A label quotation looks simple — a rate, a quantity, a total. But two quotes for what seems like "the same label" can differ by 40%, and the gap is almost never generosity. It's specification.
This guide walks through every line you'll see on a quote, what it means, and what to ask when it's missing. Read it once and you'll never compare two quotes badly again.
What a complete quotation contains
Before anything else, check the quote actually specifies what you're buying. A rate without a specification is not a quote — it's a number. A complete label quotation names all of the following:
- Material and quality — woven (damask/taffeta), satin, cotton, or printed; plus thread quality
- Finished size — width × height of the label as it will arrive
- Number of colours — how many thread or ink colours appear in the design
- Fold type — straight-cut, end-fold, centre-fold, loop or mitre
- Quantity and rate — and clearly on what unit basis
- One-time charges — setup, loom, screen or die
- Sampling — cost, and whether it's adjustable against bulk
- GST and HSN — and whether the rate is inclusive or exclusive
- Lead time and validity — when it ships, how long the price holds
Every missing line is a future charge. A quote that omits setup cost, sampling or GST isn't cheaper — it's incomplete. Ask for the missing lines in writing before you compare.
The four things that actually drive price
Label pricing isn't one number with add-ons. Four variables move the rate independently — change any one and the price changes:
This matters when comparing quotes. If Supplier A quotes a 5cm label in 4 colours with an end-fold, and Supplier B quotes 4.5cm in 3 colours straight-cut, B will be cheaper — and you are not looking at the same product. Line the specifications up first. You can model these variables yourself on our price calculator.
Per piece or per 1000?
Labels are quoted per 1000 as often as per piece, because per-piece rates land in fractions of a rupee and read awkwardly. Neither basis is more honest — but mixing them up is the single most common comparison error.
Convert both quotes to the same basis before you look at the numbers. Then add the one-time charges divided across your actual order quantity. That figure — landed cost per label — is the only number worth comparing.
Setup, loom and die charges
A setup charge covers the one-time work of getting your design onto the machine: setting up the loom for a woven label, or making screens and plates for a printed one. Key points:
- It's charged once per design, not per piece
- It's the main reason small orders cost more per label
- On an unchanged repeat order it's usually reduced or waived — ask
- Change the artwork, even slightly, and it typically applies again
This is also why splitting one design across two suppliers rarely saves money: you pay setup twice.
Where sampling sits
A sample needs the same loom or screen setup as a full run but yields a handful of pieces, so it's often charged separately. What to establish:
- Is the sampling fee adjustable against the bulk order once confirmed?
- Do you get a physical sample before bulk production, not just a digital mock-up?
- How many revisions are included before it's charged again?
Never approve bulk from a screen image alone. Colour on a monitor is not colour in thread. A physical sample is the only reliable approval — and a supplier unwilling to send one before bulk is telling you something.
GST, HSN and the inclusive/exclusive trap
Clothing labels are textile articles and carry GST on the invoice value. Your quote should state the HSN code and, critically, whether the rate is inclusive or exclusive of GST.
This one line causes more bad comparisons than any other. One supplier quotes exclusive, another inclusive, and the "cheaper" quote turns out to be the dearer one once tax lands. Always confirm the basis in writing, and make sure you're comparing like with like.
Packing, freight and lead time
Ask how the labels arrive — loose in packs, strung in bundles, or roll-form — and who pays freight. For a large order, freight is a real line item, not a rounding error. And confirm the lead time is quoted from artwork approval, not from the date of enquiry; those can be a fortnight apart. Our guide to label lead times covers what's realistic.
Validity and price revision
Most label quotations hold for 15–30 days, because yarn and base-fabric prices move. A quote with no stated validity is worth clarifying — if you're planning a run months out, ask what would trigger a revision so there's no surprise at PO stage.
Reading a good quote against a vague one
- Material, size, colours and fold all stated
- Setup and sampling shown as separate lines
- GST basis and HSN code named
- Lead time from artwork approval
- Validity period stated
- Physical sample offered before bulk
- A rate with no specification attached
- No mention of setup or sampling
- Silence on GST
- No size or colour count
- No lead time or validity
- No sample before bulk
A four-step comparison worksheet
Same material, size, colour count and fold across every quote.
Convert all rates to per-piece, or all to per-1000.
Setup plus sampling, divided by your real order quantity.
Put every quote on a GST-inclusive footing, then compare.
The short answer
A label quotation should state material, size, colour count, fold, quantity and rate, plus setup, sampling, GST with HSN, freight, lead time and validity. Price is driven independently by size, colour count, fold and quantity — so align specifications before comparing rates. Convert every quote to the same unit basis, add one-time charges spread across your actual quantity, and put them all on the same GST footing. A quote well below the others usually differs in thread count, size or colour count rather than in goodwill. Send us your artwork and quantity and we'll return an itemised quote with every line named — and a physical sample before bulk.