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Packaging Specifications: Find Out What Your Specs Are Missing

Incomplete packaging specs are one of the most common causes of production errors, retailer chargebacks, and label compliance issues in food brands. Answer 3 questions to find out where your specs have gaps.

Which cost categories are included in your current COGS calculation?

Select the option that best describes what you currently track.

How do you account for yield loss in your COGS?

Yield loss is the raw material that does not make it into finished product.

How do you handle co-packer invoice variances?

Co-packer invoices often differ from BOM estimates due to setup fees, minimums, and overruns.

Your Packaging Spec Completeness Score

Where Your Packaging Specs Have Gaps

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What a Complete Packaging Spec Includes

Typical cost composition for SMB CPG food and beverage brands at $1M-$20M revenue.

Cost Component	Typical % of COGS	Common Mistake
Direct Ingredients	35-55%	Using purchase price instead of actual landed cost per unit
Packaging Materials	10-20%	Excluding label printing, secondary packaging, and inserts
Co-packing / Manufacturing	15-30%	Using quoted rate instead of actual invoice including setup and minimums
Inbound Freight	3-8%	Allocated to overhead instead of direct product cost
Yield Loss	2-8%	Estimated at 2-3% when actual is often 6-10% for food production
Quality / Compliance Testing	1-3%	Treated as a one-time expense rather than per-unit cost

Want packaging specs connected to your production and COGS?

Guidance connects your packaging specs to your BOMs, COGS, and production runs — so spec changes propagate automatically across your operation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What should be included in COGS for a food brand?

COGS for a food brand should include direct ingredients, packaging materials, co-packing or manufacturing labor, inbound freight, yield loss, and any direct quality or compliance testing costs.

How does yield loss affect COGS?

Yield loss increases your effective cost per unit because you are paying for raw materials that do not end up in finished product. A 10% yield loss means you need 10% more raw material to produce the same output, directly raising your COGS per unit.

How often should a food brand update its COGS calculation?

COGS should be recalculated whenever ingredient costs change, when a new production run reveals yield variance, or when co-packer invoices differ from estimates. At minimum, a full COGS review should happen quarterly.