The Best Guideline For China Plastic Injection Molding Cost

11 Apr.,2024

 

If you are looking for a China plastic injection molding manufacturer to make your plastic molding parts, your first question was likely How much does the China injection molding cost to make my product? Is there any way to lower the mould cost in China?

1. Why should buy Plastic Injection Molding from China

China plastic injection molding cost is much cheaper than from the USA or Europe. Sometimes, for the same quality, the cost generally will be only 50%. Usually, the injection mold is the most expensive part of the project, and can dramatically increase costs for small part runs. With such a competitive price from China, it can totally enhance your product market competitiveness.


2. What Affects Injection Molding Cost?

The plastic mold and injection molding parts costs will directly influence whether your project going smoothly and success or failure. When you start to design a plastic part for injection molding, many factors you should consider, such as part complexity, part size, part surface, part material, mold cavity number, and production volume, will affect the price tremendously.


Part Complexity

The more complex part will require a more complex mold structure, which then leads to more mold costs. Reduce needless surfaces and corners or features as much as possible, will save huge mold costs.

Part Size

The larger the part size is, the larger the mold size is and needs more mold steel, mold cost will increase significantly.


Part Surface

An attractive surface finish will add more processing cost and time, if the part surface is not very critical or the plastic part is invisible in the assembly product, you can choose a lower-level finish, such as SPI Finish B-3 or lower C grade.

Part Material

The material cost will vary according to the type and quality of plastic you use. For example, if you choose high-cost fiberglass filler material, the mold material needs hardened steel, which also will increase the cost.

A number of Cavities and Production Volume

One cavity mold needs less time and process than multiple cavities mold (also called family mold), which will reduce mold cost, but rise the part unit price. If your production volume is small, then one cavity mold is enough; if the volume is large, you could consider multiple cavities mold.

3. How to Reduce the Plastic Injection Molding Cost in China

The best way to reduce the plastic injection molding cost in China is to find a professional plastic injection molding manufacturer. With their help, you don’t need to know so many skills to reduce the cost, they will do it for you.

However, finding a reliable plastic part supplier is not an easy thing, you can consider the following tips to reduce your plastic injection molding.

1) Save Cost From the Design

A professional plastic injection mold manufacturer knows well how to control the cost from the design stage. It is a very important skill because the design concept can determine the cost of the whole project.

The plastic injection mold manufacturer usually needs to hold a meeting in the early stage, it should consider the injection molding production, product assembly, and then find the best reasonable design. Engineers will design the mold according to this scheme, which can reduce a lot of costs.

2) One-stop Injection Molding Service

One-stop injection molding service includes mold design and manufacturing, product injection molding processing, plastic shell surface treatment (spray, screen printing, etc.), and other one-stop outsourcing services.

Why so many plastic injection molding factories are emphasize one-stop injection molding service? Because it can not only reduce the plastic injection molding cost but also save a lot of time.

One-stop injection molding service can improve production efficiency greatly. The factory with one-stop service is also very professional and has enough strength to provide you a better service.

3) Sample Test

A sample test is a must before you start your plastic parts mass production. You should require the injection molding factory to provide the proofing services. This process can tell you whether the molding factory production quality is good or not.

If the sample quality is poor, the next mass production goods are even worse. To avoid unnecessary loss, a sample test is the first thing you should do before you start your project.

4. Cost Estimating methods for plastic injection molding

Of course, we couldn’t totally rely on the plastic injection molding factory to give us the price. We can use some methods to estimate the plastic injection molding cost. Here are some common methods to estimate the plastic mold parts cost.

1) Feature-based cost estimate

This feature-based cost estimation tool is suitable for plastic molding in production quantities (more than 10,000 pieces). Since it has a smaller impact on the cost of each component, more durable and expensive tools can be used. The material costs are estimated based on the geometry of the part, and current material prices are used.

In order to reduce production costs, a compatible injection molding machine was selected from a database of more than 50 machines, and the cycle time was estimated based on the part geometry, material properties, and machine specifications.

