How to compare two folding-carton quotations: align specifications, quantities and included costs

One supplier quotes USD 0.30 per carton; another quotes USD 0.34. Should you choose the first and ask the second to lower its price?

Check what the two figures cover before comparing them. They need to refer to the same product, accepted delivery quantity, processing requirements and delivery scope. If one quotation excludes the required lamination, cutting die or outer cartons, you are comparing different purchasing proposals.

This guide provides a way to check quotations. It is not a request for suppliers to disclose their internal profit margins. It helps you establish what the amount you pay will provide.

Step 1: turn “the same carton” into a specification you can check

A visual mockup with “350 gsm board, colour printing, 10,000 pieces” is a useful conversation starter. It is insufficient as the final basis for a price comparison.

Prepare a shared enquiry specification covering at least these six groups of conditions.

Scroll horizontally to see the full table.

The aim is to identify conditions that may change the product or the amount payable. If a material is undecided, ask for proposals, but keep a base quotation against the original specification separate from a proposed saving through alternative materials or processes.

A different production route is not necessarily a problem. Esko’s Phoenix planning information considers presses, stock and finishing costs together. The purchasing question is whether an alternative meets the same requirements, rather than whether every production step is identical.^[1]

Step 2: distinguish the unit price, additional charges and unconfirmed costs

Give each item one of three statuses: included, charged separately, or still to confirm.

An omitted item is not automatically included. An unconfirmed charge must not be entered as zero. If a quotation says nothing about the cutting die, ask what applies rather than assuming it is free.

For an included item, the additional-charge column can say zero, accompanied by “included in the quoted price”. This records how it is paid for, rather than suggesting that the work is unnecessary. For a separate charge, record the amount, scope and whether it may recur.

A supplier does not have to disclose every internal cost in your preferred format. A bundled quotation can still be compared if its deliverables, extra charges and total payment scope are clear.

A worked example: the higher unit price gives the lower comparable total

Every amount below is invented for teaching purposes and stated in US dollars. This is neither a market quotation nor a supply commitment. Assume both suppliers deliver 10,000 accepted cartons meeting the same requirements, with the same currency, acceptance criteria and payment terms, to the same named consolidation point.

Supplier A’s base unit price excludes the lamination required by the buyer. Supplier B’s includes it. None of the listed charges overlaps with another.

Scroll horizontally to see the full table.

A’s base amount is USD 400 lower, but its other charges total USD 500 more. Its comparable total is therefore USD 100 higher.

This does not mean that a higher unit price is always better. The ordering by unit price can differ from the ordering by total cost for the same scope. If A confirms that lamination was already included, remove the duplicate charge and recalculate. Do not preserve an incorrect charge to support a preferred conclusion.

The example excludes international freight, insurance, import charges, storage and financing after the consolidation point. USD 3,980 is therefore not a final landed or warehouse-delivered cost. Extend the comparison to match the purchasing scope you actually need.

Step 3: the same destination does not establish the same delivery terms

For an international quotation, record the exact trade term, named place or port, applicable edition and stated inclusions and exclusions. ICC describes Incoterms® rules as clarifying the allocation of tasks, costs and risks in delivery. Three letters alone do not replace the complete agreement.^[2]

This guide does not select a trade term for an individual order. Record payment milestones, sample-fee treatment and quotation validity separately instead of leaving them under “usual practice”.

Lead time also needs a starting event and an endpoint. “15 days for production” and “delivered in 20 days” are not directly comparable. Does the clock start after artwork approval, receipt of a deposit or material approval? Does it end at production completion, dispatch or arrival at the named place? These numbers are communication examples, not recommended lead times.

Step 4: assess repeat orders and changes separately

Agree whether a cutting-die or other one-time charge will recur. Do not assume that paying it once makes every future order free of that charge, or copy the first-order total into every repeat-order comparison.

Changes to materials, artwork, structure or quantity may also require a new quotation. Ask the supplier to identify what triggers repricing and what the original fee already covers.

One useful enquiry brief is:

Please quote a base proposal against the attached specification and revision. State the accepted delivery quantity, included items, separate charges, delivery terms and quotation validity. List alternative materials or cost-saving processes separately, identifying what needs renewed approval. Mark undecided information as “to be confirmed”.

Keep the original quotations alongside the aligned comparison. That preserves the conditions behind each number when the order is reviewed later.

A useful purchasing comparison identifies an appropriate, deliverable proposal under confirmed conditions, rather than an isolated lowest unit price.

Carton quotation comparison checklist
Packaging Supply
https://globewhim.com/guides/compare-carton-quotes/

[ ] Structure / dimensions / dieline revision:

[ ] Named material grade / grammage / caliper:

[ ] Artwork revision / print route / finishes:

[ ] Acceptable quantity per design / over- or under-delivery agreement:

[ ] Gluing / flat or assembled delivery / carton packing:

[ ] Sample purpose / approval reference:

[ ] Currency / base price / included items:

[ ] Extra fees / unresolved fees marked to confirm:

[ ] One-off tooling / reuse / change charges:

[ ] Trade rule / named place / version / exclusions:

[ ] Payment / validity / timeline start and end:

Mark unresolved items as “to confirm”. This checklist supports a supplier discussion and does not establish supply, engineering approval or a quotation.