These are the manufacturers’ terms, published rather than kept back until a call. A supplier who will not state a minimum order up front is usually hoping you have already invested enough time to accept whatever it turns out to be.
Every figure below is what the plants in our network typically run to. Each one is confirmed on your quotation against the specification you actually order, because a minimum that depends on gauge, colour and print cannot be a single number.
Minimum order by category
Typical minimums, confirmed per quotation:
| Category | Stock specification | Custom size or colour | Printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bin liners & refuse sacks | 1 pallet (2 000–7 200 sacks) | 500 kg per specification | 500 kg per design and colour |
| Stretch film | 1 pallet (40–50 rolls) | 1 tonne | 1 tonne |
A pallet of sacks is between 2 000 and 7 200 units depending on size and gauge — a 40 µm 600 × 900 mm sack packs 200 per case and 36 cases per pallet; an 80 µm compactor sack packs 100 per case and 20 cases per pallet.
Several specifications can share one delivery. They cannot always share one pallet: mixing works where case dimensions match, and we will tell you at quotation stage whether yours do.
Why one pallet is usually the floor
Below a pallet, freight per unit rises faster than the goods price falls. A half-pallet from Poland to Germany costs nearly what a full pallet costs, so buying 800 sacks instead of 2 000 makes each sack more expensive, not less. At that quantity you are better served by a local distributor, and we will say so.
Lead times
Typical production lead times, confirmed per quotation:
| Stage | Stock specification | Custom | Printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written specification | 1–2 days | 2–3 days | 2–3 days |
| Samples | 5 days | 7–10 days | 10–14 days |
| Production | 12–15 working days | 18–22 working days | 18–25 working days |
| Transit DE / NL | 2–4 days | 2–4 days | 2–4 days |
| Transit Nordics | 5–7 days | 5–7 days | 5–7 days |
Lead time starts when the specification is confirmed in writing. Not when the enquiry arrives, and not when the purchase order is raised. We make sure the date appears on the order confirmation, because when it starts is the single most common source of disagreement in packaging supply.
What moves a lead time, and by how much
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Custom colour on sacks | +3–5 working days (line changeover and purge) |
| Print, first run | +5–8 working days (plates and proofing) |
| Print, repeat | +2 working days |
| 100% PCR content | +3–7 days, subject to recyclate availability |
| September–November, all categories | +5–10 working days across the market |
| Late artwork approval | day for day |
Resin availability occasionally moves polyethylene lead times by a week at short notice. When that happens we tell you before you order rather than after.
Repeat and call-off programmes
For volumes above roughly six full trailers a year, a call-off programme is usually better than repeat spot orders:
- prices fixed quarterly rather than for 14 days
- production scheduled in advance, so the lead time you see is transit only
- stock held in Poland against an agreed forecast, released on your call-off
- monthly invoicing from the plant rather than per shipment
The commitment is a forecast, not a fixed purchase. If your volumes drop, the forecast is revised at the quarterly review; you are not invoiced for stock you did not call off within the agreed window.
Payment terms
Set by the manufacturer and confirmed on the quotation. What follows is the pattern across the plants in our network:
| Order | Terms |
|---|---|
| First order | 30% on confirmation, 70% before dispatch |
| Orders 2–3 | 30% on confirmation, 70% before dispatch |
| From order 4 | 30 days net, subject to credit check |
| Call-off programme | 30 days net from monthly invoice |
Credit insurance is arranged through a Polish insurer and covers most EU buyers without additional documentation. Where cover is declined we say so plainly rather than quietly asking for prepayment forever.