Before sending an RFQ, a buyer needs to define the bottle's identity, its dimensions and neck finish, the closure and decoration boundaries, the packing scope and destination, and a list of everything still undecided. Put those on one versioned specification sheet and send the same version to every supplier. Where a fact is not yet known, write Confirm with factory instead of guessing, so the quotes that come back can be compared.
Why a reference image is not enough
A picture is a good place to begin. It shows a silhouette or a surface finish, but says nothing about the production details behind them, and each supplier fills that silence in its own way. The resulting quotes describe different bottles.
A specification sheet hands all suppliers one decision record and puts the unknowns in plain view. Our guide to working from a glass bottle reference shows how to turn an image into questions instead of assumptions.
If you are starting from an existing format, a listing such as our liquor glass bottles gives you something traceable to point at. A category page is still not a specification: write the exact candidate URL or item reference into the sheet before asking anyone to quote it.
Identity fields to complete first
The opening block should let a supplier recognise the bottle without reading a mood board. Give the project a short internal name, and say whether you want a stock bottle, a modification of one, or a new custom direction. Avoid the word "standard" unless you name or document the standard you mean.
- Project and product name as used inside your company
- Intended contents or application, with no suitability claims that have not been tested
- Fill volume or capacity requirement, flagged as a target if unconfirmed
- Glass colour, surface appearance and the visible shape cues you want
- A reference image, sketch or existing sample, annotated to say which features matter
- The items that remain open, listed so nobody is left to guess
Capacity needs one further note: state whether the figure is a nominal fill, an overflow measure, or just the format name used in the market. If you are unsure, mark it for factory confirmation; a visual estimate should never be written down as a product fact.
Dimensions and neck finish
Many differences between quotes trace back to a measurement that never appeared on the request. A bottle can look right in a rendering and still not work with the closure, the label panel or the secondary pack. Enter each dimension with its source beside it, and leave out anything recalled from memory.
| Field | What to record | When you do not have the answer |
|---|---|---|
| Overall size | A dimension from an approved drawing, or a target range | Confirm with factory |
| Base and body profile | The shape requirement and any concern about stability | Attach the reference and request a drawing |
| Neck finish | A finish description tied to the closure | Match it to the chosen closure before release |
| Label or decoration area | Artwork boundary and placement requirement | Flag as needing design review |
| Weight or wall profile | A value from an approved drawing or sample only | Never estimate it from an image |
The neck finish gets a line of its own because it joins the bottle to the other pack components. Screw cap, cork, crimp and ROPP are not interchangeable terms, and our explanation of bottle neck finishes sets out the differences. A useful supplier reply states whether the closure you asked for actually matches the bottle proposed; confirming that both parts can be quoted is not the same thing.
Closure, decoration and packing scope
Record the closure, the evidence of fit, the decoration boundary and the pack-out scope even if some components have not been chosen yet. Be careful with decoration in particular: a visual effect in a reference does not prove which production method made it. Any fact you cannot supply stays on the sheet, visibly marked for factory confirmation.
For a bespoke shape, start with our custom glass bottle wholesale guide and then complete the sheet.
Version control and open issues
Give the sheet a version number and attach a dated list of open issues that travels with the request. Each revision should answer three questions:
- What changed in the bottle or pack system being requested?
- Why did it change, and who approved it?
- Does it alter the supplier's scope, evidence or quotation?
With that record, suppliers quote against a single current request, the change history survives, and an early exploratory direction cannot be mistaken for a release instruction.
Checks before the RFQ goes out
A good sheet does not claim every answer on day one. It separates three things: facts you have approved, choices you prefer, and points the supplier has to verify. That decision trail is what makes an RFQ more useful than a polished image.
Before sending, confirm that identity, dimensions, closure, decoration, packing scope, destination and open questions are all present. Send one version to every supplier and ask each to identify where its response departs from it. When the sheet is ready, send it to us through the quote form together with the questions that still need a factory's confirmation.