Block is cheaper per kilogram at the factory gate, typically by a clear margin, because it skips the freezing tunnel, the grading line and the free-flowing packaging that IQF requires. Whether it is cheaper in your process is a different question, and the answer is usually no if you portion the fruit.
Why it works this way
The price gap is a processing cost gap. IQF product passes through a fluidised bed or belt freezer that freezes each piece separately, then through sorting that removes clumps, unders and defects. Block frozen product goes into a carton or a bag and into a plate freezer or a cold room. Less equipment, less handling, less yield loss, less energy per tonne.
Block also carries fruit that IQF specification would reject, because a fragment that would be graded out of a free-flowing stream disappears inside a block. That is a legitimate cost saving when the fruit is going to be pureed, and a hidden cost when it is not.
What follows in practice
Compare landed cost per kilogram of usable output, not per kilogram of invoice. Add thawing time, drip loss, the labour of breaking a block, and the waste on a partly used carton. IQF against block frozen berries works the comparison through with the variables named.
For puree, juice, jam and bakery filling, block usually wins. For retail packs, mixed bags, portioned industrial use and anything where whole fruit appearance matters, IQF usually wins even at the higher unit price.
