The volume build. Less SAP, a heavier fluff ratio, a simpler topsheet, and a price that survives distributor margins in markets where a pad has to land under a few cents. It is not a downgrade - it is a different cost target, and it is the largest single category in most export portfolios.
The entry-level pad is the least glamorous product in the catalogue and the one that moves the most units. It is what a distributor sells in a market where a pack has to land under a specific price point, what an aid program tenders for in the millions, and what a new brand launches with before it can afford a premium line.
Buying it well is a discipline in itself, because at this price the margin lives in fractions of a cent and every component is a trade-off.
| Core | Fluff-heavy, 2–3 g SAP | Cheaper per unit but thicker, and it saturates faster. Adequate for regular flow, not for heavy days |
|---|---|---|
| Topsheet | Perforated film rather than non-woven | Costs less, feels drier initially, rustles. Acceptable in markets where the pad is judged on price |
| Backsheet | Non-breathable PE film | Saves a step and a material. The comfort cost is real in hot climates |
| Shape | Rectangular, often wingless | No contouring tooling, fewer rejections on the line |
| Pack | Bulk polybag or simple printed bag | Packaging is the second-largest cost at this tier, after the core |
| Length band | Position | References in range |
|---|---|---|
| Panty liner 155–160 mm |
Daily wear, end of cycle, backup to internal protection | 2 |
| Regular 240–245 mm |
Standard daytime wear | 5 |
| Super 280 mm |
Heavy daytime flow, long shifts | 2 |
| Night 290–320 mm |
Sleep and travel, 6–8 hour wear | 4 |
| Overnight 338–410 mm |
Supine wear, maximum rear coverage | 2 |
| Minimum order | 50,000 – 195,000 pcs |
|---|---|
| Reference price | US$0.02 – 0.12 / pc, FOB |
| Sample | Free of charge, freight collect. Specification sheet travels with the sample. |
| Lead time | 15–25 days after artwork and specification approval; 7–15 days on stock builds. |
| Payment | 30% deposit on order, balance against copy of B/L. L/C at sight accepted on programs above 500,000 pcs. |
| Port | Xiamen or Shenzhen, buyer's choice. |
At the entry tier, roughly half the unit cost is core material and a further quarter is packaging and carton. Everything else — adhesive, film, labour, overhead — is the remainder. That is why the two levers that matter are SAP loading and pack format, and why a supplier who quotes a lower price has almost always moved one of those two rather than found an efficiency.
Two questions worth asking on any low quotation:
Institutional buyers work from a written specification, and the specification usually names the test method. That is a different discipline from retail: the product has to pass a stated absorbency test, not feel good in the hand. If you are bidding on a tender, send us the specification document rather than a description, and the quotation will answer the test rather than the impression.
Two practical notes for tenders: lead time is usually the deciding factor after price, and a supplier who cannot commit to a delivery date in writing should not be on the shortlist.
Fluff-heavy core with 2–3 g of SAP, perforated film topsheet, non-breathable backsheet, rectangular shape and a simple pack. Roughly half the unit cost is core material and a quarter is packaging.
Sometimes. A quote 20% below the others has almost always reduced SAP loading or simplified the pack, not found an efficiency. Ask for grams of SAP and total pad weight before accepting it.
Yes, and it is the only reliable way to quote for institutional supply. Send the specification document rather than a description — the product has to pass a stated test, not feel right in the hand.
15–25 days after specification and artwork approval for a standard build. Large volumes are scheduled across several runs rather than one, and the delivery schedule is committed in writing per order.
Yes. Wings are a fixing mechanism for a wearer who moves; in a clinical or institutional setting they add cost with little functional benefit. Wingless also packs flatter, which improves pieces per carton.
We do not ask buyers to order from a table. Send the build you are considering and we courier a physical sample with its specification sheet, so absorbency and hand feel are checked before a purchase order exists.