Commercial Refrigerator MOQ: What Determines the Real Minimum Order?

MOQ is configuration-specific

A factory minimum is shaped by the cabinet platform, purchased components, colour, printed materials, packaging and production setup. A stock-colour cabinet with a standard decal may have a different minimum from a custom-painted unit with new tooling and dedicated electronics.

Compare suppliers using one written configuration so a low headline number does not hide later restrictions.

Samples and production orders serve different purposes

A sample validates appearance, basic function and project assumptions. It is not necessarily produced through the same purchasing and line-planning process as a production order. Ask which details will be identical and which remain provisional until mass production.

Build a useful volume forecast

Share pilot quantity, first production order, annual forecast and whether several models or graphics may ship together. The supplier can then identify component constraints, packaging quantities and container options instead of responding with a generic minimum.

Questions for the quotation

Request separate quantities for sample, standard production, custom colour, custom packaging and new tooling. Confirm whether spare parts, mixed artwork and mixed models count toward the same minimum.

Choose the right quantity conversation

An evaluation sample, an eligible standard-platform pilot and a deeply customised production run are different requests. MARKOOL's current commercial baseline starts with one evaluation unit, a pilot from 20 units for eligible standard platforms, and typically 50 units per model and artwork for deeper custom production. These are planning starting points, not a promise that every cabinet, voltage or graphic treatment qualifies.

Ask the quotation to identify the exact cabinet platform, electrical version and artwork to which each quantity applies. If the first order includes multiple door counts, graphics or destinations, list each combination separately before discussing whether a combined programme is possible.

Send a comparable MOQ brief

State the destination market, target model or cabinet format, sample purpose, pilot quantity, expected first production quantity, annual forecast, branding method, packaging preference and target shipment window. Mark unknowns as open questions instead of filling them with assumptions.

Request a response that separates unit price, setup or tooling, sample charges, artwork and packaging minimums, component constraints, production timing and shipping basis. The commercial terms page holds the current baseline; the written project quotation should show any exception for the chosen configuration.

Separate artwork combinations in the volume request

A useful RFQ can list one cabinet with Artwork A and the same cabinet with Artwork B as two rows. State the requested quantity for each, then ask whether the supplier can combine them for production. Do not assume that adding the rows satisfies a per-model-and-artwork minimum.

Use separate rows again when electrical versions, materials or destination documents differ. Ask which setup, print, tooling and packaging costs recur for each combination and which are shared. The quotation, rather than the total forecast, confirms the eligible minimum.