The per-unit price
One guide for plants with $2 million to $15 million in revenue puts loaded line time at $250 to $500 an hour, depending on the line and the region. The per-unit price is that hourly cost divided by the units the line actually produces per hour, plus a yield or waste allowance of 2 to 5 percent and a margin of 15 to 30 percent for standard work, higher for allergen-controlled, organic or low-volume specialty runs1.
One consultancy's illustrative model, labeled as not a quote, adds $1.10 of variable cost per unit to a $4,000 setup, which works out to about $1.18 per unit at 50,000 units2.
One-time and per-run fees
| Fee | Published example |
|---|---|
| Setup per run | $250 to $1,500, scaled to line complexity1; illustrated at $2,000 per run3 |
| Simple shelf-stable changeover | Around $2,0002 |
| Allergen changeover | 1.5 to 2 times the standard fee1 |
| New-SKU onboarding | $500 to $2,500, one time1 |
| Storage | $20 to $25 per pallet per month, some still $12 to $203 |
| Annual price increase | CPI plus one, or a fixed 3 to 4 percent step-up1 |
Tolling vs turnkey
Under tolling you supply ingredients or packaging and pay a set conversion charge, usually per unit or SKU4. Tolling carries no materials markup, while turnkey co-packers mark materials up 10 to 20 percent for procurement, carrying cost and shrink1. Other pricing models include hourly or line-time pricing for complex jobs, and day-rate or project pricing3.
Getting the price in writing
UF/IFAS suggests asking whether the plant can guarantee a price for a year and confirming there are no hidden fees, and lists the price, the payment method and when payment is due among the minimum contents of a contract5. A food and beverage law firm recommends spelling out pass-through costs for ingredients, packaging, third-party testing, certifications, warehousing, freight, pallets and waste disposal6.
Sources
- Feed The Line, How to Price Co-Packing Services (2026) (Company)
- Eightx, Co-Manufacturing Cost and MOQs for CPG (2026) (Company)
- MSL Packaging and Fulfillment, Co-Packing Pricing 2026 (Company)
- Genie AI, Tolling fee definition (Company; read through a search summary, the page itself was not opened in full)
- UF/IFAS Extension FS380, Finding and Using a Co-packer (University)
- Cummings Law, Legal Considerations for Co-Packing Agreements (Law firm)
General information, not legal, regulatory or financial advice. Published figures are examples from the cited sources, not quotes. Confirm requirements for your product with a process authority, regulator or adviser.