For the mold cost, use the standard mold size and mold category to select the appropriate mold base, and estimate the required mold processing based on the geometry of the part and other user specifications. These three costs (materials, production, and molds) are calculated for 4 different cavity arrangements (1, 2, 4, and 8 cavities) and provide the most cost-effective option.

2) Low volume injection molding cost estimate

This feature-based cost estimation tool is suitable for injection molding in small batches (less than 10,000 units). Because of the great impact on the cost of each part, the rapid tool method (high-speed processing of 104 molds) is used to create molds. Material costs are estimated based on the geometry of the part, and current material prices are used. In order to reduce production costs, a compatible injection molding machine was selected from a database of more than 50 machines, and the cycle time was estimated based on the part geometry, material properties, and machine specifications.

For the cost of plastic molds, use the standard mold size to select the appropriate mold base, and estimate the required mold processing based on the geometry of the part and other user specifications. These three costs (materials, production, and molds) are calculated for 4 different cavity arrangements (1, 2, 4, and 8 cavities) and provide the most cost-effective option.

3) Standard estimate

This standard injection molding cost estimator does not require any part geometry but requires more input of process parameters to calculate a more accurate estimate. Material costs are estimated based on the number of parts and runners, and up-to-date material database containing pricing, and customizable process parameters. For production costs, cycle time, as well as machine rate and labor rate must be specified. After adding mold cost, a detailed cost breakdown of material, production and mold costs is provided.

4) Plastic mold cost estimate

This feature-based cost estimator calculates the mold cost for plastic molding. According to the geometric shape of the part and the requirements of the mold, such as the number of cavities, use the standard mold size to select the appropriate mold base. The required mold processing is for the selected SPI mold type and the rapid plastic mold method can be selected for 104 types of molds or low-volume products.

5. China Plastic Injection Molding Cost FAQ

Here are some problems that our injection mold buyers faced:

1) Is 3d printing cheaper than injection molding?

If mass production is required, traditional molding methods such as injection molding are inseparable. Just need a separate product or sample, try 3D printing.

2) Is a small injection mould cheaper than a large injection mold?

The injection mold price is not only determined by the size of the product, but also according to the complexity of the structure of the product. Small injection mold requires higher accuracy, so the cost of production may be not cheap.

3) How do you know if you have got a good price for your plastic injection molding?

Plastic injection molding is a very competitive industry, there is no standard price at present. To win the customers, some plastic injection molding factories even don’t add any profits in the price, only add some processing charges.

Holly plastic has a client who needs a plastic mold for E-cigarette, before contacting us, they worked with a plastic injection molding supplier in Dongguan. Because using poor material, their mold suction holes are easy to burst.

The price was nearly double that of the first supplier, and it really scared the customer. Because we need to use food-grade material to make this mold, this material will not deform at a temperature of 80 degrees, and it is a special non-toxic material. The client finally agreed to our offer, we finish this project together successfully. So you see, the price is not the only thing we need to consider!

4) Can I choose a small plastic injection molding factory in China as my partner?

In China, especially in Guangdong and Zhejiang, there are many small plastic injection molding factories, some of them can not only give you a great price but also guarantee quality. However, small may not mean cheap, it also means poor quality. Scientific team management can help small plastic mold factories low the cost and improve the quality, if you find a professional engineer team, a small factory will help you save a lot of money and time.

6. Conclusion

Although the initial cost of injection molds is very high, with a certain volume, injection molded parts are indeed cheaper than processed parts. This crossover can occur from as few as 100 parts to about 5000 parts, depending on the part. Having a good understanding of the plastic injection molding cost will help your project runs smoothly. Hope all of this information can help you to get an idea about the plastic injection molding cost idea for your project.

Holly Plastic focus in plastic injection molding field, offer strict program management from design to production, to provide our customers with quality plastic injection molding parts.

Thank you for reading!

I really hope this article has been useful for you! Please reach out to me if you have any questions about your new plastic products.


