Two kinds of sample, one approval that actually means something, and the 35–42 days a new mould costs before any production can start. If you are planning a launch date, this is the page that tells you whether it is achievable.
At a glance
- Stock sampleFree — you pay courier, or give a DHL / FedEx / UPS account
- Custom sampleUSD 100–200, depending on product and decoration
- Sample lead timeAbout 7–10 days
- New mould35–42 days, depending on structure and complexity
- Production25–35 days after specifications are confirmed
- ReferenceThe approved sample is the QC standard
Two kinds of sample, two different jobs
| Stock sample | Custom sample | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | An existing mould, stock colour, no decoration | Your colour, your printing, your finish on the real substrate |
| What it answers | Shape, capacity, wall feel, mechanism — is this the right starting point? | Will the brand actually look like this on the shelf? |
| Cost | Free; freight only | USD 100–200 |
| Time | Dispatch as soon as stock allows | About 7–10 days |
What an approval should actually cover
- Colour against the chip, in daylight — not against the photo you sent, and not under an office lamp.
- Fit — cap to body, plug to orifice, actuator to stem, insert to jar. Fit is a dimension, not an opinion.
- Decoration position — the logo relative to the seam, the front face, the opening direction. Judge it with the artwork in hand.
- Function — torque, leakage, actuation, crush on the tube shoulder. Test it the way your filling line will.
- Packing — divider, bag, carton count. This is the step people skip, and it is where transit damage comes from.
Opening a new mould
- Brief and DFMStructure, capacity, wall thickness and decoration are agreed against the tooling, before steel is cut.
- ToolingMould built to the agreed drawing. Changes at this stage are cheap; changes after T1 are not.
- T1 samplesFirst parts off the tool, measured and compared with the drawing.
- Report and correctionDimensions, fit and appearance reviewed; the tool is adjusted where it falls outside.
- T2 and approvalRevised parts, then the signed sample that becomes the production reference.
Working backwards from a launch date
Typical factory time, using the figures above: 35–42 days for a new mould, 7–10 days for the sample after that, 25–35 days for production after approval — roughly three months before freight. Add transit and import clearance on top.
That is a planning figure, not a promise: quantity, decoration stages and the factory’s schedule move it. But it explains why a launch in June needs a mould decision in February, and why a stock-mould project with the same date has two months of slack the custom one does not.
What it costs to change a decision later
- Structure after T1 — tool rework and a second sample cycle.
- Colour after spraying — re-matching, and a batch that will not match the first one exactly.
- Decoration after plating — new screens or plates, plus a re-run of the print stage.
- Quantity after material is ordered — re-quoting, and a carton plan that no longer fits the container.
Ask for a stock sample in the sampling question, or start a project and tell us the product and the date you need it.