If you are launching six scents from one bottle shape, the price does not go up six times — but your MOQ does. At Shijin Packaging, MOQ applies per bottle model and per colour, so one body in six colours is six separate minimums. Most multi-SKU launches that feel expensive are not expensive; they are ordered wrong. Below is the three-layer structure, the three ordering strategies that work, and the numbers buyers ask us for most.
Quick answer
- MOQ sits at three layers: bottle model, colour, and closure — each with its own minimum.
- Six colours at 1,000 pieces each is the expensive way. One colour plus a printed label is usually the cheapest.
- Colours can be pooled into one production run if the total colour volume clears the masterbatch minimum of 10 kg.
Why multi-SKU packaging gets expensive so quickly
Most buyers meet the same wall: the bottle is fine, the price is fine, but the order value has tripled because every colour counts as its own production run.
| MOQ layer | Typical minimum at our factory | What it applies to | How buyers work around it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle model | 5,000 pieces per model | Each new shape or size | Use one body across all scents |
| Colour | 5,000 pieces per colour | Each Pantone shade | Pool shades, or print instead of colouring |
| Colour masterbatch | 10 kg per colour | Pantone matching | Standard black and white carry less |
| Closure | 5,000–10,000 pieces per type | Pump, cap, liner | Standardise one closure across all SKUs |
The practical consequence: a six-scent launch in six colours means 30,000 bottles minimum. A six-scent launch in one colour with a printed label can start at 5,000.
Strategy A — one bottle body, differentiated by print or label
This is the cheapest route for any launch under about 20,000 bottles. The bottle stays one colour, and the scent difference comes from decoration.
| Decoration option | Minimums | Relative cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silk screen, 1–2 colours | None beyond bottle MOQ | Lowest | Six to ten scent variants on one body |
| Roll-on label, applied by us | None beyond bottle MOQ | Low | Short runs, seasonal packs, retail samples |
| Heat transfer | Per version setup | Medium | Gradients, metallic effects |
| Hot stamping | Per version setup | Medium-high | Premium or gift-oriented SKUs |
| In-mould labelling | Bottle MOQ per version | High, no rework | Fixed versions, high volume, no label stock |
We see this pattern constantly. One body wash brand originally asked for three bottle colours to mark three scents. Once the per-colour MOQ was laid out, they moved to a single bottle colour and differentiated the scents with printed artwork instead — same shelf presence, one sixth of the colour risk.
Strategy B — several colours in one run, and how colour minimums really work
Pantone matching uses masterbatch, not paint. Our standard addition ratio is 2% for a normal shade and 4% where the colour needs strength; black and white run in larger standard batches and carry a lower minimum.
The 10 kg rule of thumb: 10 kg of masterbatch mixed at 2% turns into roughly 500 kg of coloured compound — about 16,000 bottles of a 30 g bottle. That is why shades can be combined inside one run, and why asking for four colours of 1,000 pieces is often possible when those colours are pooled into a single scheduled production.
What this means for you: ask for the masterbatch minimum before you fix your colour count. If the minimum is 10 kg and a 500 ml bottle needs 30 g of compound, roughly 16,000 bottles can be coloured per batch — so a 4,000-piece trial spread across four colours may already fit inside one colour run.
Strategy C — launch two or three, add the rest at reorder
| Stage | Order structure | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | 1 model, 1 colour, 5,000 pieces | Test filling, logistics, retail feedback |
| Launch | 1 model, 1–2 colours, 10,000–15,000 pieces | Cover the top two or three scents |
| Reorder | Same model, remaining colours, 5,000 pieces each | Add scents as they prove out |
One body wash brand we supply runs every scent from a single bottle and a single closure, adding a colour only when that scent starts selling. Their tooling is already paid for and their MOQ stays reachable at every reorder.
What actually changes your unit cost when you add a SKU
Adding a colour does not change the bottle price. It adds three things:
- Colour setup — masterbatch matching and a first-article colour check, usually a fixed fee per shade.
- Changeover time — each colour change needs a wash and a verification run, and with many small colours this is where real time goes.