China has risen to dominate global injection mold manufacturing, but the US and Japan still lead in certain niche areas. This detailed article examines the key strengths and weaknesses of each country’s industry.

China: The World’s Mold Manufacturing Hub

Over the last few decades, China has rapidly grown into the world’s largest producer of injection molds. Here are some of China’s major advantages and disadvantages in mold making:

Strengths

Massive Production Capacity

With over 7,000 injection molding facilities, China boasts tens of thousands of mold manufacturers, far exceeding any other country. The province of Guangdong alone has over 3,000 companies specializing in mold making. This enormous capacity allows mass production of molds at a huge scale to meet high-volume demand.

Chinese manufacturers can handle truly gigantic orders in the hundreds of thousands to millions of units. Their production lines and labor pool are unrivaled globally. This capacity is ideal for enormous production runs, such as molds for plastic tableware, furniture, consumer electronics, and toys.

Low Cost

Thanks to lower labor costs, high competition, and ready access to raw materials, Chinese manufacturers can offer very attractive pricing on molds, often 40-50% cheaper than Western companies.

Chinese workers make on average under $20 per hour, versus $40+ per hour for skilled workers in the US mold industry. This wage difference alone results in major cost savings.

Additionally, China’s broad supplier base for materials like tool steel and its booming domestic steel production help reduce raw material costs. Cheap infrastructure and facilities overhead also contribute to lower prices.

This perfect storm makes China ideal for high-quantity, cost-sensitive projects where molds are viewed primarily as commodities. Examples include relatively simple molds for caps, closures, buckets, crates, utensils, and various consumer product components.

Quick Turnaround Times

Abundant skilled labor and manufacturing capacity enable very rapid mold production compared to other major economies. Lead times in China can be 50% or more faster than the US.

Rapidly scaling up production lines through adding shifts or workers is common practice in China. The breakneck pace of manufacturing also extends to supporting activities like heat treatment, machining, and polishing.

Some Chinese companies even sustain the financial losses required to expedite extremely urgent molds, recouping the costs in future orders. There is an emphasis on quick delivery to satisfy international customers.

Weaknesses

Quality Control Concerns

While leading Chinese manufacturers produce high-quality molds exceeding international standards, quality control and consistency issues are definitely more common compared to Japan or Germany.

Extra inspection and quality assurance steps may be necessary when sourcing Chinese molds, especially for exacting applications. Verifying samples from initial pilot runs is prudent.

Precision, surface finishing, dimensional accuracy, and longevity often still fall slightly short of top Japanese and German brands. The difference has narrowed considerably in recent years though.

Poor consistency batch-to-batch can also be an issue with some Chinese shops. This increases the risk of defects down the line after an initial set of samples checks out.

Intellectual Property Protection

Despite government efforts to improve IP protection, intellectual property rights enforcement is still a major concern in China. Extra precautions are necessary to protect proprietary mold designs.

Cases exist of Chinese vendors illegally sharing or copying a customer’s mold design to sell to competitors. Signed agreements help but may not provide ironclad protection. Measures like obscuring part of the design may be warranted.

Fears over IP theft lead some companies to limit what they manufacture in China to commodity, non-critical molds only. Redundant security and legal controls add costs and hassles.

Language and Cultural Barriers

Communicating effectively with Chinese partners can pose challenges for those not well-versed in the culture and language. Miscommunication is a much greater risk when working cross-border.

Often, instructions, design specs, and feedback get lost in translation. This frequently results in multiple back-and-forth communications to get everything right. Revising and reworking molds may happen more frequently.

Hiring qualified bilingual engineers or QC staff to interface between the client and Chinese company is highly recommended when these barriers may impact quality.

The United States: Innovation and Specialization

Though overshadowed by China in volumes, the US injection molding industry leads globally in some niche high-value areas thanks to skilled labor, advanced technology, and rigorous quality control.

Strengths

Cutting-Edge Technology

Access to advanced software, computer-controlled equipment, automated processes, and sophisticated production techniques empowers US companies to craft highly innovative, high-precision molds across a vast range of applications.

