How To · 10 min read

How to Send a Packaging RFQ That Gets an Accurate Quote

Every packaging quote is only as accurate as the brief behind it. Learn what to include in a packaging RFQ — dimensions, quantity, SKUs, material, printing, finishes, artwork, samples and shipping — plus a copy-and-paste RFQ template you can email to a packaging supplier today.

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Quick Answer

A packaging RFQ (request for quotation) is a structured brief you send to a supplier describing exactly what you want them to quote. The single biggest factor in whether you get an accurate, useful quote is whether you give the supplier enough to work with. A good RFQ answers nine things up front: product dimensions, packaging form, quantity and number of SKUs, material, printing, finishes, artwork status, shipping destination, and whether you need a sample. The more specific the numbers, the more specific the quote. A vague brief like “I need a box for a bottle” invites a round-trip of clarifying questions; a precise brief with dimensions and quantity is usually quoted in one pass. When you send a complete RFQ, most packaging factories can return a factory-direct unit cost at your quantity within 24 hours.

What Is a Packaging RFQ?

An RFQ is a formal request for a quotation. For packaging, it is the document you send to one or more suppliers that lets them price your job accurately and compare like for like. Unlike a vague email that asks “how much are boxes?”, a packaging RFQ specifies the variables that drive cost: the size of the box or bag, the board or paper grade, the print coverage, the finishes, the insert, the quantity, and the destination. Because every box at XC Paperbox is custom — there is no flat price list — the quote you receive is built from the brief you supply. Two identical-looking requests can come back with very different figures if the quantities or shipping terms differ. The purpose of an RFQ is to remove that ambiguity so the supplier quotes the same job you think they are quoting. A well-written RFQ is also the fastest way to get a quote: it means no back-and-forth to fill in missing details.

What Information Should an RFQ Include?

A complete packaging RFQ packs in as much verified specification as you have. You do not need every line answered to send a useful request — you only need to avoid leaving gaps that force the supplier to guess. The core of any RFQ breaks down into seven areas: dimensions, quantity, material, printing, finishes, artwork, and delivery. Add sampling on top when a physical check is part of your decision. Each area is explained below, and the full fields are collected in the copy-and-paste template at the end of this guide.

Product & Packaging Dimensions

Give the supplier your product dimensions first, then any packaging size you have in mind. Product dimensions (length × width × height, in millimetres) let the factory check that a box or bag will actually fit and protect the item with the right amount of clearance. Box or bag dimensions, when you already have them, remove guesswork entirely. Two sizes matter: the size of the thing you are packaging, and the size of the packaging itself. If you only know the product, a supplier will recommend a package that fits it. If you only know the box, they will try to reverse-engineer the product. Supplying both is the fastest route to an accurate quote and a correct fit.

Quantity & SKUs

Quantity is the single largest driver of per-unit cost in custom packaging because it is how the supplier spreads fixed setup costs — tooling, plates, and make-ready — across the run. Tell the supplier the total quantity and, critically, how it splits across SKUs. Ten prints of 100 units each is a very different job from ten prints of 10,000 units each. Number of SKUs matters because each distinct design, size, or print usually carries its own setup. Giving both total quantity and SKU split lets the factory quote the right per-SKU pricing and flag anything unusual. If you are still deciding quantities, give the number you are certain of plus a target; a quote at a quantity you are unlikely to order is not a useful benchmark.

Materials

State your material as clearly as you can. For boxes this is the board or paper grade — rigid greyboard, folding-carton board, coated or art paper, kraft — and for bags it is the paper weight and base stock. If you have a reference image of a material you like, include it; a visual beats a description every time. You do not need to know the exact gsm (grams per square metre) to send a usable RFQ. Naming the category and the desired feel is enough for a supplier to recommend a specific grade and to flag options within your budget. If sustainability matters, say so — for example that you want FSC-certified paper. Material origin can be documented on request, but only if the RFQ asks for it.

Printing & Finishes

Printing and finishing are where two otherwise identical boxes diverge fastest in price. Say whether you need print at all, and if so how much coverage — a small logo is not the same job as full-bleed artwork. If you have brand colours, note whether you are working in CMYK or Pantone, because a brand spot colour is quoted and run differently from a process colour. Name the finishes you are considering so the quote reflects them: soft-touch or matte lamination, foil stamping, embossing, or spot UV, for example. You do not need to commit to everything in the RFQ — listing candidates lets the supplier price each, so you can compare rather than guess later.

Artwork / Reference Images

Artwork status is one of the most frequently omitted RFQ fields, and one of the most useful. Tell the supplier whether you have print-ready art, a design concept, or nothing yet. This changes the quote in two ways: it determines whether the supplier needs to build a dieline or the design to spec, and it affects how quickly the job can move through pre-press. Reference images are powerful in any RFQ. A photo of an existing package, a sample from another brand, a Pinterest-style screen grab, or your own rough sketch all help the supplier understand structure, material, and finish intent faster than text. Send as many as you have — an accurate quote is far more likely from pictures plus numbers than from either alone.

Shipping Destination

Packaging quotes can be ex-works, FOB, or DDP. A quote that sounds cheap ex-works can be expensive once freight and duties are added; a DDP quote includes delivery to your door and is the number that matters to your landed cost. State the destination country and, if you can, the postal code, because freight is calculated on actual route and weight. Many packaging suppliers ship DDP to a wide set of countries with tracked freight and no surprise duties. Naming the destination in the RFQ means the quoted price is the one you actually pay, rather than a factory-gate number you have to add shipping onto yourself.

