Lip gloss packaging · Cost calculator

Lip Gloss Tubes Capacity & Custom Cost Calculator

Work out what a custom lip gloss tube order should cost before you ask for a quotation. Pick the tube material, set your fill capacity in millilitres and enter your order quantity to get an instant FOB unit price range, total order value and a realistic production schedule.

Stock moulds from 3,000 pcs
Samples in 5–7 days
Prices FOB China, USD

Your specification

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Tube material

PETG Clear, tough · 3,000 MOQ Acrylic Heavy, premium · 5,000 Glass Luxury feel · 10,000

Fill capacity Standard stock sizes run 3–20 ml

Order quantity

pcs

Nothing is submitted — the estimate is calculated in your browser.

Estimated FOB unit price

$0.00 – $0.00 / pc

PETG · 8 ml · 10,000 pcs

Order value, goods only —

Total incl. tooling —

Production schedule —

Sample lead time—

Mass production—

Total to delivery—

Qty	Unit price	Order value

Lip gloss tube sizes and what they cost

Capacity is not a free choice — it is fixed by the mould. These are the stock sizes that ship without a tooling investment, with the PETG unit price you should expect at 10,000 pcs.

Capacity	Typical Ø	Typical height	Best for	PETG @ 10k	Stock MOQ
3 ml	16 mm	62 mm	Samples, travel sets, GWP	$0.13 – $0.22	3,000
5 ml	18 mm	72 mm	Trial size, subscription boxes	$0.17 – $0.29	3,000
6 ml	19 mm	78 mm	Volume seller, drugstore	$0.19 – $0.32	3,000
8 ml	20 mm	85 mm	Core retail SKU	$0.22 – $0.38	3,000
10 ml	22 mm	92 mm	Core retail SKU	$0.25 – $0.42	3,000
12 ml	23 mm	98 mm	Value size, sets	$0.28 – $0.47	5,000
15 ml	25 mm	105 mm	Lip oil, gloss + oil hybrid	$0.31 – $0.53	5,000
20 ml	28 mm	115 mm	Lip oil, body gloss	$0.36 – $0.62	5,000

How this estimate is built

A lip gloss tube is quoted as a set of three parts — tube, cap and applicator — then adjusted for capacity, quantity, decoration and tooling. The calculator follows that same order.

Capacity factor Wall area grows slower than volume, so price scales at roughly the 0.55 power of capacity. Going from 5 ml to 10 ml adds about 46%, not 100%. × (ml ÷ 5)^0.55

Quantity factor Moulding set-up, printing plates and packing labour spread across the run. Between 3,000 and 100,000 pcs the unit price typically falls 25–30%. × (pcs ÷ 10,000)^−0.10

Tooling A stock tube needs no mould spend. A bespoke diameter or a custom cap shape adds a one-off tooling fee, shown as a separate line so it does not distort the unit price. $220 / $380 / $520

Schedule Sampling runs 5–7 days, then mass production. Runs above 30,000 pcs add 3–10 days because the line needs scheduled slots. Sample + production

What is actually included in the unit price

The quoted price covers the tube, cap and doe-foot applicator assembled and packed in bulk. That is the standard FOB configuration. A silicone applicator instead of the usual flocked doe-foot adds roughly $0.02–$0.05 per piece, and a metal-tip applicator adds more because it is a separate component with its own minimum order.

Decoration changes the number more than capacity does

Moving from 8 ml to 10 ml moves the unit price by a few cents. Adding decoration moves it by tens of cents, or by thousands of dollars in plates and set-up:

One-colour silkscreen: about $0.02–$0.04 per piece, low set-up
Hot stamping in gold or silver: about $0.05–$0.09 per piece plus a metal die
Soft-touch or matte spray coating: about $0.06–$0.12 per piece, and it usually pushes MOQ to 10,000
Full-wrap label: cheapest, no tooling, but it looks like a label rather than a printed tube

Where the estimate intentionally stays conservative

The range is deliberately wide (±26%) because the same 8 ml tube can be quoted at very different prices depending on cap weight, applicator type, decoration and how busy the factory is. Treat the low end as what a plain stock tube costs and the high end as a decorated, heavier-wall version.

Lip gloss tube pricing questions

What is a realistic MOQ for custom lip gloss tubes?

3,000 pcs for a stock PETG tube with your print, 5,000 for acrylic and 10,000 for glass. Below those numbers factories either charge for the full MOQ or add a 15–30% small-lot surcharge, because set-up and packing labour are fixed costs.

Why does the unit price drop so much between 3,000 and 30,000 pcs?

Because a large share of the cost is set-up, not material. Moulding start-up, print plates, colour matching and packing labour are paid once per run, so spreading them over ten times the quantity removes roughly a fifth of the unit price. Material cost per piece barely moves.

Is the doe-foot applicator included?

Yes. The three-part set — tube, cap and flocked doe-foot applicator — is the standard configuration and is what the calculator prices. Silicone, metal-tip or curved applicators are separate components with their own MOQ and add roughly $0.02–$0.08 per piece.

How much does printing or hot stamping add?

One-colour silkscreen adds about $0.02–$0.04 per piece. Hot stamping adds $0.05–$0.09 plus a metal die. A soft-touch coating adds $0.06–$0.12 and usually raises the MOQ to 10,000 pcs. Add these to the range shown above if your tube is decorated.

PETG, acrylic or glass — which should I choose?

PETG is the default: clear, shatter-resistant, cheap, and available from 3,000 pcs. Acrylic gives a heavier, glass-like wall that photographs better for premium colour cosmetics, at roughly 2.4× the PETG price. Glass is for fragrance-adjacent or clean-beauty positioning, but it means 10,000 pcs minimum and higher freight because of the weight.

How long does sampling and production actually take?

Stock tube with your print: 5–7 days for the sample, then 18–22 days production for PETG. Acrylic runs 22–28 days, glass 28–35. Add 3–10 days above 30,000 pcs, and add 2–3 weeks if the tube itself is a new mould.

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