Bottles, and Why Weight, Not Shape, Sets the Price

What Buyers Get Wrong

Choosing the Neck Before the Pump

The pump is usually already specified by the brand's filler. Send the closure first; the neck follows it, not the other way round.

Cutting Weight After the Sample

Two grams off the shoulder to save freight is enough to make a pump draw air. Re-test if the weight changes.

Assuming a Clear Bottle Is PETG

Clear PET and PETG look identical in a photo and differ 20–30 % in price. Ask which resin the quote uses.

What We Mould, and in Which Material

Bottles run from 50 ml to 750 ml in three materials. PET is clear and stiff, and takes a pump without flexing: the default for shampoo, hand soap and body wash where the product has to be seen. HDPE is opaque and it costs less per gram, and hides the fill level as the bottle empties, which is why value and professional lines use it. PETG sits between: clearer and thicker-walled than HDPE, and the usual choice for premium thick-wall cosmetic bottles.

The size is usually a market decision before it is a design one. 500 ml is the retail standard in the US and UK; 250-300 ml sells in Germany and the Nordics; 400 ml is common in Southeast Asia where shelf price points are lower.

The Neck Is the Specification That Matters

A 24/410 bottle does not take a 28/410 pump. If you already buy closures, send one and we test it on the bottle before quoting. If you are choosing both, 24/410 covers most lotion and soap lines, and 28/410 is for larger pumps on 500-750 ml bottles.

Wall thickness follows the pump: a full stroke pushes down on the shoulder, so a bottle under 0.55 mm can flex and draw air. We quote the wall with the mould, not after the sample.

Decoration, and What It Costs in MOQ

Silkscreen in one to four colours starts at 1,000 pcs and adds about five days. Labels are lower in unit cost for multi-colour artwork and allow short runs. Hot stamp and spray coat start at 3,000 pcs because both are set-up heavy. A stock bottle with a good silkscreen reads as bespoke at a fraction of the cost of a new mould.

Size Chart: What Fits Which Market

The table below is the short version of a conversation we have every week. Capacity decides the shelf price; the neck decides which pump fits; the material decides whether the product is visible.

50-100 ml, 18/410 or 20/410, PET: serum, toner and travel sets. 250 ml, 24/410, PET or HDPE: hand soap, sanitizer, lotion. 300 ml, 24/410: body lotion. 500 ml, 24/410 or 28/410: shampoo, body wash, hand soap in commercial sizes. 750 ml, 28/410, HDPE: family shampoo and pet shampoo. 100-200 ml, 24/410, HDPE: flat bottles for pocket and travel.

Two rules hold across the range. A pump needs at least 0.55 mm of wall at the shoulder, and a 28/410 neck adds roughly 4 mm of diameter, which changes the cap and the carton. If you are moving a product from 250 ml to 300 ml, the neck can stay the same and only the mould changes.

How the Quote Is Built

Unit price depends on four things: bottle weight in grams, colour (stock, custom, or masterbatch), decoration, and packing density. A custom Pantone adds a colour changeover; a silkscreen adds a plate; a heavier carton adds freight. We quote all four so the number you compare is the number you receive.

Applications for This Range

• Distributors stocking three to five SKUs for the same market
• Brands launching a first range at 1,000–5,000 pcs per colour
• Contract fillers who need closures fitted and tested before the line
• Private-label programmes that change colour every season
• Export orders that need packing data before the freight quote

The Guides Behind These Decisions