Specialties like multi-material molds, micromolds for medical devices, and high cavitation molds for automotive rely on American engineering talent and technology leadership. Many global innovations in mold design originate in the US.

Investment in R&D and close integration of design with production gives the US a technology edge over China’s more basic, labor-intensive industry. US companies leverage leading CAD/CAM, CNC machining centers, EDM, laser etching, tooling, and more.

Strict Quality Standards

Consistent quality control, rigorous process improvement principles, and adoption of Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing (borrowed from the electronics and automotive industries) ensure reliable, high-performing molds from US vendors.

While costs are higher, so is the emphasis on precision, repeatability, verification testing, and longevity. US molds average 2-3 times the lifespan of Chinese equivalents. Tight tolerances down to 0.005″ are routinely achieved.

Automation plays a key role – reducing human errors and inconsistencies associated with manual processes prevalent in China. US manufacturers invest heavily in quality to satisfy discerning customers.

Intellectual Property Protection

IP protection is stringent in the US, enforced through both civil litigation and criminal penalties. This provides security for new proprietary mold designs and manufacturing processes.

US companies feel safe investing significant resources into R&D of innovative mold technologies that give them a competitive edge, knowing their intellectual property is safe.

Complex and Specialized Molds

For exceptionally challenging molds with intricate side-actions, multi-material construction, extremely high cavitation, or other innovative features, US engineering and quality is truly world-class.

The US dominates globally in certain specialty mold segments like LED lighting, medical devices, optics, electronics enclosures, and precision automotive applications where precision is paramount and cost second priority.

Weaknesses

High Cost

The combination of higher domestic labor rates, limited competition, and substantial overhead makes molds in the US around 2-3x more expensive than Chinese or Asian equivalents.

For many cost-driven programs, especially high-volume consumer goods, US mold prices simply don’t compete. The value proposition has to justify the higher investment.

Slower Lead Times

Most US mold shops are relatively small, niche players with lower volumes and capacity than China’s huge factories. They cannot match China’s ability to rapidly scale up production on short notice to meet impossible deadlines.

Realistically, low-volume US manufacturers often quote lead times of 8-12 weeks, sometimes longer for highly complex molds. China can deliver in 4-6 weeks in many cases.

Limited Capacity

The US has far fewer injection molding companies than Asian countries like China, Taiwan, or Korea. This restricts total output, making the US impractical for many high-volume, low-cost programs.

Only molds requiring the highest precision, performance, or complexity can justify being made in America today. US shops specialize in certain niches rather than one-size-fits-all capacity.

Japan: The Pinnacle of Mold Quality

Japanese mold manufacturers are globally synonymous with outstanding quality and precision. Here are factors underlying Japan’s mold making prowess:

Strengths

Unrivaled Precision

Thanks to stringent process controls, high-end equipment, and extreme attention to detail, Japanese molds achieve remarkably tight tolerances of 0.002″ or better, smooth surface finishes under 4 Ra, and exceptional durability even over millions of cycles.

This pristine precision results in products of remarkable consistency. Japan sets the global benchmark for mold quality and performance year after year.

Continuous Improvement Culture

By constantly refining production methods, investing heavily in cutting-edge machining technology, extensive worker training, and pushing the limits of automation, Japan minimizes costs despite high labor rates.

Kaizen, or continuous improvement, is central to Japanese manufacturing philosophy. Innovation efforts focus on optimizing every facet of mold construction – a key reason Japan leads in mold precision worldwide.

Cutting-Edge Innovation

Through focused R&D efforts, close collaboration between steelmakers, materials scientists, mold designers and mold manufacturers, and integration of university research, Japan leads globally in advanced mold technologies.

Japan pioneered segmented multi-component mold construction enabling complex geometries in single parts. It also leads in special alloys, coatings, and mold treatments that extend mold life dramatically.

Customer Service

Japanese companies build exceptionally close, collaborative partnerships with their customers compared to more transactionalCopy

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relationships commonly found in the West. This results in superb technical support, after-sales service, and ongoing mold maintenance.

