Oil-Filled Radiator vs Convection Heater: Which to Source?

Every week a buyer asks me the same thing: "Should I put oil-filled radiators or convection panels in my container?" There's no universal answer. It depends on your market, your price point, and what your customers complain about. I've run both lines since 2009. Here's the real breakdown.

How they actually work

A convection heater pulls cold air in at the bottom, heats it over a finned element, and pushes it out the top. It's fast. A 2000W panel can start warming a room in 30 seconds. The catch: when the thermostat clicks off, the heat stops almost immediately. You feel it.

An oil-filled radiator heats diathermic oil inside sealed fins. The metal mass holds heat. After you switch it off, it keeps radiating for 15–20 minutes. That's the whole selling point. It's also why it takes 5–10 minutes to feel anything.

Neither is magic. Both convert electricity to heat at roughly 1:1. A 1500W heater is a 1500W heater. The difference is how the heat moves and how long it lingers.

Where each one wins

Convection panels are the better pick for wall mounted electric heater applications. They're thin, they mount flush, and they free up floor space. In Europe, wall-mounted convection is the default for bathrooms and hallways. If your buyer is targeting the renovation market, that's the SKU.

Oil-filled radiators win in rooms where people sit still. A bedroom, a home office, a basement workshop. The radiant heat feels warmer on skin even at the same air temperature. Buyers who describe their customers as "cold all the time" should stock oil-filled. That's a real pattern.

For a garage or workshop, neither is ideal. You want infrared or a fan heater. Infrared heats objects, not air. In a drafty space, that matters. An oil-filled radiator in a garage is just a slow way to heat the ceiling.

The numbers buyers care about

Running cost is the first question from end users. A 1500W heater at 8 hours a day is 12 kWh. At $0.15/kWh that's $1.80 a day. That's the same for oil-filled and convection. The efficiency is identical. The difference is how often the thermostat cycles. Oil-filled units cycle less because of the thermal mass, so in a well-insulated room they can use slightly less over a full day. In a leaky room, they're the same or worse.

If a buyer asks for a cheap to run electric heater, the honest answer is: lower wattage, better insulation, and a thermostat that actually works. Not the technology.

What to spec for each

Convection panels: 1000W, 1500W, 2000W. MOQ 200 pcs per wattage. Lead time 15–25 days for standard, 35–45 days for custom colors and packaging. CE, RoHS, UKCA, and ERP Lot 20 compliant. ERP matters in the EU. Non-compliant stock gets stopped at customs.

Oil-filled radiators: 1500W and 2000W are the volume sellers. 7, 9, and 11 fins. MOQ 200 pcs. Lead time 25–35 days. The oil charge and weld quality are where cheap factories cut corners. Ask for a pressure test report. If they won't send one, walk.

Both can be private label electric heater builds. Your logo on the panel, your manual, your box. That's standard for us. What isn't standard is a wifi smart electric heater module. That adds $6–$9 per unit at 200 pcs and 10–15 days to lead time. Plan for it.

The honest takeaway

Don't stock both unless you have shelf space and a clear story for each. Pick based on what your customer complains about. If they say "my room feels cold after the heater turns off," go oil-filled. If they say "I don't have floor space," go convection. If they say "my garage is freezing," sell them infrared and stop trying to make a radiator do a job it wasn't built for.