A first inquiry to a bottle factory needs ten pieces of information, not a product name. Send capacity, material, shape or reference image, neck finish, closure, quantity, colour and print, contents and use, incoterm with destination, and required date, and you get a real quotation back within a working day. Send a photo and “how much?”, and you get a range.
Quick answer
- Ten items make a quotable inquiry: capacity, material, shape, neck, closure, quantity, decoration, contents, terms, date.
- A photo alone gets a price range. We match it to the nearest stock mould, then convert it into a specification.
- “Just give me a price” inquiries get ranges because half the cost drivers were never stated.
What are the ten items a bottle factory needs before it can quote you?
Every factory quotes from the same core data. If your email contains these ten items, the quotation you receive is a number you can order against. If it contains three of them, you have asked for an estimate, and an estimate is all you will get.
| # | Item | How to state it | Why it changes the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nominal capacity | Millilitres or ounces, filled volume | Determines mould size and material use |
| 2 | Material | PET, HDPE, PP, PETG | Resin choice, clarity, barrier, chemical resistance |
| 3 | Bottle shape | Reference image, or dimensions | Decides stock mould vs new tooling |
| 4 | Neck finish | 18/410, 20/410, 24/410, 28/410 or unknown | Decides which caps and pumps fit |
| 5 | Closure type | Cap, pump, flip-top, dispensing, overcap | Closures carry their own minimum of 5,000–10,000 |
| 6 | Quantity | Target volume, plus the tier above it | Sets the unit price band and the minimum |
| 7 | Colour and print | Pantone reference, number of colours, method | 5,000 per colour; 10 kg masterbatch minimum per shade |
| 8 | Contents and use | What goes in it, and where it ships | Decides food-contact, solvent and barrier requirements |
| 9 | Incoterm and port | EXW, FOB or DDP, with the named port | Moves freight and duty between you and the supplier |
| 10 | Required date | When you need it on site | Stock moulds ship first; new tooling adds about 30 working days |
Items 8 and 10 are the two most often skipped, and both cause the most rework. Contents decide material suitability: a formula with alcohol, solvents or oil behaves very differently from a water-based one, and a bottle specified only by capacity and colour can be technically wrong. A required date decides whether you are looking at a stock mould or a new one, and those two paths have completely different timelines.
Can a factory quote from a single photo?
Yes — and it is how most first inquiries start. What you get back is a price range attached to the nearest stock mould we already own, plus a request for the missing specification. The photo identifies a shape family; it does not identify wall thickness, neck finish, empty weight or capacity.
So the useful move is to ask the factory to convert the photo into a specification. Send the image, then ask for the closest existing model number, its technical drawing, the empty bottle weight in grams, nominal and brimful capacity, and neck finish. Once you have those, the range becomes a firm number and you can compare it against another supplier on the same basis.
Our guide to reading a bottle spec sheet explains which five numbers decide whether a quoted bottle actually fits your filling line.
Why does a “just give me a price” inquiry only get a range?
Because half the cost drivers were never stated, and the factory has to assume the cheapest plausible version of every one of them. A price sent with no specification is a price for the simplest bottle of that size in the cheapest standard material, uncoloured, with a standard cap. If your project needs a matte finish, a locking pump and a Pantone match, the real number is higher — and you have set the wrong expectation for the whole negotiation.
There is a second reason. A range is a safe answer. A firm number given on incomplete information becomes a number the buyer holds you to later, so experienced suppliers answer narrowly on purpose. The fix is not to push for a firm quote; it is to send the ten items.
What should you attach when you send a reference image?
Attach the image and a short caption. Without the caption, the factory is guessing at three things that all change the price: whether the image is an exact shape or only a direction, which material you assume, and whether the colour shown is the colour you need.
| What you attach | What the factory can do with it | What it cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Photo, no caption | Identify a rough shape family | Confirm material, neck, weight, capacity |
| Photo plus capacity and material | Match to the nearest stock mould, give a range | Confirm wall weight or exact dimensions |
| Photo plus full ten-item brief | Return a firm quotation on a named model | Confirm fit without a physical sample |
| Dimensioned drawing | Quote stock option and new-mould option separately | Skip sample verification |
| 3D render | Show the intended shape and decoration direction | Be treated as a manufacturing specification |
Drawings beat renders, and renders beat photos — but for different reasons. A drawing with tolerances can be quoted and eventually produced. A render communicates design intent and should never be read as a manufacturing specification. If you only have a render, say so in the email and ask which existing mould comes closest, so the quotation is anchored to something real.
For neck finishes, our reference on 18, 20, 24 and 28 mm neck finishes shows why the neck number decides which closures you can use later.
