Also known as an agricultural plastic poly film greenhouse, this is a single-span film house built for commercial growing. The frame is hot dip galvanized steel pipe carrying an arch roof, and the covering is clear polyethylene film locked into a grooved channel frame with aluminium clips. It is designed for a single or a double layer of greenhouse film, and it is arranged so the film can be cut to the exact length of each house.

Two quotations that describe what looks like the same film house can land a long way apart, because a greenhouse of this kind is priced from the steel and the film outwards, not from floor area alone. The frame decides the load the house can carry and the life it will give; the film decides the light, the insulation and how often the cover has to be renewed. Everything else added to the shell is a separate system with its own line.

That is why the useful comparison is never the total at the bottom of the page. The six items below are the ones that actually move a film greenhouse budget, and they are the ones to put side by side before anything is signed.

In this range a budget level is a configuration level. What changes from one level to the next is the list of parts included, not the floor area, so two quotations only compare when they are drawn at the same level.

The levels describe configuration, not price. Whatever level a project sits at, the quotation is built line by line from the items inside it, and the way to keep it that way is to ask for the lines in writing.

1. Fix the geometry first. Confirm span, shoulder height and total run length, and check the run matches the ground you have. Steel and film are both bought by the metre, so a change of length at this stage changes everything below it.
2. Ask what tube is in the frame, and how the galvanizing is specified. Diameter, wall thickness and zinc layer together decide the load the structure carries and how it behaves in the air around the site.
3. Ask for the film as a specification, not a description. Thickness, number of layers and whether the film is UV protected should all be written down, because those three decide how long the cover lasts before it is renewed. The PC sheet versus film cover cost comparison is worth reading if the covering choice is still open.
4. Check what the package contains. This model is packed as metal structures, covering system and install accessories. Anything outside those three parts is a separate item and should be visible as its own line.
5. Check the vents. Manual or electric drive, how many vents, and where they sit. The venting and shading options used on the multi-span houses in this range show how far that list can be taken.
6. Check the design wind load. The figure listed for this house is 0.35 kN/m2. Because wind is site specific, ask what figure the house is being designed to for your location.
7. Put the warranty terms in writing. The structure is backed by a structural warranty, and the terms that apply to your order should be part of the quotation rather than a verbal point.
8. Compare the totals last. Once the lines match, the difference between two quotations is a real difference in what is being supplied.

The whole range is listed in the film greenhouse range, and the parent commercial greenhouse section shows how the film house sits beside glass and polycarbonate types on the same site.

1. Type : film greenhouse, single span with arch roof.
2. Frame : hot dip galvanized steel pipe, grooved channel frame with aluminium clips.
3. Cover : standard clear greenhouse film, 6 mil; covering material thickness 0.15 mm or 0.12 mm.
4. Layer : single or double.
5. Span : 6.4 m, 8 m, 9.6 m or 10 m.
6. Total structure height : 4.3 m to 6.5 m.
7. Size : 64 m x 40 m; area 2,560 square metres.
8. Materials : plastic and mesh.
9. Feature : middle scale.
10. Wind load : 0.35 kN/m2.
11. Ventilation : manually or electrically operated.
12. Package : metal structures, covering system, install accessories.
13. Export markets : global.

Vegetable, fruit, flower and seed nursery production are the four applications this model is sold into, and it is described as suitable for all climate conditions and adaptable to any type of landscape, including varied and complex topographic conditions. The insulation properties and low energy consumption are what let one shell work across that spread, with the systems around it matched to the local climate instead of the house being rebuilt for each site.

Because the bay is a single arch, the house suits narrow plots, sloping ground and sites where a wide clear span is not wanted. Growers who do need long runs and wider bays usually move to the multi-span layout, and the poly tunnel greenhouse in the same category is a good next comparison when the run gets longer.

Reference material on protected cropping and the economics of greenhouse production is published by the NGMA, and commercial growing practice is reported week by week by HortWeek.

We are the manufacturer specializing in greenhouses with above 35 years, and our greenhouses are exported worldwide. A professional engineer department stands behind the drawing: if a customer requests it, our engineers travel to the buyer's country to guide the installation. Every year many customers visit the factory for business cooperation, and the photo below is from one of those visits.

If you need a question answered and some help finding the best greenhouse for your project, tell us the span, the height and the length you have in mind and we will come back with the configuration and the quotation drawn line by line.

Q: What span and height can this single-span film greenhouse be built in?
A: Spans of 6.4 m, 8 m, 9.6 m and 10 m, with a total structure height of 4.3 m to 6.5 m. The reference layout for this model is 64 m by 40 m, an area of 2,560 square metres.

Q: How many layers of film does the house take, and how thick is the film?
A: It is designed for a single or a double layer. Covering film is quoted at 0.15 mm or 0.12 mm and the standard clear film supplied is 6 mil. A double layer traps an air cushion between the sheets, and that cushion is where the insulation comes from.

Q: What wind load is this film greenhouse designed for?
A: The wind load listed for this house is 0.35 kN/m2. Wind is site specific, so tell us where the house is going and we will confirm the design figure and the frame that matches it.

Q: Which systems can be added around the shell?
A: Cooling and heating, irrigation, ventilation, fertilization, shading and benches. A shell price and a turnkey price are two different quotations, so say which of these you want included before the quotation is drawn up.

Q: How is the greenhouse packed for shipping?
A: In three parts: metal structures, covering system and install accessories. Anything you need beyond those three is quoted as a separate item on the same quotation.

Q: Can the film be supplied cut to length?
A: Yes. Custom-cut lengths are available on many of the greenhouse film styles used here, so the film can be ordered to the length of the house instead of in fixed roll lengths.

If you need to ask a question and get some help to find the best greenhouse for you, then just call us on +86 191 5068 3942 or send E-mail to sales@cngreenhouses.com