Engineers work side-by-side with clients in mold design reviews, ensuring the end product will meet expectations. Rapid remote tech support and even on-site troubleshooting at the customer’s production facility are standard practice.

Post-delivery mold tuning, adjustments, repairs and spare parts supply ensure years of optimal performance. This customer-centric ethos builds immense trust and loyalty.

Weaknesses

Limited Volume

While fully capable of high precision, Japanese mold shops lack the capacity for ultra-high-volume production runs of millions of units possible in China. The focus is on quality over quantity.

Most Japanese shops are relatively small, specialized operations that cannot compete with China on sheer scale. Highly complex molds still run in the thousands of units, not hundreds of thousands.

Expensive Pricing

One pays a premium for a Japanese mold – often 2-3x US and 5-10x China pricing. The high material, engineering and labor costs mean profit comes from value, not volume.

For low-margin, high-volume products, Japanese molds are out of the question. Japan focuses on precision-dependent, technically challenging applications where quality trumps cost.

Niche Focus

While offering broad capabilities, Japan truly excels in certain specialty niches like automotive components, electronics, medical devices, optics, and precision instruments where extreme precision is mandatory.

Japan remains highly competitive in these segments but lags in high-volume commodity mold manufacturing. The focus is on Japan’s strengths rather than one-size-fits-all capability.

Choosing the Right Country for Your Project

When selecting a country for your custom injection molds, consider the following factors:

  • Budget – China offers the most cost-effective solution for high-volume molds where cost is the priority.
  • Quality Requirements – For tight precision, performance, consistency, and longevity, Japan and the US are superior.
  • Part Complexity – Intricate molds with challenging actions, tight tolerances, or multi-component construction play to US and Japanese strengths.
  • Production Volumes – For truly massive quantities in the millions, China’s capacity is unmatched.
  • Technical Expertise – Match the mold application to each country’s niche specialty. US leads in innovative mold technologies, Japan in ultimate precision.
  • Lead Time – China can deliver large molds faster. US and Japan have longer lead times.
  • Intellectual Property Concerns – The US and Japan provide greater IP protection for proprietary molds.
  • Post-Molding Support – Japanese companies offer exemplary technical support and customer service exceeding US/China.

Additionally:

  • Perform thorough due diligence on potential vendors through samples, references, site visits etc.
  • Clearly communicate quality expectations and specifications upfront.
  • Implement quality assurance steps like dimensional verification on initial samples.
  • Make tooling ownership agreements absolutely clear.

With attention to these factors, buyers can derive the maximum benefit from Chinese, American and Japanese injection mold manufacturing for their specific program needs and priorities.

Here is a table comparing the injection mold industries in China, the US, and Japan:

ChinaUnited StatesJapanCostLowest cost, 40-50% cheaper than US/Japan2-3x higher cost than ChinaHighest cost, 5-10x higher than ChinaLead TimesVery fast, 50%+ quicker than USSlower than China, ~8-12 weeksSlower than ChinaQualityLower consistency and precision vs US/JapanVery high consistency and precisionHighest global precision standardsVolume CapacityMassive volumes in millionsSmaller niche volumesLower volumes than ChinaComplexityHandles moderately complex moldsSpecializes in highly complex moldsExcellent at precision complex moldsTechnologyRelies more on labor, less automationCutting-edge software and automationHeavy R&D and automation investmentIP ProtectionWeakest protectionVery strong legal protectionStrong protectionPost-Mold SupportBasicGood technical supportComprehensive customer supportNiche FocusHigh volume commodity moldsInnovative, multi-material, high-cavitation moldsAuto, medical, optics, electronics

This extensive comparison of the Chinese, American and Japanese injection mold manufacturing industries covers the unique strengths and weaknesses of each country. With a detailed understanding of these key factors, buyers can make astute sourcing decisions aligned to their specific mold requirements, budgets and priorities.

The Best Guideline For China Plastic Injection Molding Cost

Comparing China Vs. The US And Japan For Injection Mold Manufacturing