing atmospheres
SS347	Good high temperature stability and intergranular corrosion resistance are required	Stabilized by adding niobium (Nb), Good high temperature oxidation resistance, High temperature strength is better than 304/316	The cost is higher than 304/316, and it still has limitations in strong reducing atmospheres and chloride ion-containing environments.	Aircraft engine parts, heat exchanger tubes, equipment that needs to be used at high temperatures after welding, industrial furnaces that require high temperature stability (no strong corrosion)
Inconel600	General nickel-based alloy, used in high temperature, strong redox alternation or weak corrosion environment	Excellent high temperature oxidation resistance: up to about 1150°C. Good high temperature strength. Excellent resistance to chloride ion stress corrosion cracking. Relatively stable in carburizing/nitriding atmospheres.	Poor resistance to reducing sulfur corrosion: Sensitive to H₂S, etc. Not resistant to strong acids (such as hot concentrated sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid). The cost is much higher than stainless steel.	Heat treatment furnaces (especially carburizing, carbonitriding), nuclear industry (steam generator tubes), petrochemical cracking furnaces (sulfur-free or low-sulfur), ammonia reformers, electronic components, aerospace
Inconel625	Harsh environments requiring extremely excellent corrosion resistance and ultra-high strength	Excellent resistance to general and localized corrosion, Excellent high temperature strength, Good oxidation resistance: up to about 1150°C, Good resistance to stress corrosion cracking.	One of the most expensive commonsheath materials	Offshore platforms, seawater/brine cooling systems, strong acid environments (such as hydrometallurgy, chemical plants), flue gas desulfurization (FGD) high temperature corrosion areas, aerospace high temperature components, nuclear waste treatment, extremely corrosive chemical processes
Inconel800	Where a balance of high temperature strength, carburization resistance and good redox corrosion resistance is required	Excellent resistance to high temperature carburization and oxidation, Good resistance to high temperature corrosion:	Not as good as higher grade alloys in strong reducing sulfur corrosion or strong acidic environment	Ethylene cracking furnace tubes (anti-carburization), heat treatment furnaces (carburization, controlled atmosphere), petrochemical heating furnaces, industrial gas turbines, heat exchangers, chemical reactors (high temperature corrosion)
Inconel825	Specially designed for harsh environments with strong reducing acids (especially sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid) and resistance to stress corrosion cracking	Outstanding resistance to strong reducing acid corrosion Excellent resistance to stress corrosion cracking Good resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion. Good oxidation resistance (approximately 1000°C)	High cost, high temperature strength is not as good as 625/800	Sulfuric acid pickling equipment, phosphoric acid production, offshore oil production, nuclear fuel reprocessing, chemical strong acid environment, flue gas desulfurization (FGD) absorption tower
Nicrobell	High nickel content (>70%), soft texture, good sealing, but lower strength than Inconel	High temperature and oxidation resistance, reducing atmosphere resistance, not resistant to chloride ions	High cost	Heating furnace, annealing furnace (≤1200℃), reactor (non-strongly corrosive media), pipeline temperature monitoring, gas turbine, steam pipeline, glass furnace low temperature section (≤1300℃)

Insulation material and response speed: Magnesium oxide powder (MgO) is a common choice, but high thermal conductivity aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) is required for fast response scenarios. The thermal conductivity is increased by 3 times and the response time is shortened by 50%.

Grounded vs.Ungrounded: Grounded structures respond quickly (milliseconds), but are susceptible to electromagnetic interference

Thermocouple type and structural design: K, J, N, E, T, S, R

Type	Temperature range	Advantages	Disadvantages
K	-40-1200C	Good thermoelectric potential linearity and moderate sensitivity; Strong oxidation resistance, suitable for oxidizing or inert atmosphere; Low price, most widely used in industry	Easy to corrode in reducing atmosphere (such as sulfur, carbon, vacuum), and has poor low temperature accuracy.
J	-40-750C	Fast response speed: suitable for measuring rapid temperature changes.	Limited temperature range: Applicable from -40°C to 750°C. Oxidation issues: Performs poorly in high temperature oxidizing environments
T	-40-350C	Excellent low temperature performance, good stability, suitable for humid or low oxygen environment	Not suitable for high temperature measurements and has a limited service life
E	-40-900C	High sensitivity, Good low temperature performance	Not suitable for strong acid environment
N	-40-1200C	High temperature stability, Strong oxidation resistance	Lower sensitivity:
S	0-1600C	High precision,Good stability	Extremely high cost, low response speed

3. Supplier qualifications and manufacturing capabilities of Mineral insulated thermocouple cable

No	Qualifications and manufacturing capabilities
1	Valid quality management system certifications
2	Certifications for specific industries or safety requirements
3	Raw material and finished product tests ,such as composition analysis, metallography, tensile test, insulation resistance test, voltage withstand test, thermal cycle test, precision test)
4	Modern drawing, filling, rolling and other production equipment, the equipment has good precision and stability
5	The production process is controlled, and key processes (such as powder filling density control, annealing process, end sealing) have clear operating instructions and records
6	Complete process of incoming material inspection (Incoming QC), process inspection (IPQC), and final inspection (FQC)
7	Perfect batch traceability system (from raw materials to finished products), complete production batch records
8	Complete defective product handling

4. Price and Cost of Mineral insulated thermocouple cable

No	Price and Cost
1	Competitive prices and clear trade terms (FOB, CIF, DDP, etc.)
2	ReasonableMOQ reasonable and flexible for small trial orders or customized specifications
3	Paymentterms (such as T/T, L/C) and conditions (such as deposit ratio, final payment ) are negotiable and risks are controllable
4	Not only the price is considered, but also the long-term cost benefits brought by quality reliability, service life, maintenance cost, etc. Low price but high failure rate will result in higher total cost

5. Delivery time and supply chain reliability

No	Delivery time and supply chain reliability
1	Production time meets industry standards
2	On-time delivery, with a high historical delivery on-time rate
3	Sufficient production capacity to cope with order fluctuations and the ability to process expedited orders quickly
4	The supply of key raw materials (such asthermocouplealloy wires and high-purity magnesium oxide) is stable, and there are plans to deal with supply chain disruptions

6. Communication and customer service

No	Communication and customer service
1	Sales and technical support staff can communicate effectively in fluent English (or other customer languages), and technical documents (specifications, test reports, certificates, operating manuals) are in English
2	Prompt and professional response to inquiries, emails, and technical issues
3	Sufficient technical capabilities to help customers select models, solve application problems, and provide customized suggestions
4	Provide complete, clear and compliant export documents (such as commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, test report, material certification, declaration of conformity, etc.)

7. Quality Assurance and After-Sales Service

No	Quality Assurance and After-Sales Service
1	The warranty terms are clear and reasonable
2	The response speed and solution are satisfactory when quality disputes arise
3	Clear return and claims policies and procedures

When purchasing Mineral insulated thermocouple cable from China, overseas customers are looking for:

Reliable Quality & Performance,

Competitive Total Cost

On-time & Stable Delivery

Professional Supplier & Smooth Communication

Controlled Risk & Compliance

The above points can be used as comprehensive evaluation criteria to ultimately rate suppliers so that you can make a decision on whether to purchase Mineral insulated thermocouple cable from Chinese suppliers  ,hope this article will be helpful to you.