Packaging Buying Guides · Quick guide
How to Compare Packaging Quotations Like-for-Like
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Comparing packaging quotations fairly means making sure every figure is for the same box, made the same way, delivered to the same place by the same date. Send one written specification to every supplier, then check each quotation line by line against it before you look at the total. Most apparent price gaps turn out to be differences in specification or in what is included.
This guide gives you a checklist you can use on any set of quotations, including ours.
Start with one written specification
A like-for-like comparison is only possible if every supplier quotes against the same brief. If you describe the box differently to each one, or leave gaps, each supplier fills those gaps in their own way, and the quotations stop being comparable.
Write the specification once and send the same document to everyone. It should cover the construction, internal dimensions in millimetres, board, print, finishes, inserts, quantity, delivery address and required delivery date. Our packaging specification template gives you a format, and what information you need for a packaging quote explains each line.
The like-for-like checklist
Work down this table for each quotation. If any line differs from your specification, or is missing, ask the supplier to confirm it before you compare figures.
| Line | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | Exact style, such as crash lock carton, roll-end tuck front mailer, magnetic closure rigid box | Construction is the biggest single cost driver |
| Dimensions | Internal length × width × depth in millimetres, and whether they are internal or external | A box quoted on external sizes may not fit the product |
| Board | Type, GSM or thickness, flute for corrugated, greyboard thickness and wrap paper for rigid | Lighter or thinner board lowers the figure and the performance |
| CMYK, Pantone or both; number of spot colours; outside only or inside and out | Fewer colours or one printed side is a different job | |
| Print method | Litho, digital or flexo | Affects colour consistency and how cost changes with quantity |
| Lamination | Included or not; matt, gloss or soft-touch | Some quotations treat lamination as an extra line |
| Finishes | Foil blocking, embossing, spot UV, windows: position and size of each | A missing finish makes a quotation look lower |
| Inserts | Material, construction and whether fitting is included | Foam and card inserts are very different items |
| Quantity | Exact quantity, and whether overs or unders are allowed | Unit prices are only comparable at the same quantity |
| Tooling and set-up | Cutter forme, plates, foil blocks, embossing dies: included or separate | Separate tooling lines can change the real total |
| Artwork and proofs | Dieline supplied, artwork checks, digital proof, number of revisions | Proofing is where errors are caught before print |
| Samples | What kind of sample, if any, and on what basis | A printed sample and a plain mock-up are not the same check |
| Delivery | Included or extra; address; one drop or several | Delivery added at the end can change the comparison |
| Timing | Confirmed against your required delivery date, and counted from which point | A timing that does not meet your date is not a valid option |
| VAT | Whether figures are shown with or without VAT | Mixing the two distorts every comparison |
| Validity and terms | How long the quotation stands and when payment is due | Board and material costs change; check the quotation is current |
Costs that often sit outside the headline figure
The figure at the bottom of a quotation is only comparable if the same things are inside it. These are the items most often priced separately in the packaging trade:
- Cutting dies or cutter formes, charged as a one-off tooling line.
- Printing plates, particularly for litho work with several Pantone colours.
- Lamination, listed as an extra rather than included in the box price.
- Foil blocks and embossing dies, as separate tooling.
- Delivery, added at the end or at checkout.
- Additional proof rounds or artwork changes after the first proof.
- Inserts, quoted separately from the box, sometimes without fitting.
On our quotations, Free Shipping, Free Lamination and No Die Charges are standard on every order. Delivery is included, and your quotation confirms the delivery address and timing. That does not make every other supplier's figure wrong; it means you need to add their separate lines back in before comparing.
Comparing the timing, not just the figure
A quotation that cannot meet your date is not a real option, however good the figure. Compare timing against your required delivery date, not against other suppliers in the abstract.
Ask each supplier to confirm whether your required delivery date is achievable, and what the timing depends on. Most custom packaging timing is counted from proof approval, because production cannot start until the artwork is signed off. If one supplier counts from order and another from proof approval, their timings are not comparable. Our guide to custom packaging lead times explains the stages.
We do not quote a fixed number of days. Tell us your required delivery date and our team will confirm whether the timing is achievable.
Questions to ask every supplier
A short list of direct questions clears up most ambiguity:
- Is this quotation for exactly the specification I sent? If not, what has changed and why?
- Are the dimensions internal or external?
- Which print method will you use for this quantity?
- Is lamination included, and which type?
- Are tooling, plates and dies included, or charged separately?
- What proofing is included, and how many revisions?
- What are my sample options, and what does each one show?
- Is delivery included, and to which address?
- Can you meet my required delivery date, counted from which point?
- How long does this quotation stand?
If a supplier suggests a different board or construction from the one you asked for, that can be genuinely helpful. Ask them to quote both, so you can see the effect of the change. When is a physical sample needed helps you decide which checks are worth asking for.
Common mistakes
- Comparing totals first. Always compare specifications first; totals only mean something once the boxes match.
- Sending a different brief to each supplier. Each will fill the gaps differently.
- Ignoring internal versus external dimensions. A box quoted on external sizes can be too small for the product. See internal versus external dimensions.
- Overlooking separate tooling and delivery lines. Add them back in before comparing.
- Accepting a substitution without seeing it. A lighter board or different flute may be fine, but you should choose it knowingly.
- Comparing unit prices at different quantities. Unit cost falls with quantity, so only compare like with like. Why unit cost falls at higher quantities explains why.
- Treating timing as secondary. A quotation that misses your date is not an option.
For the reasoning behind each cost line, read what determines custom packaging cost. When your specification is ready, request a quotation and compare ours on exactly the same basis.