A quotation for custom packaging usually has two numbers on it: a tooling charge and a unit price. Buyers frequently compare only the second one, and then wonder why a cheaper quote became more expensive by the third order. The tooling line is where the two quotes actually differ.
What the tooling charge pays for
A custom box does not exist until something exists to make it. Depending on the format, that means some combination of:
- A cutting die — the shaped blade that cuts the blank from the sheet, and the creasing rule that puts the fold lines in.
- Printing plates or screens — one per colour, for offset or screen printing.
- A forming tool — the male and female mould that thermoforms a blister cavity or a tray.
- A gluing jig — where the pack is assembled by hand.
Each is a one-off cost tied to a specific set of dimensions and a specific artwork. Change the size, and the die and the forming tool are scrap. Change the print, and the plates are scrap while the die survives.
Why it is not folded into the unit price
Two reasons. The first is honesty: tooling is paid once, units are paid every time. Rolling the tooling into the unit price hides it inside a number that will be compared against a supplier who did the same thing differently, and the comparison becomes meaningless.
The second is arithmetic. Spread over 3,000 pieces, a tooling cost looks large per unit. Spread over 30,000 it is trivial. If it is buried in the unit price, the customer has no way to see that the second order should be substantially cheaper — and often does not ask.
| Change made | Tooling impact | Print impact |
|---|---|---|
| Outlet copy change on the same size | None | New plates only |
| Colour change, same artwork structure | None | New plates or screens |
| Dimensions changed by a few millimetres | New die; new forming tool if thermoformed | New plates — the artwork usually no longer fits |
| Format change (box to blister) | Entirely new tooling set | New plates |
| Repeat order, nothing changed | None — tooling already exists | None |
What to ask before accepting a tooling charge
- Is it a one-time charge, and is it charged again on a repeat order? It should not be. If it is, the tooling is not being retained against your project.
- Who holds the tooling, and for how long? If a supplier discards it after a year, the next order carries a re-tooling cost that was never quoted.
- What exactly is included? A die, a forming tool, plates and a proof are separate items. A quote that lists one line for “mould” is hiding which of these exist.
- What invalidates it? The table above is the question to put in writing.
Terms on tooling ownership and retention vary by project and are stated on the quotation for that project rather than being fixed across the board — the details are on the sample & order policy page.
The comparison that actually works
Land the total cost of the first order — tooling plus units plus freight plus duty — and the total of the second order, which should carry no tooling. A supplier who is cheaper on the first and more expensive on the second is not cheaper; they have simply moved the cost to where you were not looking.
For a first run at 3,000 pcs, ask every supplier for both numbers separately. The ones who can produce them quickly are usually the ones who know what their tooling actually costs.