A bottle specification decides whether an order runs smoothly or gets rebuilt halfway through. Twelve fields carry almost every decision a factory needs from an emerging brand, a distributor or a first-time buyer. Copy the template below, fill what you know, mark the rest as open, and you get a comparable quote instead of a range.
Quick answer
- Twelve fields cover it: use and contents, material, capacity, neck finish, dimensions and tolerance, empty weight, colour, closure and output, decoration, packing, MOQ, and lead time with incoterm.
- Six must be locked before tooling starts; six can stay open with a written deadline.
- A field left blank becomes a factory assumption, and factory assumptions are what create rework.
What should a bottle specification actually contain?
Most buyers send a capacity, a material and a photo. That is a request for an estimate, not a specification. A specification answers every question the production line would otherwise have to guess at, and it fits on one page. Fields 1 to 6 describe the physical object; fields 7 to 12 describe the commercial order around it. A factory can quote the first group accurately from a clear form, and the second group only if you state it.
| # | Field | What the factory does with it | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intended use and contents | Selects material, barrier and decoration limits | Wrong resin for the formula |
| 2 | Material and grade | Chooses the mould and process | Quote assumes the cheapest grade |
| 3 | Nominal and brimful capacity | Sets the fill target and headspace | Your fill line does not fit |
| 4 | Neck finish | Matches the closure and pump | Closure does not fit |
| 5 | Dimensions and tolerance | Sets the mould cavity | Parts collide in the carton |
| 6 | Empty bottle weight | Sets resin consumption and output | Quoted weight and delivered weight differ |
| 7 | Colour and Pantone reference | Mixes masterbatch and approves a sample | Shade is agreed from a screen only |
| 8 | Closure model and output per stroke | Matches pump, liner and output | Product dispenses wrong |
| 9 | Decoration method and versions | Sets screen, plate and setup cost | Ink sits where it should not |
| 10 | Packing method | Sets carton quantity and CBM | Freight cost is a guess |
| 11 | MOQ structure per layer | Schedules the production run | Order splits into unviable runs |
| 12 | Lead time and incoterm | Plans production and shipping | Two quotes are not comparable |
Why does each field exist, and what goes wrong when you write it badly?
The failure mode is rarely a wrong number. It is a number with no unit, no tolerance, or no acceptance rule attached to it.
| Field | Why it must be written | Rework if it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Intended use and contents | Alcohol, oil, bleach and low-viscosity formulas stress different resins | Compatibility failure that appears only after filling |
| Material and grade | PET, HDPE, PP and PETG differ in clarity, impact and resistance | Quote built on the wrong material, then re-quoted |
| Nominal and brimful capacity | Nominal is the labelled fill; brimful is the limit to the top of the neck | Underfilled bottles, or a filler set for the wrong volume |
| Neck finish | The neck code decides which closures physically thread on | Cap leaks, or does not fit at all |
| Dimensions and tolerance | Cartons, trays and shelf facings are dimensioned, not guessed | Bottles that do not sit straight, or do not pack |
| Empty bottle weight | It converts pieces per hour into resin cost per bottle | Two quotes differ and neither can be explained |
| Colour and Pantone | Masterbatch is matched against a physical reference, not a hex code | Batch-to-batch shade drift on reorder |
| Closure and output | Pump output in cc per stroke is a product decision | A 2 cc pump on a formula designed for 4 cc |
| Decoration | Silk screen, hot stamping, heat transfer and in-mould labelling differ in limits | Logo placement rejected after the sample |
| Packing | Loose, bagged, shrink-wrapped or cased changes freight entirely | Freight quoted per carton that does not exist |
| MOQ structure | Minimums sit per model, per colour and per closure | Cash outlay far above plan |
| Lead time and incoterm | Incoterms 2020 defines where cost and risk end | Quotes compared at different freight terms |
Which fields must be locked before the mould starts, and which can wait?
This is the most useful distinction in the form. Lock too early and you pay for decisions you never needed; lock too late and you pay for a second mould.
| Status before tooling | Fields | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Must be locked | Intended use, material, nominal and brimful capacity, neck finish, empty bottle weight, overall dimensions | Each of these is cut into the mould cavity or baked into the resin choice |
| Lock before the first article | Colour and Pantone, decoration method, closure model and output, packing method | These need a physical sample to approve, but do not require new tooling |
| Lock before the purchase order | MOQ structure, lead time, incoterm, carton quantity and destination | These are commercial terms; they can be confirmed after the technical file is fixed |
A field you genuinely cannot answer yet should say so: open, to be confirmed by [date], factory to propose two options. An open field with an owner and a date is professional. An open field with no date becomes a dispute.
