Most first messages sent to tablet manufacturers read something like "need paracetamol tablets, send rate". That gets you a number, but rarely a useful one. The plant has to guess the strength, the coating, the pack and the quantity, so it quotes for whatever it already runs or whatever is cheapest to make. A clear brief gets you comparable quotes in a day or two and saves a week of phone calls.
This page is about that brief: what to put in it, what actually moves the price of a strip, and which papers should come with every batch. The plants listed above take third party tablet orders under your brand. Use the list once you know exactly what you want to ask them.
What a good tablet brief contains
Write it as a simple table, one line per product. The costing person at the plant works from the composition, so give it exactly as it will appear on your label.
- Generic name and strength of each ingredient, for example Aceclofenac 100 mg + Paracetamol 325 mg
- Type of tablet: uncoated, film coated, enteric coated, sustained release, dispersible, chewable or mouth dissolving
- Pack: Alu-Alu or blister, strip of 10 or 15, with or without a printed carton
- Quantity per batch in strips, and how many batches you expect to lift in a year
- Your brand name, and whether the trademark search is done
- Target date for the first dispatch, and where the goods must be delivered
If the combination is new, or the strength is not already approved in India, say so upfront. The plant will tell you whether it already holds product permission or whether DCGI approval is needed first. That one question can change your timeline by months.
What drives the cost per strip
Two plants can quote the same molecule a few rupees apart per strip and both can be honest. The difference usually sits in five places.
API. The active ingredient is normally the biggest part of the cost. Its price moves with the market, which is why most tablet manufacturers keep a quote valid for a short period only. Ask which API source the plant uses, because domestic and imported material can differ a lot in rate.
Excipients. Ordinary fillers and binders are cheap. Special ones used for sustained release or mouth dissolving tablets are not, and they show up in the rate.
Coating. Film coating adds a process step and material. Enteric coating adds more. Matching the tablet colour to your brand shade can add a little on top.
Packing material. Alu-Alu costs more than blister. Printed foil, carton, leaflet and shipper all count. Change the artwork after the foil cylinder is made and you pay for a new cylinder.
Batch size. Line setup, cleaning, testing and paperwork cost nearly the same for a small batch as a large one. A quantity below the plant's MOQ is either refused or charged at a higher rate per strip.
When quotes come in, put them on the same basis before comparing: same composition, same coating, same pack, same quantity, GST shown separately, and a clear note on whether packing material, cylinder charges and freight are included. Many cheap-looking quotes leave one of these out.
Documents to expect with each batch
Every batch should arrive with a COA (certificate of analysis) from the plant's QC lab. It should show the batch number, manufacturing and expiry dates, and results for description, assay, uniformity and dissolution against the stated specification. Match the batch number on the COA with the strip and the carton before you accept the goods.
Before the first order, ask for the manufacturing licence copy, the product permission covering each of your products, and the exact name that will be printed after "Manufactured by". Ask how long retention samples are kept, and whether stability data exists for the product in the pack you chose. If you are working on a loan licence rather than a direct third party arrangement, the paperwork and your own responsibilities are different, so settle that at the start.
File these papers batch-wise. When a distributor or a hospital purchase department asks for them, you will have them in minutes instead of chasing the plant.
Get quotes through this page
Use the requirement form on this page and paste your product table into it. Write the composition and strength, coating, pack, quantity per batch, and the date you need stock. Add your city so plants that can ship to you easily respond first. Posting is free and your number is not shown on the site. The requirement goes only to tablet manufacturers whose range matches what you asked for, and they call you back with rates. Compare at least three quotes on the same basis before paying any advance.
Related pages: Ayurvedic Product Manufacturers and Capsule Manufacturers. Molecules most listed here: Paracetamol, Aceclofenac, Cefixime.
