What should a tissue supplier quote a Thai facial tissue distributor first?

A first Thai quote on facial tissue should contain three numbers before it contains a price per pack: FOB per carton, cartons per container and MOQ per SKU. Facial tissue is a low-value, high-volume product, so cube and freight decide the landed cost far more than a few cents on the unit price, and a quote that omits them cannot be compared with a competitor's.

Thailand is a mature, price-literate tissue market with strong domestic supply, which makes the comparison discipline more important rather than less. A Thailand distributor who cannot show a buyer the real landed cost per sheet is negotiating on a number the buyer already knows is incomplete.

Why is facial tissue quoted by carton rather than by pack?

Because the carton is the unit that ships, is counted at the depot and appears on the invoice. Pack count per carton varies between suppliers — a change from twenty-four to thirty packs per carton changes freight per pack without changing the FOB price per pack, which is exactly the kind of difference a per-pack quote conceals. In the tissue paper category specifically, carton compression is not consistent between mills, so two quotes with identical dimensions can load differently.

It also protects the supplier. When carton configuration is explicit, a later dispute about quantity or damage can be settled against a documented specification instead of a recollection of the sales conversation.

Which three numbers belong in the first quote?

FOB per carton, cartons per container and MOQ per SKU. Add carton dimensions and gross weight and the quote becomes usable, because the distributor can then build a landed cost model without asking for a second round of information.

• FOB per carton — the invoiced unit, stated with pack count inside.
• Cartons per 20GP — with the loading assumption stated, plus carton dimensions and gross weight.
• MOQ per SKU — per ply and sheet count, not as a blended figure across the range.
• Remaining shelf life at shipment — the fourth number buyers ask for and suppliers forget.

Where a supplier can only quote a blended MOQ across a mixed range, treat the number as indicative until it is broken down by SKU. A blended MOQ usually hides one SKU that requires several times the average volume.

How do ply and sheet count change the number?

They change weight, caliper and carton cube together. Two-ply at two hundred sheets is the volume core in most Southeast Asian markets; three-ply at a lower sheet count reads as premium and supports a higher shelf price, but it carries more weight and less compression per carton, so a container holds fewer packs.

Sheet count is the lever buyers use to hit a price point without changing the pack format. Reducing from three hundred to two hundred sheets keeps the shelf footprint identical and drops the price, which is why a quote that specifies only ply and pack size is not yet a specification. Thai tissue paper buyers work this lever harder than most, because the category is mature and the shelf price points are already established.

What should the quote say about moisture protection?

Facial tissue absorbs moisture, and a tropical container can move through several climate zones before it reaches a Thai warehouse. The quote should state the wrapping, whether the cartons are lined, whether container desiccant is included, and what the supplier's position is on condensation claims.

This is not a detail to settle after the first claim. Tissue that arrives with wavy edges or a musty smell is unsaleable, and the argument about whether it left the factory dry is unwinnable without a documented packing standard. Our own experience shipping tissue into tropical markets is that the packing standard matters more than the ply claim, and that facial tissue wholesale buyers who inspect a reference container before ordering rarely regret the delay.

Where do duty and VAT sit in a Thai quote?

They sit outside it, which is why the landed cost model has to be built rather than read off a quotation. A supplier quote is a commercial price at an agreed Incoterm. Duty depends on the tariff classification of the specific product, and VAT is applied at import on the duty-paid value. For a tissue distributor modelling a first order, the classification question is usually the largest single unknown in the model.

Two practical rules. First, ask your customs broker to confirm the HS classification for the exact product before you model duty, because facial tissue and wet wipes do not classify alike and the difference changes the landed cost. Second, if the goods are moving within ASEAN, check whether preferential treatment applies and what documentation it requires, since the certificate has to be issued correctly before shipment, not reconstructed afterwards.

Which Incoterm and payment terms should the quote pair?

Pair the price with the term that matches how the distributor is actually moving the goods. FOB is clean for a distributor with its own forwarder and gives the clearest comparison between suppliers. CIF is simpler for a first order but hides the freight number the distributor needs in order to renegotiate later.

On payment, the market norm for a first order is part advance and part against documents, with the balance moving to open account only after a few clean cycles. Everything about timing, tolerance and documentation should be written into the supply agreement, and the specific numbers confirmed in a formal quotation rather than agreed verbally.

How do I compare two tissue suppliers on the same basis?

Normalise to cost per sheet at the same Incoterm, then check what has been left out. Convert every quote to FOB per carton, divide by sheets per carton, and add estimated freight from the stated carton cube. The supplier with the lower FOB frequently loses once freight is included, because a denser carton is a cheaper carton.

Then compare the terms that do not appear in the price: MOQ flexibility, shelf life at shipment, packing standard, and what happens on a quality claim. A supplier who will not state a packing standard is telling you something about the claim process.

This is also where a tissue distributor earns its margin or loses it. Two facial tissue wholesale offers that look identical on the page usually differ in carton compression, remaining shelf life and who carries the cost of a moisture claim, and those three items decide whether the second container is profitable.

If you are building a first Thai range across tissue and wipes, the tissue range page lists the ply and sheet configurations we currently quote, and the Thailand partner page explains how a territory is structured. Pack counts, MOQ and pricing are confirmed per SKU in a formal quotation.

Frequently asked questions

Is a lower FOB per carton always better? No. If the carton holds fewer packs or weighs more for the same cube, the freight per sheet rises and the advantage disappears at the landed cost line.

Should I buy two-ply or three-ply for Thailand? Both, in different roles. Two-ply carries the volume and defends the price point; three-ply supports the premium shelf position and the gifting and hotel channels.

How much shelf life should remain at shipment? Enough that the distributor can hold stock, sell through and still meet the retailer's minimum remaining life on delivery. Agree the figure in the contract rather than assuming a standard.

Can a tissue supplier quote duty and VAT for me? No. Classification and duty treatment are the importer's responsibility and belong with a licensed customs broker in Thailand.

Sources and further reading

• ASEAN Tariff Finder, preferential tariff lookup for intra-ASEAN trade in paper and tissue products, accessed October 2026 — tariff-finder.asean.org
• International Trade Centre, Market Access Map for HS-level duty and import requirement lookup, accessed October 2026 — macmap.org
• Thai Customs Department, import procedures and tariff guidance, accessed October 2026 — customs.go.th

Duty and tax treatment depends on the HS classification of the specific product. Confirm it with a licensed customs broker before you finalise a landed cost model.

Bottom line: a Thai facial tissue quote is only comparable when carton configuration, container load and SKU-level MOQ sit next to the price. Build landed cost per sheet, confirm classification with a broker, and treat every figure as indicative until it appears in a formal quotation.