Which fields cause the most rework when they are only half written?
These five patterns account for most of the specification problems we receive. All are described generally, because the underlying details belong to the buyer.
1. “500 ml bottle” with no fill target. Nominal capacity without a brimful figure leaves headspace undefined. For a foaming or high-viscosity formula, the gap between nominal and brimful decides whether the cap seats and whether pack pressure is acceptable.
2. Colour described in words only — “soft white”, “frosted look”. A descriptive phrase cannot be matched or repeated. Without a Pantone reference and a physical reference chip, the shade is approved on a screen and re-argued on every reorder. Our matching route uses masterbatch at a standard addition ratio of 2%, or 4% where strength is needed, with a minimum of 10 kg per shade.
3. Dimensions without tolerance. Overall height and body diameter without a tolerance are nominal values, not specifications. Add a tolerance band and a critical dimension to be measured on the first article, and the drawing becomes enforceable.
4. Closure named by shape rather than by code. “Round white cap” identifies nothing. The neck finish code and the closure model together determine thread engagement, seal and leak performance.
5. MOQ stated as a total with no structure. A single number such as “20,000” hides whether it is split across models, colours and closures. Since our minimums run at 5,000 pieces per bottle model, 5,000 per colour, and 5,000 to 10,000 for closures, a total can require four or five separate runs.
Three mistakes we see in under-specified requests
1. Sending the form but not the artwork. The specification says what the bottle is; the artwork file says what is printed on it. Both are needed before a quote is final, and the file format a factory can actually use is set out in our guide to what artwork files a factory needs.
2. Treating the specification as a one-time document. It is a versioned file. Every change after the first article should produce a revised issue with a date, so the factory and the buyer are looking at the same numbers. Version drift between an email and a drawing is a common source of the two-quotes-differ problem we describe in why two quotes for the same bottle can differ by 30%.
3. Starting a specification without a first email. The twelve fields above are the destination. The route to filling them starts with a short, structured enquiry, which is covered in what to put in your first email to a bottle factory.
What should you send with a specification to get a fixed quote?
Send these eight items together. Anything missing converts a fixed quote into a range.
- Intended use and contents — formula type, pH range, alcohol or solvent content, fill temperature.
- Material and grade — PET, HDPE, PP or PETG, and whether recycled content is required.
- Capacity pair — nominal fill plus brimful capacity.
- Neck finish code — and the closure or pump you intend to use.
- Drawing with tolerances — or dimensions plus a tolerance band if no drawing exists.
- Empty bottle weight target — with the tolerance you accept on receipt.
- Colour and Pantone reference — and the decoration method with version count.
- Order structure — quantities per model and colour, packing, destination, incoterm, required date.
For the number-level reading of a specification, see how to read a bottle spec sheet. The drawing that should sit behind this form is covered in how to read a bottle drawing.
Frequently asked questions
How many fields do I really need for a stock mould?
Fewer, but not as few as most buyers assume. Even on a stock bottle you must fix contents, material, capacity, neck finish, closure, decoration, colour and order structure. Stock moulds skip the drawing and tolerance fields, not the commercial ones.
Can I leave colour open for the first order?
You can leave the exact shade open, but not the colour decision. The factory needs to know whether the bottle is coloured or decorated, because colour carries its own minimum of 5,000 pieces per shade and a 10 kg masterbatch minimum.
What tolerance should I write for empty bottle weight?
Write a target and a band, and mark weight as a critical inspection point. Without a band, a delivered bottle lighter than quoted can still be treated as conforming.
Does the specification have to be one page?
It has to be complete, not short. One page for the twelve fields, plus a drawing and an artwork file as attachments, is the normal shape of a complete package.
Who should complete the open fields?
The factory should propose options, and the buyer should decide. Write the field as an instruction with a deadline rather than leaving it blank — “factory to propose two neck options by [date]” resolves faster than an empty line.
How long is a specification valid?
Until the terms change, and quotes that depend on it expire with their own validity date. Resin and freight move, so ask for a quote validity period rather than assuming the price holds.
About Shijin Packaging
Shijin Packaging Products Co., Ltd. has manufactured plastic packaging in Shenzhen, Huizhou and Guangzhou since 2003. We hold more than 2,000 existing moulds, run ISO 9001, GRS and SGS audited production, and ship roughly 500,000 bottles a day for cosmetic, personal care, household, car care and food-grade customers. New tooling takes roughly 30 working days, so a specification that is complete before the mould starts is the fastest route to a production-ready bottle.
Send us your twelve fields: fill in what you know and mark the rest open, and we will reply with the open fields filled by proposal, the minimums for your structure, and a fixed or ranged quote you can compare line by line.