It’s crucial that you understand the basics of materials and customization options, relevant to your product – before you engage with suppliers. Read the following attachments to better understand material and component selection options.
Stainless steel a durable and high quality material, that is used for everything from wristwatches and jewellery, to kitchen utensils and hardware parts. There are various types of stainless steel. However, the 300 series is more commonly used:
316L
304
316L is generally considered to be of slightly higher quality than 304. Further, steel parts are often polished by hand, which further ads to the processing cost. That said, steel maintains its finish and shape for over very long time periods.
Zinc Alloy
Zinc alloy, which consist of zinc and copper, is generally cheaper than stainless steel. However, zinc alloy tends to lose its luster within 2 to 4 years, as the material oxidates. Zinc alloy is used to make watches, jewelry and electronic components.
Copper
Copper is often used to make wires, or combined with other metals in alloys. Copper can also be molded, but is today mostly used in the electronics industry. Copper is softer than stainless steel.
Cast Iron
Cast iron is used in home products and cooking ware. Iron is cheaper than stainless steel. There are 4 main types of cast iron:
White iron
Gray iron
Ductile iron
Malleable iron
Aluminum
Aluminum is typically cheaper than stainless steel, and used in electronics, phone cases and various other consumer products. There are many different types of aluminum:
Alloy 1100
Alloy 2011
Alloy 2024
Alloy 3003
Alloy 5052
They differ in terms of response to heat treatment, machinability, weldability, strength and end use.
Tooling
Injection Molding
Melted metal (i.e., stainless steel) is inserted into a cavity. The metal cools down and forms a solid component, for example a watch case. An injection mold cannot be modified, and is generally only used for a certain type of metal.
CNC
A CNC Machine use various tools (i.e., drills and saws) to cut a metal block into a certain shape. CNC is used to make certain hardware parts, and prototypes.
Punching / Cutting Tools
Punching can cut and/or bend metal sheets into certain shapes.
3D Printing
A 3D printer prints thin layers of melted metallic powder into objects. Today, relatively few manufacturers in China use 3D printers.
However, as 3D printers are becoming relatively cheap, some suppliers adopt 3D printing when making prototypes. However, a 3D print is only a model, and cannot be used for mass production or replace an injection mold.
MATERIAL GUIDE: LEATHER
Types
Leather
There are 4 main types of leather:
Type
Layer
Characteristics
Full Grain Leather
Top layer
Tough, highest quality layer, expensive
Top Grain Leather
Second layer
Smooth, flexible
Genuine leather
Third layer
Lower quality, lower cost
Bonded Leather
Leftover material (mixed
Lowest quality, lowest price, not actual leather
with PE plastic)
Artificial Leather
There are various types of artificial leather.
PU leather is the cheapest, and most commonly used type of artificial leather used by manufacturers. However, higher quality and ecological artificial leather products are developed.
This includes, for example, pinatex which is made from pineapple leaves.
Country of Origin
Most Chinese manufacturers procure leather and PU leather from domestic factories.
Some suppliers claim to offer leather from Italy, Argentina or other countries.
However, such claims are very hard to verify.
If you intend to use non-China made leather, you are advised to contact the leather supplier in the country of origin directly.
Otherwise the risk is high that the supplier in China will only overcharge you while procuring a China made leather.
Tooling
Cutting tools
Leather are cut into certain shapes using cutting tools. Hence, the shape of, for example, a leather strap depends on the cutting tool.
Most suppliers have a set of standard cutting tools.
If you want to get a leather strap or other part cut into a certain shape, you may need to pay the for making a new cutting tool.
This often cost from $100 to $200.
Specifications
Thickness
The leather thickness must be specified in millimeters (mm).
Color system
Leather can generally be colored according to a pantone color.
It’s important that you always specify the correct pantone code to your supplier.
However, notice that ‘custom colored leather’ (according to a certain pantone colors) often results in a higher MOQ - compared to if you buy leather in one of the suppliers standard colors.
Printing
Both sides of the leather can be printed with your logo and text:
Hot stamp (most common)
Screen printing
Foil stamping
Debossing
Engraving
Textures
You can customize the surface texture of leather goods. Below follow a few examples:
Crocodile
Suede
Dots
Bamboo
Buffalo
MATERIAL GUIDE: PLASTIC
Types
PVC
PVC is used for a wide range of hard plastic parts, such as pipes and casing. PVC can, with added plastitziers, be used to create coated or laminated fabrics.
PVC coated or laminated fabrics can be printed, and used in billboards, tarpaulins or other applications.
TPU
TPU is a plastic often used to manufacture phone cases, fitness tracker bracelets, shoe insoles and as a coating on fabrics.
ABS
ABS plastic is often used to make injection molded parts, such as plastic cases (i.e., power bank cases), lighting, rods and other products.
PE
PE plastic is often used to make injection molded products and parts, such as pallets, trays, pipes and kitchen utensils.
PE can also be used to coat or laminate fabrics. There are two types of PE that you must be aware of:
HDPE (High Density)
LDPE (Low Density)
EVA
EVA is a foam plastic that is often used to make fitness products, such as yoga mats and foam rollers.
Tooling
Injection Molding
Melted metal (i.e., stainless steel) is inserted into a cavity. The metal cools down and forms a solid component, for example a watch case.
An injection mold cannot be modified, and is generally only used for a certain type of metal.
3D Printing
A 3D printer prints thin layers of plastics into objects. Today, relatively few manufacturers in China use 3D printers.
