Sample comparison

Three box quotes, one comparable basis.

Three fictional suppliers quoted the same shipping box: one as a PDF, one as a spreadsheet, one in an email. Switch between 10,000 and 20,000 boxes, open any source chip to see where a value came from, and download the result as CSV.

Request: PR-1042: Shipping box — first order
Item: Printed corrugated shipping box
Inner dimensions: 300 × 200 × 150 mm
Board: Kraft, B-flute
Print: 1 colour
Delivery: Sample delivery point (same for all quotes)
Terms: First order · USD · excluding tax and duties

Purchase request PR-1042: Shipping box — first order

300 × 200 × 150 mm · Kraft, B-flute · 1 colour · First order · USD · excluding tax and duties

Boxes needed

10,000 20,000

Illustrative example — fictional supplier quotes

At 10,000 boxes, Supplier B has the lowest comparable quoted total: $4,670.00, $80.00 below Supplier A.
Supplier C is not ranked: E-flute instead of the requested B-flute and freight is not quoted.
Supplier C's minimum order of 20,000 boxes means buying 10,000 more than needed.

Three fictional box quotes compared at 10,000 boxes
Price and quantity
All amounts USD	Supplier A PDF · supplier-a-quote.pdf +$80.00 vs lowest	Supplier B XLSX · supplier-b-quote.xlsx Lowest comparable total	Supplier C Email · Re: Box quote — 300x200x150 Not ranked
Quoted price	$0.420 / box Per box, as quoted	$455 / 1,000 boxes Basis kept from the quote	$0.395 / box Per box, as quoted
Per-box price	$0.420 As quoted	$0.455 Calculated: $455 ÷ 1,000	$0.395 As quoted
Price applies to	10,000–25,000 boxes Covers this order	10,000–30,000 boxes Covers this order	20,000–40,000 boxes Covers this order
Minimum order	10,000 boxes	10,000 boxes	20,000 boxes
Pack multiple	Bundles of 25	Bundles of 20	Bundles of 50
Order quantity	10,000 boxes Matches requirement	10,000 boxes Matches requirement	20,000 boxes 10,000 more than needed (minimum order)
Cost at this quantity
Boxes	$4,200.00 10,000 × $0.420	$4,550.00 10,000 × $0.455	$7,900.00 20,000 × $0.395
First-order setup	$300.00	$120.00	$500.00
Freight	$250.00	Included $0 extra	Not quoted Not in the source document
Order total	$4,750.00 $80.00 above lowest	$4,670.00 Lowest comparable quoted total	$8,400.00 + unquoted freight Known subtotal only · not ranked
Effective cost per box	$0.4750 Total ÷ 10,000	$0.4670 Total ÷ 10,000	— Needs a complete, comparable total
Specification
Inner dimensions Requested 300 × 200 × 150 mm	300 × 200 × 150 mm Matches request	300 × 200 × 150 mm Matches request	300 × 200 × 150 mm Matches request
Board Requested Kraft, B-flute	Kraft, B-flute Matches request	Kraft, B-flute Matches request	Kraft, E-flute Spec mismatch: requested B-flute
Print Requested 1 colour	1 colour Matches request	1 colour Matches request	1 colour Matches request
Delivery
Lead time	21 calendar days From artwork approval	18 calendar days From order confirmation	14 calendar days From proof sign-off

Totals are calculated by code with exact decimal arithmetic. Supplier quality, payment risk and capacity are not evaluated in this sample.

How these numbers are calculated

Arithmetic done by code, in the open.

The same rules apply to every quote. A total is shown only when every cost is known and the quote matches the requested specification.

order quantity  = ceil(max(needed, MOQ) ÷ pack multiple) × pack multiple
goods cost      = quoted price ÷ price basis × order quantity
order total     = goods cost + setup + freight   (only if all are known)
cost per box    = order total ÷ order quantity   (complete, comparable quotes)

Supplier B's price per 1,000 boxes is kept as quoted and converted to $0.455 per box.
Supplier C's 20,000-box minimum raises the order to 20,000 when 10,000 are needed.
Supplier C doesn't mention freight, so its total is a known subtotal plus unquoted freight.
Supplier C quotes E-flute against a B-flute request, so it is flagged and not ranked.
Prices are used only inside the quantity range each supplier stated.

Not evaluated in this sample: supplier quality history, payment risk and capacity. The decision stays with the buyer. The raw sample data is available as JSON.

Source documents

The three fictional quotes behind the comparison.

Every value in the table above points to a line, cell or paragraph in one of these.

Supplier A

PDF · supplier-a-quote.pdf

Page 1

1 SUPPLIER A — QUOTATION Q-2291

2 Date: 2 October 2026 · Valid for 30 days

3 Item: Shipping box, inner dimensions 300 x 200 x 150 mm

4 Board: Kraft, B-flute, single wall

5 Print: 1 colour, one side

6 Unit price: USD 0.420 per box

7 Price valid for order quantities of 10,000 – 25,000 boxes

8 Minimum order quantity: 10,000 boxes

9 Packed in bundles of 25 boxes; orders in full bundles only

10 One-time setup (print plate and cutting die): USD 300.00

11 Freight to delivery point: USD 250.00

12 Lead time: 21 calendar days from artwork approval

13 Prices exclude taxes and duties.

Supplier B

Spreadsheet · supplier-b-quote.xlsx

Sheet: Quote

Row	A	B
1	Supplier B — Price quotation
2	Reference	SB-0417
3	Item	Shipping box, internal 300x200x150 mm
4	Board	Kraft B-flute
5	Print	1 colour
6
7	Price per 1,000 boxes (USD)	455
8	Price applies to	10,000–30,000 boxes
9	MOQ (boxes)	10,000
10	Bundle size (boxes)	20
11	First-order setup (USD)	120.00
12	Freight to delivery point	Included
13	Lead time	18 calendar days from order confirmation
14	Excludes	Taxes and duties

Supplier C

Email · Re: Box quote — 300x200x150

From: Sales, Supplier C <sales@supplier-c.example>
To: Purchasing <purchasing@buyer.example>
Subject: Re: Box quote — 300x200x150
Date: 3 October 2026

Hi, thanks for sending the drawing.

We can do $0.395/box with a 20,000 pcs minimum. That price holds for 20,000–40,000 pcs.

Board would be E-flute kraft, 1-colour print, same inside dimensions 300x200x150 mm.

Plate + die setup is $500 one-time. We pack 50 per bundle.

Lead time is 14 calendar days after proof sign-off.

Let me know and I'll send the formal PI.

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