Reference · Commercial terms
MOQ and Lead-Time Table
Four volumes a buyer actually places, with what each one changes about tooling, sequencing and territory.
How do MOQ and lead time change between a first run and a repeat order?
Read them as four numbers, not two: a 300-unit first order, a 200-unit reorder, a 25–35 day production window after sample approval, and a 3–5 day sample turnaround. Custom samples take 7–15 days and a new mould 45–60 days, so the critical path is set by whichever of those your programme needs. Ask for three quantity bands in one quotation so the unit-price step is visible. The reasoning is in the MOQ guide and the lead-time guide.
Lead time is not a single number; it is a sum of decisions. Whether you need a new tool, whether artwork is approved, and whether the order has to be sequenced around peak season all move the date. The table below takes four real volumes and sets out what changes at each — including lead time by order volume, which is the figure most quotations leave out — using the terms we sign.
Four volumes, one shape
What changes with order volume
| Volume | Tooling | Indicative sequence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 units — wholesale minimum | None; existing tooling | Samples 3–5 days, then production 25–35 days | Minimum may be mixed across models |
| 200 units — reorder minimum | None | Shorter scheduling window than a first order | Applies to repeat models already in your range |
| 500 units — first private label run | Existing tooling, new artwork | OEM lead time 15–25 days after sample approval | Logo, colour and retail box all changeable |
| 3,000+ units a year | Buyer-commissioned tooling available | New mould 45–60 days to first article | This is the threshold at which catalogue exclusivity is discussed |
What a label MOQ adds, and what it does not
Buyers ask for the label MOQ and the lead times in the same breath, and the two answers are shaped differently. A logo on a stock model does not create a second minimum: the 300-unit order minimum is unchanged, and it is still reached by mixing models in one order rather than per model. What changes is the route — a labelled stock unit goes on the custom-sample path at 7–15 days instead of the 3–5 days an unlabelled sample takes, and the production window opens on the day the artwork is approved rather than on the day the purchase order is signed.
The item that does carry its own floor is the printed retail box. A print run is priced in sheets and passes, not in units, so on a small order the packaging minimum arrives before the unit minimum does and is the number that actually decides whether a first labelled run is economic. That is the part of a label MOQ worth asking about: not whether 300 still applies — it does — but what the smallest printed box is, and whether a stock carton with a printed label gets you to market while the box is being decided.
Lead times, in the order they are actually consumed: artwork and approval first, then sample, then the production window, then freight. Only the middle two appear in a quotation, which is why a labelled order so often ships later than the sum of the numbers promised. The packaging minimum is worked through on its own page, and where the weeks go takes the same sequence apart day by day.
Custom tooling adds a stage
For a custom tool rather than an existing one, add the first-article stage: 45–60 days from design freeze to a physical part you can hold, and only then does the production clock start. The OEM timeline is drawn out step by step on the private-label page.
The lot-size problem behind the table
The tension in every row of this table is the classical lot-size problem: a larger batch lowers the unit cost of set-up and raises the cost of carrying what does not sell [Silver, Pyke & Peterson, 1998]. The tiers below are that trade-off priced at four volumes rather than argued in the abstract.
References
- Christopher, M. (2016). Logistics & Supply Chain Management, 5th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education.
- Silver, E. A., Pyke, D. F. & Peterson, R. (1998). Inventory Management and Production Planning and Scheduling, 3rd ed. New York: Wiley.
- Fisher, R., Ury, W. & Patton, B. (2011). Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, 3rd ed. New York: Penguin Books.
Questions on this reference
Why does the wholesale MOQ not move when my reorder volume grows?
Because the wholesale MOQ is set by the batch, not by your history. The machine run, the material minimum and the packaging print run are fixed costs, and a larger reorder volume spreads them rather than removing them. What a bigger reorder volume changes is the unit price and, above a tier, whether exclusivity is available at all.
Can the minimum be mixed across models?
Yes. Wholesale minimum of 300 units may be spread across the catalogue, which is the practical way to test several models in one order.
What is the fastest realistic turnaround?
Samples dispatch in 3–5 business days. For production on an existing tool with artwork already approved, 15–25 days is the realistic band; a new mould adds 45–60 days to first article before production starts.
Why does freight grow faster than production?
Because consolidation does. Production scales with units on a line; freight scales with volume, mode and how many suppliers are being consolidated into one booking — so the last week of a large order costs more calendar than the first.
Can I mix models to reach the wholesale minimum?
Yes, all 25 models can be mixed within one order. It is the cheapest way to test several shapes of demand at one quantity, and it is usually better than committing the whole first order to one SKU.
Next: how a first order is split across models — or where the days in a lead time go.
The arithmetic is the easy part; the assumption underneath it is not. The MOQ guide explains what the minimum covers, the wholesale terms are the figures it is calculated from, and the production timeline is where the weeks between deposit and shipment actually go.
Putting this reference to work
This page is the data. The four sections below are where it changes a decision: the terms it is quoted alongside, the guide that explains the reasoning, and the models the figures apply to.