Quick answer: An empty plastic tool case wholesale price is four lines in a trench coat: material, moulding, tooling spread and packing, with accessories outside them. Cost the lines by shot weight and unit count, then compare them against three MOQ tiers, and the blank rows in the quote become visible.
Table of contents
- Four Lines Make the Unit Price
- From MOQ Tiers to Pallets and 40HQ Loads
- What Packing Volume Costs Per Unit
- Accessories and Inspection: The Blank Lines
- FAQ
1. Four Lines Make the Unit Price
One empty case at 460×350×180 mm, 2.2 mm wall, weighs 1.35 kg. At 9.6 CNY per kg of PP the material is 12.96; moulding, power and depreciation 4.2; tooling spread over 300,000 units 1.1; carton and inland freight 2.6. The four add to 20.86, the quote says 21.4, and the 0.54 is scrap plus margin.
| Line | Per unit | Share | Usual wording | Number to ask for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material | 12.96 | 62% | priced per unit | shot weight, resin price |
| Moulding | 4.2 | 20% | included | cavities, cycle time |
| Tooling spread | 1.1 | 5% | tooling extra | total units, ownership |
| Packing, freight | 2.6 | 12% | freight included | units per carton, destination |
Most of the gap between two empty plastic tool case wholesale quotes sits outside the shell. Add an EVA insert and a shoulder strap to the same shell and the unit jumps past 5 CNY, while the quote still says accessories included.
Of the four, material is the easiest to understate.
2. From MOQ Tiers to Pallets and 40HQ Loads
Three tiers at 300, 800 and 2,000 units price at 22.9, 21.4 and 19.8, gaps of 6.5 and 7.5 percent. The difference is mould changes and setup: on a 300-unit run, setup alone spreads to 1.8 per unit.
| MOQ | Unit price | Tooling | Lead time | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | 22.9 | 6,800 one-off | 18 days | trial, samples |
| 800 | 21.4 | 3,400 spread | 22 days | first regional order |
| 2,000 | 19.8 | waived | 28 days | routine replenishment |
Mixed models are the second thing to write down on an empty plastic tool case wholesale order. Three models at 300 each is 900 units, and a supplier will not price it at the 800 tier, because three mould changes still take three setups. Quote model count and total units separately; past three models the price falls back a tier. Tooling follows: who pays the 6,800 and who owns the mould decides whether the repeat order pays again, so ask where the tool sits, whether it can be moved, and whether repeats are exempt.
Unit counts only mean something as pallets and loads. Twenty cartons to a pallet is 80 units, and a 40HQ takes 20 pallets for 1,600; the same order floor loaded fits 850 cartons, which is 3,400.
3. What Packing Volume Costs Per Unit
Four cases to a carton, 490×380×390 mm, 6.9 kg gross, 0.0727 m³. Empty cases are light and bulky, and the end freight is charged on rewrites the unit cost.
- Air and express bill 12.1 kg volumetric against 6.9 kg actual, 1.75 times, or 3.0 kg per unit.
- Sea freight bills volume: a 40HQ holds 68 m³, and with 8 percent lost to gaps it takes 850 cartons.
- Palletised, 20 cartons per pallet at 2.05 m high, the 40HQ count halves.
- A three-ply carton instead of five saves 0.3 per unit and crushes corners two high.
On an empty plastic tool case wholesale order, freight is usually quoted FOB or delivered. FOB looks cheaper because the ocean leg and destination charges stay with the buyer; a delivered price folds both in at about 1.2 per unit.
4. Accessories and Inspection: The Blank Lines
An empty plastic tool case wholesale quote covers the shell and stops there; the accessories behind it are what lift the unit cost.
- EVA insert: 3.5 per unit, quoted by pocket count.
- Shoulder strap: 2.8, two lugs included.
- Reinforced latch: 1.2 with a metal core.
- Screen print: 0.6 per colour per face, two colours minimum.
- Hinge set: 1.5 per pair with pin.
Carton printing and the certificate card are called free; a plate costs 180 and returns as a packing charge on small volumes.
Inspection runs AQL 2.5 on 80 units: wall, unit weight, hinge torque at 1.5 N·m, then 5,000 open-close cycles. Hardware goes to 48 hours of salt spray. A batch under 2.2 mm wall goes back, because 0.2 mm is invisible on one case and obvious across 2,000.
Conclusion
An empty plastic tool case wholesale unit cost is four lines plus a list of extras, never one number. Material follows shot weight, moulding follows cavities and cycle, tooling follows total units, packing follows volume and load plan; cost all four and the tiers have something to sit on. Put the four lines into the RFQ and the blank rows fill themselves in, which is how an empty plastic tool case wholesale order should be priced.
This article discusses only the container (case body) side of specifications and design intent, and does not cover any handling, loading or use of the contents.
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