What sets a supplement’s minimum order quantity
A minimum order is not a number a factory picks to keep small customers away. It is set by two physical costs: what it takes to switch a line from one product to the next, and how much material is used up before the first saleable unit comes off it. That is why a ready-made formula can start at 100 units while a standard run is 500 bottles, why powders are counted in kilograms, and why a softgel minimum is higher than a capsule one. This page explains the mechanics; the figures themselves are on the minimum order page.
Standard run, first run, custom formula
Most confusion about MOQ comes from mixing three numbers that describe three different situations. We use the same three terms on every page of this site.
Standard minimum order
500 bottles per product for capsules and tablets, 500 pcs for a ready-made softgel, 300 kg of finished blend for powders, sachets and sports nutrition, 100 L for syrups, 20 L for vitamin oils. Effervescent tablets are quoted by tube count with a low minimum order. This is the run the price list is built on.
Selected first run
From 100 units for a ready-made formula in a stock pack. It is not a second price tier: it is possible because the formula already exists in the production schedule and no development, trial or new documentation has to be paid for. Which formulas and packs qualify depends on the raw materials and the packaging on hand, so it is confirmed per enquiry.
Custom formula
A formula developed to your specification starts at the standard run — 500 bottles for capsules and tablets, 300 kg for powders. A custom softgel is different: the shell is formed around the fill with shape-specific tooling, and the minimum is quoted from 1,000,000 capsules. The difference is the first-run cost of a product the line has never made.
Why the minimum is counted in a different unit for every format
The unit is whatever the equipment actually measures at the point where the cost is incurred.
- Bottles for capsules and tablets. They are dosed, counted and packed one unit at a time, and the bottle is the last thing the line touches before dispatch. 500 bottles of 60 capsules is 30,000 capsules; 500 bottles of 120 is 60,000. The bottle count is the minimum, the capsule count follows from the pack you choose.
- Kilograms for powders, sachets and sports nutrition. A blend is made as one batch in a mixer before it is divided into anything. The mixer does not know whether 300 kg will become 900 g jars or 12 g sachets, so the minimum is set on the blend, not on the pack.
- Litres for syrups and oils. Same logic: the batch is mixed as a liquid, then bottled. 20 litres of vitamin oil is the batch; how many 30 ml bottles it fills is a packing decision.
- Tubes for effervescent tablets. The tablet is pressed and goes straight into a tube of 20 with a desiccant cap, so the tube is the unit and the quote is per tube count.
What 300 kg of blend becomes on the shelf
A quote in kilograms cannot be compared with a quote in packs until you divide by the serving. These are the three most common cases.
The serving size is set per formula and printed on the label; the pack sizes are the stock ones we fill without a custom component. Other sizes are possible and change the arithmetic, not the minimum.
| Product | Serving | Servings in 300 kg | Finished packs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whey or plant protein | 30 g | 10,000 | about 330 jars of 900 g, or 660 bags of 450 g |
| Pre-workout | 12 g | 25,000 | about 1,000 jars of 300 g, or 25,000 single-serve sachets |
| Collagen or creatine | 10 g | 30,000 | about 1,000 jars of 300 g, or 30,000 sachets |
| Capsules, for comparison | 2 capsules | 500 bottles of 60 capsules is 30,000 capsules, or 15,000 daily servings | |
Rounded. The exact count depends on the fill weight the label declares and on how much the blend loses in the filler, which is why the specification gives the figure for your product.
What happens between two products, and why it costs the same for 100 units as for 10,000
A changeover is everything a line goes through between the last unit of one product and the first saleable unit of the next: washing down so no trace of the previous formula carries over, fitting the parts specific to the new product’s shape or dose, and checking and approving the first units before the line is trusted to run.
None of it depends on the size of the order that follows. Washing a line takes the same time whether the next run is 100 units or 100,000. That fixed cost is divided across whatever comes out the other side, which is the whole reason a small order costs more per unit than a large one: a 500-unit run spreads the changeover across five times fewer units than a 2,500-unit run. The difference shows up in the price per bottle, not hidden in a fee.
Modern equipment changes over faster than the lines many European plants still run, and a faster changeover is what makes a few hundred units worth scheduling at all. That is the engineering reason behind the 100-unit first run, and the reason it is offered on ready-made formulas first: they need the least setting up.
