Bulk Cooking Oil Supply from Thailand
For importers, wholesalers, food-service buyers and food manufacturers buying vegetable oil in commercial quantities: how bulk formats compare, how prices are quoted, and what to send for a quotation.
Bulk cooking oil is vegetable oil sold by volume for repacking, food manufacturing or distribution, rather than in finished retail packs. It is usually shipped in flexitanks, ISO tanks, IBCs or drums, and priced per metric tonne.
Bulk Formats Compared
| Format | Typical capacity | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Flexitank | Up to around 24,000 litres per 20ft container | Lowest cost per litre for full loads; buyer needs pumping equipment |
| ISO tank | Around 21,000 to 26,000 litres | Regular contracts and buyers with tank intake |
| IBC tote | Around 1,000 litres each | Factories handling by forklift without tank intake |
| Drums | Around 200 litres each | Smaller bulk orders and mixed loads |
Read the full guide: flexitank vs drums vs IBC.
Oils Commonly Bought in Bulk
Bulk buyers most often source palm oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil. Each product page lists the grades traded internationally and their typical uses.
How Bulk Prices Are Quoted
- Unit: per metric tonne, sometimes per litre for packed goods.
- Shipping term: FOB, CFR or CIF to a named port. See shipping terms explained.
- Packaging: flexitank, ISO tank, IBC or drums; each changes the price.
- Specification: the grade and quality limits agreed in the contract.
Bulk Cooking Oil for Wholesalers
Wholesalers usually buy packed oil by the container and sell it on by the carton, jerry can or pallet. When sourcing, consider:
- Pack mix: which bottle, jerry can and tin sizes your customers buy, and whether several can share one container.
- Price basis: compare offers per tonne on the same shipping term, then convert to your selling unit.
- Shelf life: order quantities you can sell well within the best-before date.
- Labelling: local language and importer details required in your market.
Commercial Cooking Oil for Restaurants and Food Service
Most restaurants buy cooking oil through local distributors or food-service wholesalers, in jerry cans, tins or bag-in-box packs. Importing directly usually only makes sense for restaurant groups, caterers and chains with central kitchens that use full containers.
For commercial kitchens, frying-stable oils such as palm olein, high-oleic sunflower oil and rice bran oil help oil last longer in the fryer. Good oil management, such as filtering and topping up, matters as much as the oil itself.
THAI AGRO OILS works with business buyers. Restaurant groups and food-service distributors buying by the container can send an enquiry; individual restaurants are usually better served by a local distributor.
Importing for resale? See the guide for importers and distributors. Buying for a factory? See the guide for food manufacturers.
Bulk Buying FAQ
What is the cheapest way to ship bulk cooking oil?
For full-container volumes, a flexitank is usually the lowest cost per litre, because the oil fills a single-use bag inside a standard 20-foot container with no drums or cartons to pay for.
How much oil fits in a 20-foot container?
It depends on the format. A flexitank typically holds up to around 24,000 litres; drums and IBCs carry less because of the space between packages. Ask for a quotation per container in the format you need.
Does palm oil need heating when it arrives?
Often, yes. Palm oil and palm stearin can partly solidify in cooler conditions, so flexitanks for these oils are commonly fitted with heating pads to help discharge at destination.
How do restaurants buy cooking oil in commercial quantities?
Usually through a local distributor or food-service wholesaler, in jerry cans, tins or bag-in-box packs. Restaurant groups and central kitchens using full containers may buy from a supplier or importer directly.
How are bulk cooking oil prices quoted?
Usually per metric tonne, on a stated shipping term such as FOB or CIF, for a stated packaging format. Comparing offers only works when all three match.
Request a Bulk Quotation
Send the oil and grade, number of containers, bulk format and destination port. Our team will reply with a quotation or the questions needed to prepare one.
- Product and grade
- Quantity
- Packaging
- Destination port
- Private label: yes or no