What you are actually buying
A standard court is twenty metres by ten. The kit is a galvanised steel structure, tempered glass panels for the back and side walls, welded mesh, artificial turf, the net and the fixings. A panoramic court replaces the corner columns with larger glass panels, looks better and costs more.
All of it fits in one 40-foot high cube. That constraint drives every decision that follows.
The three specifications that decide quality
Galvanising. Hot-dip galvanised, not painted or electro-galvanised, if the court will live outdoors. Ask for the coating thickness in microns and check it. A court in a coastal climate with thin zinc is a rust problem within two seasons.
Glass. Tempered, 10 mm or 12 mm, with the certification. Ten is standard, twelve is the safer choice for a commercial club. Ask to see the tempering certificate and check that the panels have the mark.
Turf. Monofilament, around 12 mm pile, with the infill sand specified. This is what the player actually feels, and the cheap version flattens in a year.
The container is the product
Tempered glass does not break in transit because of bad luck. It breaks because it was packed against steel, because the crate was not braced, or because the container was stuffed by someone who had never seen a claim.
We supervise the loading, photograph it and hold the balance until it is done properly. Wooden crates for the glass, foam separation between panels, steel bundled and braced so it cannot shift, and weight distributed so the container does not arrive with a bowed floor. This is unglamorous and it is the entire difference between a court that opens on schedule and an insurance conversation.
What to plan for
Lead time is 35 to 50 days for production, plus the sea transit to your market. Installation is a separate matter and usually local. Ask the factory for the assembly drawings and the bolt list before you ship, not after, because a missing box of fixings will stop a court going up for a month while it comes by air.
- One complete court fits in a 40-foot high cube. That constraint shapes the whole purchase.
- Hot-dip galvanising, tempered glass with certification, monofilament turf. Verify all three.
- Glass breaks because of packing, not luck. Supervise the loading and photograph it.
- Get the assembly drawings and the fixings list before the container sails.
