If your product will be made from plastic or metal parts, you will likely need a production mold. A mold is a hard tool that shapes hot plastic or molten metal so you can make identical products or parts at scale. Think of it as a custom waffle iron for your product.
Below is a simple explaination that covers what molds are, how much they cost, how heavy they are, how long they last, where to make them, and some examples of consumer products use them.
What is a Production Mold?
A production or factory mold is a precision block of metal with a hollow cavity cut to the shape of your product or part. Material goes in hot, it cools, the part pops out, and the tool repeats the cycle. Common mold types include:
- Injection molds for most rigid plastics, bottles and lids, cases, clips, toys, appliance parts
- Blow molds for hollow plastic shapes, bottles, jugs, coolers shells, some toys
- Rotational molds for large hollow parts, ride on toys, bins, kayaks, coolers
- Compression molds for silicone, rubber, and some fiber reinforced parts
- Die casting molds for aluminum and zinc metal parts, handles, housings, hardware
What Products Need a Mold?
Pretty much any plastic or metal product probably requires a mold to some degree. A few examples include:
- Hydration and food storage such as Nalgene style bottles and Tervis style tumblers
- Protective cases similar to Pelican style case shells and latches
- Automotive floor mats like WeatherTech liners
- Large hollow items such as Step2 ride on toys and rotomolded coolers
- Everyday parts such as clips, knobs, battery doors, enclosures, handles
How Much Do Molds Cost?
Costs vary with size, shape, tolerance, and number of cavities. These ranges are broad, so use them to plan, then get quotes.
- Small injection mold for a simple part, roughly $1,500 to $8,000 USD
- Mid size steel injection mold for a consumer part, roughly $10,000 to $60,000 USD
- Large or multi cavity steel mold for high volume parts, $50,000 USD to $150,000+ USD
- Blow molds and rotational molds vary widely, a simple single cavity can start in the low thousands, very large tools run tens of thousands
- Silicone compression molds are often lower cost than steel injection molds
These are planning numbers, not promises. Complexity drive price more than anything else.
An important piece to keep in mind is where you get your mold made as it will influence the cost. For example, most molds made in the USA will be about 4x the cost than those made in Asia without any difference in quality.
Molds are Heavy!
Molds are dense. Even small injection molds often weigh 100 to 500lbs. A medium two plate steel mold can weigh 1,000 pounds or more. Large multi cavity tools, or tools for big parts, can weigh tons. Moving molds often requires a forklift and rigging. For this reason, moving mold(s) to a new factory partner can be very costly. In some cases, it will make more sense to build a new mold than move your original mold(s).
How Long Does a Mold Take to Build?
Lead time depends on complexity and factory queue.
- Most steel injection molds take about 2 to 4 weeks
- Mid complexity steel molds often 6 to 10 weeks
- Large or multi cavity molds can be 10 to 16 weeks or more
Keep these timelines in mind if you have a target product launch date. We always recommend to add 30 days for mold creation to your projections and additional time for sampling and mold refinement.
How Long Does a Mold Last?
Tool life largely depends on the mold metal, part material, cycle temperature, and care.
- Aluminum molds which are sometimes built to make prototypes are not good to use at scale. They can fail after as little as 1000 units
- Steel molds are built for volume, typical life is 100,000 to 1,000,000 units, with proper maintenance
- Silicone and soft elastomer molds used in casting have shorter lives, often hundreds to low thousands
Maintenance matters. Make sure your factory has a protocol to clean the tool, protect surfaces, replace wear items like ejector pins and bushings. Doing this will make your tool last much longer.
Make Sure YOU Own the Mold!
Your company’s name should be engraved on the mold base, the build sheet should list you as the owner, and your agreement should say you can move the tool at any time after invoices are paid. Keep digital files, BOMs, and maintenance records. Ask for photos of the mold tags and storage location. If you do not specify mold ownership on paper, then your factory will own the mold by default, which can cause major problems for you down the road.
Production Mold Tips to Remember
- Remember to budget for your mold cost as well as samping and production costs
- Write mold ownership into your factory contract. This is something we do automatically for Klugonyx clients
- Molds made in Asia, and specifically China, will cost dramatically less than those made in the USA
If you need help understanding molds or getting mold quotes, reach out to a Klugonyx product expert today!
