How does PackPrice calculate packaging prices?
PackPrice computes packaging cost by combining six core lines: material (area × grammage × price per kg), waste, the per-unit share of one-off setup costs (tooling/plates), printing, labour and margin. These are computed together consistently across 300,000+ formulas.
Step by step
- 1
Write the prompt
Describe the box size, material (board/paper grammage), printing and quantity in one natural-language sentence, e.g. '180x100x50mm, 350gsm bristol, CMYK, matte lamination, 1000 pcs'.
- 2
AI computes
The system computes blank area, grammage, waste, tooling share, printing, labour and margin together across 300,000+ formulas to produce the packaging cost.
- 3
See the cost breakdown
Paper, printing, lamination, cutting, die, gluing, pallet and margin are itemised, together with unit price and total.
- 4
Share the PDF quote
A detailed quote is produced as a professional PDF in seconds, ready to send to your customer.
Cost lines
- Material cost
- Blank area × grammage (kg/m²) × price per kg. The layout is derived per box model.
- Waste
- Applied as a multiplier on material cost based on cutting layout and material-vs-order width fit.
- Tooling / Plates
- The die and printing plates are one-off costs, amortised across quantity and not charged on reorders.
- Printing
- By method (flexo/offset/digital) and colour count; quantity and colours set the cost curve.
- Labour & cutting
- Machine setup, cutting, gluing and packing times.
- Margin
- Variable + fixed-cost share divided by (1 − margin) to reach the selling price.
How is accuracy measured?
Accuracy is assessed by comparing the engine's price against real production cost. The goal is to markedly reduce the typical ~12% error of manual spreadsheet costing with consistent formulas and current prices.
Frequently asked questions
Where does PackPrice get its prices?
Calculations rely on centrally-kept current raw-material and labour prices and per-user formulas/rules. When prices change, they are updated in one place.
Why is the result more consistent than manual costing?
The same formulas apply automatically to every quote, removing human formula and entry errors; only the inputs vary.
Is waste included?
Yes. The waste rate arising from the cutting layout and material-vs-order width fit is reflected directly in the cost.