However, as 3D printers are becoming relatively cheap, some suppliers adopt 3D printing when making prototypes.
However, a 3D print is only a model, and cannot be used for mass production or replace an injection mold.
MATERIAL GUIDE: TEXTILES
Types
Cotton
Cotton is plant fiber commonly used in all types of apparel and textiles. Cotton can be combined with synthetic fibers, such as polyester. Cotton fabric is breathable.
Polyester
Polyester is a type of plastic, which fibers are also used to make fabrics. Polyester fabrics are generally cheap and durable, and used for various types of apparel. Unlike cotton, polyester is not breathable. However, there are cotton and polyester blend fabrics.
Wool
Wool is a textile fiber obtained from animals, mostly sheeps. Wool is generally more expensive than cotton. There are various types of wool, including cashmere and merino wool. Many suppliers sell ‘generic’ wool as cashmere and merino wool.
Bamboo Rayon
Bamboo fabrics are not purely made of bamboo fibers. Instead, bamboo fibers are melted and mixed with chemicals to produce bamboo rayon fabrics. Virtually all so called bamboo fabrics are bamboo rayon fabrics. Many workers are exposed to extremely dangerous chemicals and toxic fumes during the refining process. Carbon disulfide is one such substance, that causes heart attacks, blindness and even psychosis.
Bamboo fabrics do have some benefits:
Limited water usage
Biodegradable
No soil erosion (rather the opposite)
No pesticides
Notice that most countries don’t allow that bamboo rayon is described or marketed as organic.
Organic Cotton
By definition, organic cotton is grown using methods that leaves a smaller environmental footprint on the environment. For example, organic cotton is only defined as such if the following criteria are met:
No use of toxins
No use of persistent pesticides (POP)
No use of chemical fertilizers
No use of GMO seeds
In the textile industry, organic cotton is the exception, not the rule. Further, the reduction of POP and chemical fertilizers reduces yields, and therefore results in higher prices.
Nylon
Nylon is a durable polymer, that can also be used for textiles. Nylon can be blended with fibres or polymers such as cotton, polyester, and spandex.
Spandex / Lycra / Estelan
Spandex (also known as Lycra and Estelan) is a synthetic fiber, with high elasticity. Spandex is often blended with cotton, or other fibers, and used in sportswear.
Tooling
Custom tooling is generally not required when manufacturing textiles. However, some printing techniques require that ‘stencils’ are created. These normally cost $50 to $150 per print, and can be used for a large number of units.
Standards
GOTS
GOTS is the acronym for Global Organic Textile Standard, which is defined as follows:
Only fabrics that contain at least about 70% organic fibers can become GOTS certified
All chemicals such as dyestuffs and auxiliaries used must meet certain environmental and toxicological criteria
A functional wastewater treatment plant is mandatory for any wet-processing unit involved and all processors must comply with social criteria
A supplier can be GOTS certified, if they pass a factory inspection performed by an accredited third party.
There are only a handful of ‘GOTS accredited’ inspection companies with offices in China:
CERES GmbH
Control Union Certifications b.v.
Ecocert Greenlife
OEKO Tex Standard 100
OEKO Tex Standard 100 is an international and independent testing an d certification system for textiles.
OEKO Tex Standard 100 'certified / tested' textiles meet various requirements, such as the following:
Compliant with REACH (EU)
Not containing Azo colourants, formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol, cadmium, nickel
Compliant with US CPSC regulations
MATERIAL GUIDE: ELECTRONICS
Electronic Component Basics
CPU
The CPU (Central processing unit) carries out the instructions from the program.
CPUs are often built for specific applications, such as fitness trackers or smart watches.
You must always specify the brand and model of CPU that you want your product to contain.
GPU
The GPU (Graphical processing unit) is a processor specialised in imagine creation.
PCB
The CPU and other components are assembled on the PCB (Printed circuit board).
# Layers
thickness
thickness
Thickness tolerance
Panel size
Board material
Lamination
PCBA
The PCBA (PCB Assembly) is what you have once all the components are mounted on the PCB.
Sensors
A module or subsystem that is used to changes in the environment.
Sensors can send information (based on the input) to the processor.
There are various types of sensors:
Light
Motion
Sound
Vibration
Chemical
Sensors are used in fitness trackers, smartwatches, tablet computers and other portable electronics,.
Power Supply
A subsystem that supplies electrical power to the device. We advise you to use 'brand name' power supplies, such as TDK or Maxell.
Tooling
Injection Molding
Melted metal or plastic (i.e., stainless steel) is inserted into a cavity.
The metal cools down and forms a solid component, for example a power bank case.
An injection mold cannot be modified, and is generally only used for a certain type of metal.
Punching / Cutting Tools
Punching can cut and/or bend metal sheets into certain shapes.
Batteries
Lithium-Ion Batteries (Li-Ion)
Li-Ion batteries are extremely common in all types of electronic devices, such as phones, tablets, power banks and electric bikes.
Li-ion battery transportation (including li-ion battery powered devices) are strictly regulated by IATA.
Lithium-Polymer Batteries (Li-Pol)
Li-pol is essentially the same as Li-ion.
The main difference is that Li-pol batteries can be made thinner than Li-ion batteries.
Li-pol is around 20% more expensive than Li-ion.
Alkaline Batteries
Regular AA or AAA batteries. AA and AAA powered devices are subject to less strict regulations compared to those with li-ion batteries.
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