What is the minimum order for a colour change in small batch case customization?

Answer: 500 units for house colours, 1000 for light tones; below that, spraying or wrapping starts at 50 to 100.

Is Delta E 2.0 a strict ceiling?

Answer: Routine for darks, tight but fair for light grey. Measure with one instrument under D65.

Who pays for the foam cutting die?

Answer: The buyer, who then owns it, when volumes are small. A single-source relationship can share the 2400 CNY if ownership is written down.

Does split delivery cost more?

Answer: Yes, 4 to 6 percent plus storage beyond 60 free days. It buys down cash exposure, which suits trial orders.

Which term should be settled first?

Answer: Foam, which has the widest room to trade: fix thickness and tolerance, then use colour and delivery to move price.

Small Batch Case Customization: Three Terms to Nail Down

Quick answer: Small batch case customization is negotiated on three checklists, not one price: colour, foam and delivery. Each needs a number that can be tested at goods-in, a signed chip with a Delta E ceiling, a foam stack with tolerances, and a batch schedule with a tail rule.

Three Terms Behind Every Small Batch Case Customization Quote
Colour: Sample, Delta E and the Real Minimum
Foam: Layers, Dies and Tolerances
Split Delivery: Batches, Balance and Storage
Putting the Terms Into Contract Annexes
FAQ

1. Three Terms Behind Every Small Batch Case Customization Quote

The usual mistake is one sentence carrying everything: colour, foam and three shipping lots. The supplier hears fog and answers with a blended price.

Split it instead. On a 900 unit order the gap between one shipment and three is about 12,000 CNY.

Term	Numbers to fix	Never concede
Colour	Chip, Delta E ceiling, sample rounds	How Delta E is measured
Foam	Density, layer thickness, tolerance	Die ownership
Delivery	Batch ratio, minimum per batch, tail	Tail settlement deadline

2. Colour: Sample, Delta E and the Real Minimum

Start with a number, not an adjective. Charcoal, olive and khaki give three results at three factories, so sign a Pantone reference or a 50 mm chip and let that chip settle later arguments.

Sampling takes seven days for round one, three cases each, colour fixed inside two rounds. Acceptance runs on a spectrophotometer: Delta E up to 2.0 passes, 2.0 to 3.0 is a concession, above 3.0 returns the batch.

Then the minimum. In small batch case customization a colour change starts at 500 units, light tones at 1000, because a purge costs 18 shots of scrap and tinting takes half a shift.

Colour route	Delta E	Minimum	Sampling
Moulded house colour	2.0	500 units	7 days
Moulded light tone	2.0	1000 units	10 days
Sprayed or wrapped	1.0 or 0.5	50 to 100 units	4 to 5 days

3. Foam: Layers, Dies and Tolerances

In small batch case customization, foam starts with the stack. At 120 mm internal depth the common build is 30 mm slotted face, 30 mm cushion and a 10 mm base, 70 mm total, leaving 50 mm for finger access. Write layer count and total thickness, or quotes cannot be compared.

The die: 2400 CNY, five days of lead time, paid and owned by the buyer, revision at 600 CNY. Tolerance closes the list, with slots to plus or minus 1.5 mm and a wall gap under 2 mm, which hand assembly will loosen, so small batch case customization must pin it at sample stage.

Foam parameter	Target	Typical dispute
Total thickness	70 mm	Layer count written, thickness not
Density	30 kg per cubic metre	Soft or firm used instead
Slot tolerance	Plus or minus 1.5 mm	Jig at sample, hands in production

4. Split Delivery: Batches, Balance and Storage

In small batch case customization, split delivery changes scheduling, not shipping. A 900 unit order runs 40, 40 and 20 percent, so 360, 360 and 180, first lot out on day 22, then 15 days apart, at 4 to 6 percent added cost.

Every batch needs a floor: below 150 units setup cannot be spread. The tail is the clause most often missing. A shortfall within 3 percent counts as complete, anything beyond is charged at 1.5 times unit price, and an overrun within 3 percent is bought at the same price.

Batch	Share	Units of 900	Ship date	Risk
First	40%	360	Day 22	Chip approval drags
Second	40%	360	Day 37	Pigment lot drift
Third	20%	180	Day 52	Under the 150 floor

5. Putting the Terms Into Contract Annexes

Three checklists become three annexes: the signed chip, the foam drawing with tolerances, and the schedule with the tail rule.

Payment ties the annexes shut: 30 percent deposit, 60 before shipment, 10 after acceptance. In small batch case customization that last tenth gives the annexes their weight.

Conclusion

Colour, foam and split delivery are three versions of one task: turning vague requests into numbers that can be checked at goods-in. A signed chip, a foam stack with tolerances and a schedule with a tail rule give every quote a common basis. Price is the result of those three. Bring the checklists to the next enquiry and small batch case customization stops being a negotiation by feel.

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.