MOQ is not one number on a packaging quotation — it is three. It applies separately to the bottle model, to the colour, and to the closure, each with its own minimum. Colour also has a weight floor in kilograms, and closures often sit above the bottle minimum. Here is how the three minimums interact.
Quick answer
- MOQ applies three times on one quotation: per bottle model, per colour, and per closure type.
- Colour also has a weight minimum of 10 kg of masterbatch, which at 2% gives about 500 kg of compound.
- Closures often start higher, at 5,000–10,000 pieces, so a 5,000-bottle launch can carry a 10,000-piece pump.
Where does MOQ actually appear on a quotation?
Buyers usually read MOQ as a single number at the top of a sheet and assume every line inherits it. Each line is actually a separate production task with its own setup and its own smallest economic run.
| Line on the quotation | Minimum at our factory | What it is measured on | Why it exists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle model or size | 5,000 pieces | Each distinct shape and capacity | A mould changeover and a verification run |
| Colour | 5,000 pieces per shade | Each Pantone shade or standard colour | A compound batch must be mixed and sampled |
| Colour masterbatch | 10 kg per shade | Weight of masterbatch, not piece count | The smallest batch a dosing system can mix accurately |
| Closure: cap, pump, liner | 5,000–10,000 pieces | Each closure type and finish | Assembly tooling plus spring and piston part batches |
Read that as three independent tests. Your order clears MOQ only when every line clears its own. A 5,000-piece bottle order in one colour with a 10,000-piece pump is not a 5,000-piece order; it is a 10,000-piece cash commitment with 5,000 bottles in it. The arithmetic of the closure line is covered in plastic bottle MOQ and lead time in China, and the reason for the base number in why the MOQ is 5,000.
Why is the closure minimum often higher than the bottle minimum?
A bottle is moulded from pellets. A pump is assembled from a dozen small components — body, closure, spring, piston, dip tube, gasket — most of which come from suppliers who set their own minimums.
| Closure | Typical minimum | Main constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Simple screw cap | 5,000 pieces | Mould changeover and colour matching |
| Lotion pump with dip tube | 10,000 pieces | Spring, piston and metering parts bought in batches |
| Trigger sprayer | 10,000 pieces | Nozzle, spring and shroud parts bought in batches |
| Fine mist atomiser | 10,000 pieces | Nozzle and dip-tube tolerances in small lots |
| Foam pump | 10,000 pieces | Assembly labour and spring batch |
The higher number follows from where the scarce input sits, not from a sales tactic. If you need a small closure quantity, the workable moves are a standard cap that already runs in volume, or one stock closure with printed artwork instead of a custom closure per SKU.
How do you calculate the colour minimum?
Masterbatch is dosed into natural compound at a weight ratio, not a piece count. Our standard addition is 2% for a normal shade and 4% where the colour needs strength; black and white run in standard drums and carry a lower practical minimum.
The calculation you can reproduce in ten seconds is short. Divide the masterbatch minimum by the ratio to get coloured compound, then divide that compound by the weight of one bottle. At our 10 kg floor and a 2% ratio, that is 500 kg of compound, and 500,000 g ÷ 30 g per bottle is about 16,600 bottles.
Now run it the other way. One shade of 5,000 pieces at 30 g needs 150 kg of compound, which is 3 kg of masterbatch — below the 10 kg floor. Five thousand pieces of one colour cannot justify its own batch; it has to be pooled with other shades scheduled in the same run. How pooling works is covered in can I order six colours in one run.
| Bottle weight | Compound from 10 kg at 2% | Bottles coloured per batch |
|---|---|---|
| 20 g | 500 kg | 25,000 |
| 30 g | 500 kg | 16,600 |
| 50 g | 500 kg | 10,000 |
| 80 g | 500 kg | 6,250 |
What is the real minimum size of one order?
The answer is the highest of three limits, not their sum:
Real order minimum = the highest of (5,000 per bottle model, 5,000 per colour, 5,000–10,000 per closure), with shades pooled so total coloured compound clears 10 kg per batch.
| Order shape | Bottles | Masterbatch needed | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 model, 1 colour, standard cap | 5,000 | 3 kg at 30 g, 2% | Possible — the lightest possible order |
| 1 model, 1 colour, pump | 5,000 bottles, 10,000 pumps | 3 kg at 30 g, 2% | Possible, closure is the binding line |
| 1 model, 4 colours, standard cap | 20,000 total | 12 kg, four shades pooled | Workable if shades run in one schedule |
| 1 model, 6 colours, 1,000 each | 6,000 | 3.6 kg per shade | Below the 5,000-per-colour line |
| 1 model, 1 colour, 20 g bottle at 2% | 5,000 | 2 kg | Shade must be pooled or bought at 10 kg |
| 1 model, 1 colour, 80 g bottle at 4% | 5,000 | 16 kg | Clears the colour floor on its own |
The last two rows show why the colour floor feels unpredictable. It depends on compound consumed per piece, which is bottle weight multiplied by the addition ratio. A light bottle in a pale shade consumes very little per piece, so 5,000 pieces cannot justify a 10 kg batch alone. A heavy bottle in a deep shade clears it comfortably.
