Tooling Mold Cost Calculator China
Use our tooling mold cost calculator china to calculate how tooling and mold costs amortize across your production runs. Find the break-even unit quantity where mold costs are recovered.
Based on AQL sampling tables, industry-standard inspection benchmarks, and typical China factory lead time data.
Actual defect rates, lead times, and inspection outcomes vary by factory and product. Use these as planning benchmarks.
tooling mold cost calculator china
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Amortizing Tooling and Mold Investments
Injection molds are expensive. A complex steel mold for a plastic casing can cost $5,000 to $15,000. This fixed cost must be amortized across the projected lifespan of the mold (e.g., 100,000 "shots" or units). If the mold costs $5,000, it adds $0.05 to the cost of every unit over its 100k lifespan.
Tips for China Importers
- Always inspect before shipment for orders over $3,000. A $350–450/day inspector fee is almost always cheaper than shipping defective goods and dealing with returns, chargebacks, and Amazon removal.
- Specify AQL levels in your purchase order. AQL 2.5 is standard for most consumer goods. Use AQL 1.0 for electronics, children's products, or anything safety-critical. No AQL spec = no standard.
- Write your product specs in Chinese. Most quality failures come from unclear specifications, not malicious intent. Translate your spec sheet — it costs $50–100 and prevents $5,000 rework orders.
- Build buffer days into your lead time. Even reliable factories hit delays. Add 7–14 days to any factory-quoted lead time, especially around Chinese New Year, Golden Week, and Labour Day holidays.
- Test your production sample, not just your pre-production sample. Factories sometimes pass pre-production samples and cut corners in mass production. Always test a random production-run unit before approving shipment.