procurement · cost
MOQ and pack economics: why the number changes per format
Updated 2026-11-10
MOQ is not one number per product. It is a function of pack format, artwork, colour and whether the line has to stop to change over. That is why two suppliers quote different minimums for what looks like the same cartridge.
What drives the minimum
| Factor | Effect on MOQ |
|---|---|
| Standard label, standard colour | Lowest — the line runs without a changeover |
| Private label artwork | Higher — print plates and a proof run |
| Custom colour | Higher — a match run before production |
| Sausage or barrel | Higher — different filling line and packing |
| Mixed pallet | Flexible, but priced per model |
Structuring a first order
The cheapest mistake is ordering a full pallet of one model to hit a price break and discovering the market wants three models. The second cheapest is ordering five models at 10% of a pallet and paying changeover four times.
A workable first order usually looks like two or three models at pallet-level quantity, plus a mixed trial pallet at a higher unit price. The trial pallet tells you which model sells; the pallet quantity gets the price.
Where the cost actually sits
- Changeover time: cleaning and re-setting the line between colours or labels.
- Print plates: one-time, but amortised over the run.
- Packaging: cartons, nozzles, pallets, which scale with units not litres.
- Freight: a container is cheaper per unit than an LCL booking, which pushes buyers toward volume.
Freight per unit, by booking type
MOQ is often set by freight economics rather than by the production line.
LCL, 5 m³ ≈ USD 120/m³ + destination charges
20 ft FCL ≈ USD 1,800–3,500 all-in, ~33 m³
40 ft HC FCL ≈ USD 2,500–4,500 all-in, ~76 m³At those rates, LCL costs two to three times more per cubic metre than a full container, before the destination handling charges that LCL attracts. A buyer ordering half a container is paying a freight premium on every cartridge, which is why suppliers push the MOQ toward a container.
The counter-move is not to order more stock than you can sell — it is to combine models into one container. Three models at pallet quantity each fill a 20 ft more efficiently than one model at three pallets, and the changeover cost is usually smaller than the freight premium.
Plate amortisation, worked
private label plates USD 300–600 one-time (per colour, per size)
run of 5,000 cartridges → USD 0.06–0.12 per cartridge
run of 20,000 cartridges → USD 0.015–0.03 per cartridgeThe artwork cost is trivial at volume and significant on a first order. That is the real reason a private-label MOQ is higher than a stock-label MOQ: the factory is protecting the buyer from paying USD 0.12 a cartridge for plates.
If the first order is small, take stock labels with your contact details on a sticker, and move to printed labels when the volume justifies the plates.
What this means for buyers
- Ask for MOQ per format and per artwork, not one number.
- Start with a mixed pallet to learn the market; move to full pallets once a model proves.
- Put the artwork cost in writing — plates are often quoted separately.
- Do not let a price break push you into more stock than you can sell in a season.