Paper Towel Supplier: How to Verify Case Counts?

Paper Towel Supplier: Define the unit before comparing prices

A paper towel supplier may quote a case, a pack, a roll or a thousand sheets. Those units cannot be compared until the hierarchy is explicit. For folded towels, specify sheets per inner pack, inner packs per case and the accepted fold type. For rolls, specify sheets or usable metres per roll, rolls per bundle and bundles per case. Write the unit on the purchase order and quotation rather than inferring it from a product photo.

If a supplier offers two formats under one general product name, give each its own SKU and revision. A carton containing six large rolls is not directly comparable with one containing twelve smaller rolls even when case dimensions look similar. The comparison needs the product specification and the packing hierarchy together.

Decide whether the purchase tolerance concerns a nominal declared count, a verified minimum, or a lot-level average. Do not insert a universal tolerance after delivery. Agree how counts will be sampled and how disputed packs will be handled before the first shipment.

Match carton labels to the approved hierarchy

Ask the paper towel supplier for a packing specification showing the finished SKU, artwork or label revision, unit count, inner-pack count and case count. Compare it with the physical carton and the packing list. A correct pallet total does not repair a wrong count inside individual cases; a correct case label does not prove the case was packed correctly.

GS1’s GTIN Management rules say that a change in the number of trade items in a case or the quantity of cases in a predefined pallet configuration can require a new GTIN. That rule matters when a buyer uses GS1 identifiers and a controlled packaging hierarchy. It does not mean every anonymous shipping carton needs a barcode, nor does it verify the actual contents of a delivered case.

For mixed-SKU pallets, identify which cartons belong to each SKU before multiplying cases. Do not count the number of pallet positions and assume every case is identical. Ask for a carton-level list or clear pallet map when the load is mixed.

How should buyers sample a received case?

Ask the paper towel supplier to identify cases across the shipment rather than only from the easiest pallet face. Record pallet position, case identifier, seal condition and packing revision before opening a sample. The sampling plan should be proportionate to the order and agreed with the buyer's quality team; this article does not prescribe a statistical acceptance number.

Count at the level that the complaint concerns. If a folded-towel inner pack is short, recount sheets in an identified pack and then check how many packs the case holds. If roll length is disputed, distinguish nominal metres from sheet count and use an agreed measurement method. A case gross weight can help flag an anomaly, but packaging, moisture and product variation mean weight alone cannot prove sheet count.

Keep photographs of the opened case, pack labels and count sheet. If a discrepancy is found, preserve the unopened comparison cases and isolate the affected lot while the supplier checks its packing record. Avoid mixing samples from two production revisions in one complaint.

Reconcile the shipment without hiding a shortage

Ask the paper towel supplier to calculate expected saleable units from the approved hierarchy, then compare the purchase order, commercial invoice, packing list, received case count and sampled contents. Show any difference at the exact level where it appeared: missing pallet, missing case, missing inner pack or missing sheets. The remedy and responsible evidence are different for each.

A paper towel supplier should identify whether the issue is a document error, label error, packing error or loss in transit before proposing a credit or replacement. Keep the original counts and revised documents together. Do not overwrite the initial receipt with a corrected total that makes the investigation impossible to audit.

For repeat orders, record the accepted SKU, packaging revision and count basis in the master specification. Reopen the review if pack quantity changes, even when paper GSM, embossing and price stay the same. A changed case hierarchy can affect inventory data, distributor pricing and customer replenishment.

The buyer's comparison record

What belongs in the RFQ?

• Identify each SKU, format, sheet or metre basis and approved packing revision.
• State units per inner pack, packs per case and cases per pallet by SKU.
• Agree a receiving sample plan and a record for exceptions before shipping.
• Ask how label, packing list and physical-count discrepancies will be resolved.

For adjacent decisions, read the related Sansheng purchasing guide and the companion specification check. Keep each approval question separate.

Questions buyers also ask