Build a Box RFQ Suppliers Can Quote From
A packaging quote takes longer than it should because the first email is usually incomplete. The supplier reads it, works out what is missing, writes back with questions, and the answer comes a day later with one of the questions still unanswered. Three rounds of that is normal, and all three rounds are avoidable.
Box RFQ Builder
Fill in the nine fields, then choose Build the RFQ.
This builder takes nine answers and assembles them into a request a supplier can quote from directly. It also lists which of the nine are still blank, because those are the fields a supplier will ask about first.
Everything runs in your browser and nothing is submitted. The output is a block of text you copy and send through whatever channel you already use.
Build a Box RFQ Suppliers Can Quote From
A request for quotation is not a long document. It is a short one that happens to contain every field a supplier needs, in an order that lets them read it once.
The nine fields here are the ones that come back as questions when they are missing. Filling them in takes a few minutes and removes the round trips, which matters most when you are comparing several suppliers — an incomplete brief cannot be compared, because each supplier fills the gaps with a different assumption.
The builder writes the output as plain text on purpose. It pastes into an email, a form, a chat message or a spreadsheet without reformatting.
Nine Answers Every Box Quote Needs
Each field exists because leaving it out changes the number a supplier would give you, or changes whether they can answer at all.
**Box style.** The structure family. Without it, a supplier has to guess between a mailer, a carton and a rigid box, and those are not variations of one answer.
**Material or board.** The board grade or the material family. This is the field buyers most often leave blank, and it is the one that changes the answer most.
**Inner dimensions.** Length, width and height of the space the product needs. Say that they are inner dimensions.
**Print.** None, one colour, four colour, or a matched spot colour. This decides the print route.
**Surface finishing.** Whether there is a film, a foil, an emboss or a spot varnish, and whether the film is matt or gloss.
**Artwork status.** Whether you already have print-ready artwork, have a design that needs preparing, or have nothing yet. This single field changes what the supplier has to include.
**Quantity.** The number you want, and whether it is a first run or a repeat.
**Destination.** Where the goods are going, at a level of detail that lets a supplier reason about packing and freight.
**Target date.** The date you would like the boxes, stated as your target. It is your input, not a commitment from anyone.
Artwork, Dieline and Proof Before Tooling
The artwork stage is where packaging projects lose the most time, and it is almost always because the sequence was not agreed before it started.
The sequence that works is: dimensions fixed, then a dieline produced from those dimensions, then artwork placed onto the dieline, then a proof, then approval, then tooling. Each step depends on the one before it. Artwork drawn before the dieline exists has to be redone, and artwork approved on a screen is not the same as artwork seen on the board.
A dieline is the flat drawing of the box with its folds and cuts marked. It is what turns a design into something that can be printed and formed. Everything downstream — where the artwork sits, which panel is the front, which way the box opens — is decided on the dieline.
A proof is where the artwork meets the real material. Colour on a monitor and colour on a coated board are different, and a proof is how that difference gets caught before a run rather than after.
A sample before bulk is the last checkpoint. It is where the inner dimensions, the closure, the insert fit and the pallet arrangement are confirmed together. It is also where a problem is least expensive to put right, because everything after it is multiplied by the run.
The artwork guidelines page linked below covers file formats, bleed, resolution and colour setup in detail.
Copy the RFQ and Send It Anywhere
The output of this builder is a plain text block. Copy it and paste it into an email, a supplier's enquiry form, a chat message, or a document you share with a colleague.
It is deliberately not tied to this site. You can send the same block to several suppliers, which is what makes their answers comparable — the same brief in, so the differences between the replies are about the suppliers rather than about what each of them assumed.
The block includes a line for each of the nine fields. Fields left blank appear as an explicit gap rather than being quietly dropped, so the supplier can see what is outstanding instead of guessing.
What Is Still Missing From Your Brief
As you type, the builder tracks which of the nine fields are still empty and lists them underneath the output. That list is the part worth reading before you send anything.
The list is ordered by how much the missing field usually changes a quote. Dimensions and board come first, because those two change the material and the structure. Artwork status and finishing come next. Destination and target date come last.
A brief with one or two gaps can still be sent — a supplier will ask about them. A brief with five gaps will come back as a set of questions and start the round trips the builder exists to prevent.
What This Builder Does Not Do
The builder assembles your answers into text. It does not know your product, your supplier or your market, so it stays out of anything that would need that knowledge.
It also does not guess. Where a field is blank, the output says so rather than filling it with a plausible default, because a brief that is confidently wrong is harder to correct than one that is visibly incomplete.
- It does not price anything. No figure, range or estimate is produced, and none is implied by the fields.
- It does not state a minimum order quantity. It records the quantity you want; the minimum is confirmed against the structure, board, print route and packing method.
- It does not commit to a schedule. It records the date you would like. Nothing here is a delivery promise from anyone.
- It does not send anything. No submission, no storage, no account. You copy the text and choose where it goes.
- It does not make a supplier's quote comparable by itself. It makes the briefs comparable. The quotes still depend on what each supplier proposes.
Structures and Pages This Tool Points To
The category page this tool sits under. /custom/get-quote/
CustomEverything in this section. /custom/
Get a QuoteThe parent page for this builder./custom/get-quote/
Artwork GuidelinesFormats, bleed, resolution and colour setup./resources/artwork-guidelines/
Custom BoxesStructures to name in the box style field./products/custom-boxes/
Custom Printed BoxesWhere print coverage drives the route./products/custom-printed-boxes/
Mailer BoxesSelf-locking structure that ships flat./products/mailer-boxes/
Corrugated Shipping BoxesOuter cartons for a full pack./products/corrugated-shipping-boxes/
Inserts and DividersInternal fit that changes dimensions./products/inserts-dividers/
Request a QuoteSend the finished brief to us./quote/
What should a packaging RFQ include?
Box style, board or material, inner dimensions, print, surface finishing, artwork status, quantity, destination and your target date. Those nine fields cover what a supplier needs to answer without coming back with questions.
Can I send the same RFQ to several suppliers?
Yes, and it is the point of a written brief. Identical inputs make the replies comparable, so the differences you see are about the suppliers rather than about what each one assumed was missing.
How detailed does my artwork need to be to request a quote?
It does not need to exist yet. The artwork status field exists so you can say whether you have print-ready files, a design awaiting preparation, or nothing. That answer changes what the supplier has to include in the response.
Why does the builder ask for inner dimensions rather than outer?
Because the product decides the inner size and the board decides the outer size. Starting from an outer size means working backwards through the board thickness, which is where sizing errors come from.
Send the RFQ
Copy the block above and send it to as many suppliers as you like. The briefs stay identical, so the replies become comparable — and the fields you left blank are visible to them rather than filled in with a guess.