Tooling is where bespoke packaging gets expensive. The first time you produce a custom-molded bottle, custom carton die-cut, or custom-printed shrink sleeve, the factory has to build a physical tool to produce it. That tool — a mold, a die, a plate — costs real money and takes real lead time.

Typical tooling ranges in CPG:

• Printing plates (labels, cartons): $300-2,500 per color, per SKU
• Custom carton dies: $1,500-5,000
• Custom bottle/jar molds (injection-molded plastic): $10,000-50,000
• Custom glass molds: $25,000-100,000 (usually only justifiable at 100k+ unit annual volume)
• Custom tube tooling (squeeze tubes, lotion): $5,000-15,000
• Custom shrink-sleeve plates: $800-2,500 per SKU

Tooling adds 4-12 weeks to the first-run timeline. Once the tool exists, reorders use the same tool and pay no additional fee.

Ownership matters. Some factories charge you for the tooling but retain ownership of the physical tool — meaning if you leave the factory, you cannot take the tool with you. Negotiate "buyer-owned tooling" in your master agreement, especially for unique molds. If the factory owns the tool, you are functionally locked in.