Is MOQ the same as pieces per carton?
No, and they usually appear in the same table, which is where the confusion starts. Carton quantity is a packing instruction. MOQ is a production minimum. One constrains how you stack and how much volume you ship; the other constrains how much the factory can economically make.
| Term | What it is | Who it constrains |
|---|---|---|
| MOQ per model / colour | Smallest economic production run | The factory |
| Closure MOQ | Smallest assembly run | The factory and its parts suppliers |
| Masterbatch minimum | Smallest accurately mixable colour batch | The compounding step |
| Pieces per carton | Units packed in one shipping carton | Packing and freight |
| Cartons per container | How a container is filled | Sea freight volume |
Carton quantity must divide cleanly into your order quantity, but it can never reduce MOQ. A 200-piece carton does not let you order 4,000 bottles. And an order that clears MOQ may still not fill a container, which is a freight decision rather than a production one.
Which three lines must be written on the purchase order?
Quotations get revised; purchase orders get enforced. On the document that commits you to payment, three lines need a number of their own rather than an inherited one.
- Bottle line: model reference, material, nominal capacity, empty bottle weight in grams, and quantity meeting 5,000 per model.
- Colour line: Pantone reference or standard colour name, quantity per shade, whether shades are pooled into one scheduled run, and how shade approval is judged.
- Closure line: closure type, the neck finish it fits, and quantity meeting 5,000–10,000 — with a written note if it exceeds the bottle quantity.
Three more lines prevent most later disagreements: decoration naming the number of print versions, packing giving pieces per carton and carton dimensions, and delivery naming the incoterm and destination port.
What are the three misunderstandings we see most often?
1. Treating MOQ as a single number. A buyer accepts 5,000 as “the MOQ”, then orders 5,000 bottles, 5,000 pieces of a custom colour and a pump that can only be bought in 10,000. Two lines are fine and one is not, so the order stalls at the closure.
2. Ignoring the 10 kg colour floor when counting pieces. 5,000 pieces of one shade at 30 g needs about 3 kg of masterbatch, which cannot be mixed alone. Ask how many kilograms your order consumes per shade, and whether shades are pooled.
3. Reading “MOQ met” as “cash requirement met”. The purchase order can be twice the bottle line, and freight, duty, decoration and first-article costs sit on top. Build the cash picture from the three minimums plus freight, not from the bottle line alone.
What should you write down before you approve a quotation?
- Minimum quantity per bottle model, stated as a number, not as “MOQ applies”.
- Minimum quantity per colour, and how many shades are treated as separate.
- Masterbatch minimum per shade in kilograms, and the addition ratio to be used.
- Minimum quantity per closure type, and the closing component used for that standard.
- Whether colours will be pooled into one scheduled run, and which shades are in it.
- Empty bottle weight in grams — needed for both resin use and the colour batch.
- Pieces per carton, carton dimensions, gross weight and total CBM.
- Number of decoration versions and whether each version carries its own minimum.
- Lead time in working days, and whether it starts at deposit or at drawing approval.
- The incoterm named on the quotation, and how long the price stays valid.
Frequently asked questions
Is MOQ per model or per order?
Both, separately. Each model or size has a 5,000-piece minimum of its own, and two models in one purchase order are two production tasks. One order of 5,000 split across two models satisfies neither.
Can two colours of 2,500 pieces count as 5,000?
Not as two colour lines, because the minimum is per shade. They can be scheduled into the same run, and their combined weight then only has to clear the 10 kg floor between them.
Why is the cap minimum higher than the bottle minimum?
Because a pump is assembled from parts bought in batches — springs, pistons, metering inserts, dip tubes. A screw cap that runs in volume stays at 5,000; pumps, sprayers and atomisers commonly sit at 10,000.
Does the 10 kg colour minimum change with bottle size?
The 10 kg does not change. What changes is how many pieces it colours: about 16,600 at 30 g, but only about 6,250 at 80 g. Heavier bottles consume the batch faster.
Can I lower MOQ by ordering several colours together?
On the colour line only, and only through pooling. Pooling affects the kilogram floor, not the per-shade piece minimum. To lower the per-shade quantity, use one colour with printed differentiation.
Is MOQ the same as the carton quantity?
No. Carton quantity is how many units are packed per shipping carton. It can never reduce the production minimum, and the production minimum never sets your carton quantity.
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. Because we quote model by model, colour by colour and closure by closure, the three minimums on your quotation can be engineered down rather than simply accepted.
Send us your range and we will show you the three minimums: give us the bottle model or the capacity and closure you need, the number of shades, and your target quantity, and we will return the minimum on each of the three lines plus the kilograms of compound your colours consume.