- Small-run inefficiency — a 1,000-piece colour run carries the same setup cost spread over five times fewer bottles.
If a sixth colour adds USD 300 of setup and you only order 1,000 pieces of it, that colour costs more per bottle than the colour you ordered 5,000 of. This is why one colour with many labels wins below roughly 20,000 pieces.
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.
“Our customer has shortlisted four designs. We need four pieces of each as free samples in both PET and HDPE, in black and white. Once PD testing is approved, the commercial order follows across two sizes.” — product development agent, South Asia
“Our initial launch is three colours, one per scent. We are reconsidering the three-colour approach because of the 5,000-piece-per-colour MOQ. We may initially use one bottle colour across all scents and differentiate scents through the printed artwork.” — premium body wash brand
“We are looking for a bottle and dosing cap for six versions, one per scent. Would six print versions at 1,000 pieces each count as a single order?” — European laundry care brand
“Please quote 1,000, 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 units, and tell us the MOQ per colour — we will need approximately ten bottle colours, one for each fragrance.” — Latin American laundry detergent brand
Three mistakes we see every year
1. Colours per scent, too early. A ten-colour range split into 1,000-piece colour runs costs more per bottle than a two-colour range at 5,000 each. Colour should follow proven sales, not a forecast.
2. Forgetting that closures carry their own minimum. Pumps and caps are frequently 10,000 pieces while bottles are 5,000. A 5,000-bottle launch with a 10,000-piece pump order doubles your cash outlay before a single bottle is filled. Ask for closure minimums on the same quotation line as the bottles.
3. Asking for a “complete set” price and losing comparability. When one supplier quotes per set and another quotes bottle, cap and pump separately, the two numbers cannot be compared. Ask every supplier for the same eight lines: bottle, closure, liner, decoration, setup, packaging, freight and total — in the same currency and incoterm.
What to send your supplier so the quote is comparable
Send this list once, to every supplier, and require the same eight price lines back:
- Bottle model number and material (PET / HDPE / PP / PETG)
- Nominal capacity, brimful capacity and empty bottle weight in grams
- Neck finish and compatible closure or pump
- Unit price at 5,000 / 10,000 / 25,000 pieces
- Colour MOQ, colour setup cost and masterbatch minimum
- Decoration cost per version, silk screen or hot stamping
- Carton quantity, carton dimensions, gross weight and CBM
- EXW, FOB and DDP pricing, quote validity and lead time
If a supplier cannot fill in all eight lines, you are not comparing products — you are comparing answers.
Frequently asked questions
Can you print different artwork on the same bottle for different scents?
Yes. Silk screen with one or two colours carries no minimum beyond the bottle MOQ, so one body can carry six or ten scent variants. Most of our multi-scent customers work this way.
What is the minimum order for a custom colour?
5,000 pieces per colour at our factory, with a masterbatch minimum of 10 kg per Pantone shade. Standard black and white carry a lower minimum. Below that, printing or labelling is usually cheaper than colouring.
Can six colours of 1,000 pieces count as one order?
Possibly. We can pool colours into one scheduled production run if the combined colour volume clears the masterbatch minimum. Send us the bottle weight and the number of shades and we will confirm within one working day.
Is it cheaper to have six colours or six labels?
Below roughly 20,000 pieces, six labels on one bottle colour. Above that, direct silk screen becomes more economical because it removes label material and application cost.
Do closures have their own MOQ?
Yes. Pumps and caps commonly start at 10,000 pieces while bottles start at 5,000. Ask for closure minimums in writing, because they decide your real cash commitment on a small launch.
What is the lead time for a multi-SKU launch?
Stock moulds in standard colours are the fastest path. A colour masterbatch match and a printed first article add time, and a new mould adds roughly 30 working days on top of production.
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. We quote bottle by bottle and model by model, so a multi-SKU launch can be built from one body instead of ten.
Talk to us about your range: send your bottle model, or simply the capacity and closure you need, and we will tell you which route is cheaper at your volume — one colour with printed differentiation, or pooled colours in one run.