What should a factory give you back within 48 hours?
A serious supplier answers a complete inquiry inside two working days, and the answer should contain enough to act on. If you receive a bare price with no model number and no specification, it is not yet a quotation.
| Item in the reply | Why you need it on day two |
|---|---|
| Model or stock option number | Anchors the price to a real product you can sample |
| Technical drawing or dimensions | Confirms the bottle fits your filling and capping line |
| Empty bottle weight in grams | Drives freight cost and resin use |
| Unit price per tier and per component | Lets you rebuild the total and compare suppliers |
| MOQ per model, per colour, per closure | Decides your real cash commitment |
| Lead time and quote validity | Decides whether the date you need is achievable |
| Sample cost and timing | Starts the approval clock early |
| Any deviation from your brief | Surfaces a problem before you order, not after |
If a reply takes longer, ask. A supplier who answers in three days with everything above has told you how they will handle a production order. One who answers in three days with a single number has not. If you are still deciding who to write to, factory, trading company or sourcing agent sets out what changes when an intermediary sits in that position, and how to ask several suppliers the same question keeps the answers comparable.
What buyers actually asked us
Real questions from inquiries we handled. Company names, countries and order quantities have been removed, because those are our customers’ business, not ours to publish.
“We are expressing interest in several of your products. We would appreciate it if you could respond at your earliest convenience, as this will allow us to provide further details regarding our specific interests for the purpose of obtaining a quotation.” — cleaning and sanitation products buyer, Europe
“The attached is a visual reference only. It is not final artwork — we are still choosing between two shapes. What we need from you is your closest existing mould in this capacity, with a drawing and the empty bottle weight in grams.” — fragrance-led body wash brand, Oceania
“Our custom mould / OEM project is for a range we cannot yet describe in numbers. Can you tell us what information you need from us so that you can prepare an indicative proposal?” — OEM project buyer, South Asia
Three mistakes we see every year
1. Sending a beautiful render and expecting a firm price. A render sells a shape, it does not specify one. Quoting from it produces a number for a bottle nobody has measured. Ask which existing mould is closest and get the drawing.
2. Leaving contents and use out of the first email. A bottle chosen on appearance alone can be unsuitable for the formula, the storage temperature or the export market. One sentence about what goes inside prevents a compatibility dispute that no price negotiation can fix.
3. Asking for the price before stating the quantity tier. Unit price at 5,000 and at 50,000 are different products commercially. Without a volume, you will be shown the entry-level number, and your client will treat it as the real one.
Five writing habits that get an inquiry shelved
- “Please send your catalogue and lowest price.” A catalogue is not a specification. Name the capacity, material and closure.
- Attaching a file with no subject line. The email reads as untitled, so it is answered later or not at all. Put the brief in the body.
- Asking for three unrelated products in one thread. Split them. One product per inquiry is quotable; three is a research task.
- “Reply as soon as possible, it is urgent.” Urgency without a date does nothing. State the date the bottles must be in your warehouse.
- Disappearing after the first reply. A quote is a conversation. The model number, the drawing and the sample round are what close it.
None of these is a supplier problem. Each one hands the inquiry back to you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum information needed for a quotation?
Capacity, material, shape or reference image, neck finish, closure type, quantity, colour and print, contents and use, incoterm with destination, and required date. Send those ten and the reply is quotable.
Can I get a price from a photo alone?
Yes, but as a range tied to the nearest stock mould. Ask the factory to convert it: closest model number, drawing, empty weight, capacities and neck finish. Then it becomes firm.
How long should a first quotation take?
Two working days for a complete inquiry from us. Longer is a signal about how the supplier will handle a production order, so ask what is missing rather than chasing the price.
Does a neck finish matter if I am buying bottle and cap together?
Yes. The neck finish decides which caps and pumps fit. If you leave it out, the supplier will assume a standard finish and you may receive a bottle your closure does not thread onto.
Should I send a drawing or a 3D render?
A dimensioned drawing, because it can be quoted and produced. A render is for communicating design intent only. If you have only a render, say it is not final and ask for the closest stock mould.
How many colour minimums apply to my order?
At our factory, 5,000 pieces per colour and a masterbatch minimum of 10 kg per Pantone shade. Standard black and white carry a lower minimum. Below those levels, printing or labelling is usually cheaper.
About Shijin Packaging
Shijin Packaging Products Co., Ltd. has been manufacturing 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. When you send a complete brief, we answer with a named model, a drawing and a price you can order against.
Send us your first inquiry: give us capacity, material, neck finish, closure, quantity and destination, and we will come back with the closest existing mould, its specification and a quotation — usually within one working day.