The numbers most manufacturers make you ask for.
Most manufacturers keep minimum quantities off their website so that every enquiry becomes a conversation. We would rather you knew before you wrote, decided whether it fits, and spent the conversation on something useful instead.
This is the detail that changes the arithmetic. A launch of three products at the minimum for each carries a lower commitment per product than the same total volume concentrated in one. It is why we recommend most new brands start with two or three SKUs rather than one — you cover more of the shelf and you tie up less capital in slow-moving stock.
A SKU is one product in one packaging size. 5W/30 in 4 L and 5W/30 in 1 L are two SKUs, not one.
| Category | Packaging | Minimum / SKU |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger car engine oils | 1 L · 4 L · 5 L bottles | On request |
| Heavy-duty diesel oils | 20 L · 208 L drum | On request |
| Gear oils & ATF | 1 L · 4 L bottles | On request |
| Motorcycle oils | 1 L bottles | On request |
| Hydraulic & industrial oils | 20 L · drum · IBC | On request |
| Greases | 1 / 4 / 15 kg tubs | On request |
| Coolants | 1 L bottles · drum | On request |
| Brake fluids | 500 cc bottles | On request |
| Bulk & unlabelled | IBC · road tanker | On request |
| Stage | Duration |
|---|---|
| Enquiry to quotation | 1–2 working days |
| Formulation & sampling | On request |
| Artwork & proofing | On request |
| Production, existing formulation | On request |
| Production, new formulation | On request |
| Conformity certification, where required | On request |
These are the stages we control. Your sample evaluation and, in markets operating pre-shipment conformity schemes, the certification process are frequently longer than production itself — and neither is in our hands. We build both into the schedule we commit to at order confirmation.
Additive packages arrive in fixed lot sizes and cannot be split indefinitely. This is the binding constraint on almost every minimum listed above, and it is why an unusual specification carries a higher minimum than a standard one — a widely used package is already in stock, a specialist one has to be brought in whole.
Printed labels have their own minimum run, and printing three thousand labels for a two thousand bottle order means paying for five thousand. Bottles, caps and cartons follow the same logic. This is also why an industrial product in plain drums has a lower entry point than a retail product in printed bottles.
Tank capacity sets a practical floor on a production run. Below it, cleaning and changeover time cost more than the batch is worth — which is a cost that would end up in your unit price anyway.
Say so. There are three routes and we would rather discuss them than lose the enquiry:
Launch one product in one bottle size rather than three sizes of the same oil. Add the others once it moves.
Industrial products in unprinted drums with a simple label carry a much lower entry point than retail bottles. Several of our customers built their brand this way and moved to printed retail packaging in year two.
Simpler packaging, smaller batches, and a genuine product on the shelf carrying your name while you build toward the oil range.
Unit price does. The minimum itself is set by additive lots and label runs rather than by negotiation, so it stays roughly where it is — but a customer ordering six times a year is quoted differently from one ordering once.
Yes, and most customers do. Each SKU still has to meet its own minimum, but the shipment is consolidated. A 20' container of one product is rare; a 20' container of six is normal.
We will usually still quote it, with the setup cost visible rather than hidden. Sometimes it makes sense — a market test worth paying a premium for. Sometimes it does not, and we will tell you which one we think it is.
Not as standard. If you commit to a call-off schedule we will discuss holding finished stock or blended bulk against it, which shortens your reorder lead time considerably.
We will confirm exact minimums for your specific SKUs, usually within one working day.
