Wholesale Tissue Pricing Explained: Case Price vs Pallet Price vs Cost Per Roll

Two suppliers quote you for jumbo toilet rolls. One is cheaper per case, the other is cheaper per pallet, and a third quotes per roll. None of the three numbers are comparable as presented. This is how UK tissue pricing actually works and how to normalise a quote so you are comparing the same thing.

The three numbers you will be quoted

Case price

The price for one outer case, typically 6 or 12 rolls. This is the number most quotes lead with because it is the smallest and therefore the most attractive. It tells you almost nothing on its own, because case configurations differ between suppliers. A 12 roll case and a 6 roll case at similar prices are wildly different offers.

Pallet price

The price for a full pallet. This is where trade pricing genuinely lives, but pallet configurations also vary. One supplier stacks 60 cases per pallet, another 84. Comparing pallet prices without checking case count per pallet is a common and expensive error.

Cost per roll

Better, but still incomplete, because rolls are not equivalent. A 200m mini jumbo and a 400m jumbo are both one roll.

The number that actually compares: cost per metre

For commercial washroom paper, normalise everything to cost per metre. It is the only figure that survives differences in case count, pallet configuration and roll length.

The calculation is simple:

Pallet price divided by (cases per pallet times rolls per case times metres per roll) equals cost per metre.

Run this on every quote you receive and the rankings frequently reverse. The supplier with the attractive case price often has the worst cost per metre, because short rolls make the case look cheap.

For retail format tissue, cost per sheet is the equivalent measure. Our guide to sheet counts and pallet maths works through it.

What else belongs in the comparison

Cost per metre gets you most of the way. Four things can still change the answer.

• Delivery. A quote with free pallet delivery against one with a delivery charge can be a several percent swing. Always ask for the delivered price.
• Minimum order. A superb per metre rate on a four pallet minimum is not a good deal if you have storage for one.
• Ply and grade. Comparing a two ply against a three ply on cost per metre is meaningless. Normalise the specification first, then the price.
• Payment terms. Thirty day terms have a real cash value against payment on order, particularly at pallet volumes.

How tier pricing works

Most UK manufacturers, including us, price in volume tiers rather than with a single rate. The tiers typically step at one pallet, then at a small multiple, then at full load quantities.

The practical implication is that the gap between ordering just under a tier threshold and just over it can be larger than the gap between two competing suppliers. Before you switch supplier on price, check whether consolidating your order to reach the next tier with your existing supplier gets you the same result with none of the switching risk.

This is also the main argument for consolidating multi site ordering. Five sites each buying one pallet independently pay the one pallet rate five times. The same five pallets ordered centrally may clear a substantially better tier.

Where the manufacturer margin sits

Buying through a cash and carry or janitorial distributor adds a margin layer, and on a commodity like tissue that layer is a meaningful share of the delivered price. Buying direct from the manufacturer removes it. Our cash and carry versus direct wholesale comparison puts realistic figures on the difference, and our pallet buying guide covers the process.

We manufacture in Leicester and quote delivered pallet prices with the metres stated, so you can run the cost per metre calculation on our quote without having to ask for missing numbers. Request one through our wholesale quote form.