What information should be in a packaging RFQ?

A request for quotation is not a formality. In custom packaging it is the document that decides whether the numbers you get back are comparable, whether the box fits your product, and whether the thing you approve is the thing that arrives.

Here is what a supplier needs in order to quote accurately rather than defensively, and why each item matters.

The ten essentials

1. Internal dimensions

Length x width x depth of the space the product needs, in that order, stated explicitly as internal. This is the most common source of error in packaging: external dimensions vary with board thickness, and a box quoted to the wrong reference will not fit. If you are measuring from the product rather than an existing box, follow how to measure your product.

2. Product weight and units per box

Weight determines the board strength and whether the base construction is adequate. Units per box determines the internal volume and whether dividers are needed.

3. The construction, named

Not "a box" but the actual style: reverse tuck end, auto-lock bottom, two-piece rigid, magnetic closure, mailer, sleeve and tray. If you are not sure, describe how the box will be opened, displayed and shipped, and ask for a recommendation — that is a reasonable thing to put in an RFQ.

4. Board type and caliper

SBS, kraft, corrugated with a flute grade, or greyboard for rigid. State the caliper if you know it. If you do not, say what the box has to survive and let the supplier propose — but make sure every supplier proposes against the same description.

5. Print specification

Number of ink colors, or named Pantone references where brand match matters. Say whether the inside needs printing, which is a real cost and frequently forgotten. If you have no preference on method, say so and ask for a recommendation with the reasoning.

6. Finishes, each named with its area

Lamination (gloss, matte or soft-touch), foil stamping, embossing or debossing, spot UV, window patching. Each is a separate production pass, so state which surfaces and roughly what area. "Foil logo on the lid" is answerable; "some gold detailing" is not.

7. Insert

Whether an insert is part of the job and, if so, the material — board, foam, molded pulp or fabric-wrapped. An RFQ that omits the insert will produce a quote you cannot use.

8. Quantity, plus the next break

Ask for your target quantity and the next step up. It costs the supplier almost nothing to provide and it tells you where your cost curve flattens.

9. Delivery address and site constraints

Freight is part of the landed cost. Note anything unusual: no loading dock, residential address, limited access hours, or a need to split deliveries.

10. Artwork status

Say plainly where you are: print-ready artwork on a supplied dieline, a design that needs adapting, or a logo and nothing else. This affects both cost and schedule, and hiding it helps nobody.

Four things worth asking for in return

An RFQ is also a set of questions. Include these and the responses become far more useful:

1. The quote split into setup and per-piece, so you can see what a reorder avoids.
2. The delivered cost to your address, plus the pallet count.
3. The overrun and underrun tolerance.
4. What sample will be provided before production, and whether it is made on the specified board and process.

A structure you can copy

Keep it to one page. Suppliers quote faster from a clear brief than from a long one.

• Product: what it is, weight, units per box.
• Box: construction, internal dimensions L x W x D.
• Material: board type and caliper, or the requirement it must meet.
• Print: method if specified, colors or named Pantones, inside print yes/no.
• Finishes: each one, with the area it applies to.
• Insert: material, or none.
• Quantity: target, and next break.
• Delivery: address, site constraints, required-by date if any.
• Artwork: current status, and whether a dieline is needed.
• Please provide: setup/per-piece split, delivered cost, pallet count, tolerance, sample description, reorder price.

What not to put in

• A target price. It anchors the response and discourages a supplier from proposing a better specification.
• A competitor's quote. You want an independent answer to compare, not a number shaded to beat one.
• Vague quality language. "Premium feel" means nothing quotable. "Matte lamination with a foil-stamped logo on the lid" does.
• An artificial deadline. Rush is a real cost in manufacturing; use it when it is true.

The short version

Ten inputs, four questions back, one page, identical to every supplier. Do that and the quotes you receive will be comparable and the box you approve will be the box that arrives.

Send your RFQ — or if you are still assembling it, ask Sophie which construction suits what you are packing and work back from there.