How packaging moves the minimum
Stock packaging keeps it at the floor
Stock PET bottles in seven sizes, stock tubes, stock jars and bags are held at the plant in quantities that a 100-unit run can draw on. A first run is only possible in stock packaging with a printed label.
Custom components carry their own minimum
A printed carton, a custom colour, a bespoke closure or a special jar is ordered from a packaging supplier with its own minimum, usually in the thousands. That minimum lands on top of ours, so a custom pack can raise the smallest possible order even when the formula is ready-made.
Every flavour and size is its own minimum
The minimum is per product, not per order. Three flavours of the same protein are three blends, three runs and three minimums; two bottle sizes of the same capsule are two packing runs. This is the question to ask any manufacturer you compare us with.
Why a softgel minimum is higher than a capsule one
A capsule shell exists before the filler touches it; a tablet punch is a standard part that swaps in minutes. A softgel is formed and sealed around its liquid fill in one step, with a die that defines its exact shape and size.
Switching that shape-specific tooling is a bigger job than resetting a dose, and the run has to absorb it. That is why a ready-made softgel starts at 500 pcs like other formats, but a custom softgel shape is quoted from a million capsules rather than from a few hundred bottles.
Where the 4 to 8 weeks start
Production takes 4 to 8 weeks from the moment the formula and the packaging artwork are both approved, not from the first email.
Everything before that point, choosing a formula, adjusting it, designing and checking the label, is preparation that varies by brand. A bigger order does not shorten the window: a larger batch runs on the same line for roughly the same number of weeks. What it changes is the unit price, which is why we quote your quantity and the next size up in the same reply. We reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday.
About how minimums are set
What is the actual minimum order quantity for supplements in Europe?
It depends on the format and on whether the formula is ready-made or custom. At PharmaEurope the standard minimum order is 500 bottles per product for capsules and tablets, 300 kg of finished blend for powders, sachets and sports nutrition, 100 L for syrups and 20 L for vitamin oils; effervescent tablets are quoted by tube count with a low minimum. Selected ready-made formulas in stock packaging qualify for a first run from 100 units.
Why does a small order cost more per unit than a large one?
Because the changeover between products, washing the line, fitting product-specific parts and approving the first units, costs the same regardless of the order that follows. That fixed cost is divided across the units produced, so a 100-unit run carries it across far fewer bottles than a 5,000-unit run. The price per unit falls as the run grows; nothing is hidden in a separate fee.
Is 100 units the minimum order?
No. 100 units is a first run on selected ready-made formulas in stock packaging; the standard minimum order is 500 bottles per product. We say both on every page because a brand that reads only the smaller number plans its launch on an exception, and a brand that reads only the larger one never asks.
Why are powders quoted in kilograms and not in jars?
Because the blend is made as one batch in a mixer before it is divided into any container, and the mixer is where the minimum applies. 300 kg of a 30 g protein is about 10,000 servings: roughly 330 jars of 900 g, or 660 bags of 450 g, or a mix. The pack is decided after the blend exists, so a quote in jars would have to assume a pack size you may not have chosen yet.
Does the minimum apply per product or per order?
Per product. Each flavour, strength or pack size is its own blend or its own packing run, with its own minimum. Three flavours of one protein are three products; ordering them together does not merge the minimums, though it can improve the price of the shared raw materials.
Does custom packaging change the minimum?
Often, yes. Stock bottles, tubes, jars and bags are held at the plant and support a small run. A printed carton, a special jar or a custom closure is ordered from a packaging supplier with its own minimum, typically thousands of units, and that minimum sits on top of ours. If the first run has to be small, keep the packaging stock and put the brand on the label.
Why is a ready-made formula cheaper to start with than a custom one?
A ready-made formula is already in the production schedule, with its raw materials, its documentation and its stability data in place, so there is no development or first-run testing to pay for. That is what makes 100 units possible. A custom formula is new to the line: it has to be formulated, trialled and documented before the first batch, and that cost is real however small the order is, which is why it starts at the standard run.
How long from approving the formula to receiving the product?
4 to 8 weeks, counted from the day both the formula and the packaging artwork are approved. Formula selection, adjustments and label design happen before that and vary by brand. A larger order does not shorten the window; it lowers the unit price.
Get a quote for your quantity
Tell us the format, the active, the dose and how many units you need for the first run. You will get a price for that quantity and for a larger one, so you can see where the unit cost goes.