Sample Requirements

If you plan to approve a physical sample before production, say so in the RFQ. Sampling has its own timeline and, for printed finishes, its own lead time — a white or structural sample is faster than a fully printed, finished sample with foil or embossing. At XC Paperbox, white samples generally ship in 5–7 business days, with printed samples following in roughly 7–10 days. Indicating whether you need a sample (and how many) lets the supplier quote the sample stage as part of the job and set expectations for production timing around approval. It is also the standard way to lock the specification — you approve the sample, then the supplier runs to that approved standard.

Common RFQ Mistakes

Even capable buyers send RFQs that produce poor quotes. The most common misses are easy to avoid:

Omitting quantity. Without a quantity there is no unit cost to quote — the supplier has to guess, and you get a range instead of a number.
Leaving out the SKU split. Total quantity without per-SKU counts hides setup costs and leads to an inaccurate quote.
No dimensions. A box that does not fit the product is useless at any price. Always send at least the product dimensions.
Vague material and finish. “Nice packaging” is not quotable. Name the board category and the finishes you are weighing.
Forgetting destination. Without a country and postal code, the quote cannot cover freight, and the number you receive is not the number you pay.
No artwork status. The supplier cannot staff pre-press work without knowing what design assets exist.
Comparing apples to oranges. Get the same specification quoted by each supplier so quotes are comparable, not just cheaper-looking.

The remedy is simple: send a structured RFQ every time, and you remove the friction that produces vague, wildly different, or unusable quotes.

Copy-and-Paste RFQ Template

Copy the fields below, fill in your answers, and email the completed brief to info@xcpaperbox.com. The supplier should ask for anything you genuinely do not know yet — an accurate quote depends on what you can verify, not on you guessing every line.

RFQ Field	Your Answer
Product
Packaging type
Product dimensions
Box/bag dimensions
Quantity
Number of SKUs
Material
Printing
Finishes
Insert
Artwork status
Sample required
Delivery country
Postal code
Required delivery date
Reference image
Additional requirements

Send Your RFQ

Email your completed RFQ to our packaging team and we will confirm material, structure, and unit cost at your quantity. Most quotes come back within 24 hours on a complete brief.

Send Your RFQ by Email

Paste your filled RFQ and email it to info@xcpaperbox.com, or open the contact form for a guided quote.

Email Your RFQ Get Free Quote

Related reading: prepare the content side in our Quote Requirements guide, run the full buyer workflow with the Packaging Procurement Checklist, compare suppliers with our Quote Comparison guide, understand timing in our MOQ and Lead Time guide, and plan the physical check with our Packaging Sampling Guide. For pricing ranges before you brief, see our Packaging Pricing Center.

Frequently asked

An RFQ (request for quotation) is a structured brief describing exactly what you want quoted, so a supplier can return an accurate unit cost.

A packaging RFQ lists the variables that drive price — dimensions, quantity, SKUs, material, printing, finishes, artwork, shipping destination, and sample needs. Because custom packaging has no flat price list, the more specific the brief, the more accurate and useful the quote. A complete RFQ can usually be answered in one pass and in many cases within 24 hours.

Dimensions, quantity and SKU split, material, printing, finishes, artwork status, shipping destination, and whether you need a sample.

The essential fields are product dimensions, box or bag dimensions, total quantity and how it splits across SKUs, the board or paper material, print coverage and colour spec, candidate finishes, artwork status, delivery country and postal code, and sample requirements. Reference images help a supplier understand structure and finish faster than text. See the copy-and-paste template above for the full list.

Enough that they do not have to guess the specification. Quantity, dimensions, and destination are the three fields that most change the quote.

A supplier needs the numbers that drive cost and fit: quantity and SKU split, product and packaging dimensions, material category, and delivery destination. You do not need to know gsm or a finished design to send a usable RFQ — naming the category and your intent is enough for the supplier to recommend specifics and price the job.

Usually because the briefs differ, or because one quote is ex-works and another is DDP. Same spec, same terms, and quotes become comparable.

Two quotes for the same packaging can look very different if the specifications, quantities, or shipping terms differ. Ex-works quotes exclude freight and duties; DDP quotes include delivery. To compare suppliers fairly, request the same specification and the same delivery terms from each, and compare total landed cost rather than a single unit figure.

Send the quantity you are confident in plus any target, so the quote reflects a realistic order size.

Per-unit cost falls as quantity rises because fixed setup costs are spread over more units. Quoting a quantity you will not order produces a number that does not represent your real cost. Give a confident figure and a target, and the supplier can price both or flag the sensitivity.

No. State your artwork status — print-ready, concept, or none — so the supplier can staff pre-press and quote accordingly.

Artwork status changes the job more than the price of the box itself: it determines whether a dieline and design work are needed and how fast the job moves through pre-press. Reference images and rough sketches are welcome in an RFQ even without finished files.

On a complete brief, most packaging suppliers return a quote within 24 hours.

A detailed RFQ with dimensions, quantity, and destination usually receives a factory-direct unit cost within 24 hours. Vague briefs tend to trigger a clarifying round-trip instead, which is slower. Including as many verified details as you can at the start is the fastest way to a usable quote.

They describe what the quoted price includes: factory-gate, to the port, or delivered to your door including freight and duties.

Ex-works means the price is at the factory door and excludes freight and duties. FOB generally adds the cost of getting goods to a port. DDP (delivered duty paid) includes freight, insurance, and duties to your destination. For an accurate landed cost, ask for DDP or state the destination so freight can be added to the quote.

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