Custom mold base
Plate list, pocket layout, bores and threads cut to the drawing you already have.
Mold base · China
Chinese mold base manufacturer — what buying from China really involves
If you are searching for a Chinese mold supplier, you are probably comparing three or four quotes for the same drawing and finding that they are not on the same basis. This page is about the part we make: mold bases, mold frames and machined plates, plus complete mold builds when the cavity and core are part of the order. We are the factory, in Qingxi, Dongguan — not a trading company quoting someone else’s shop.
“Chinese mold” can mean three different purchases
The phrase gets used for three things, and the price difference between them is enormous. It is worth being precise before you compare anything:
- The complete tool. Cavity and core inserts, hot runner or cold runner, ejection, cooling, and the base that carries them. This is what most people mean by “a mold”.
- The mold base or mold frame. The steel stack alone: A and B plates, support plate, ejector plates, guide pillars and bushes, with pockets and bores machined to your insert drawing. This is what we make most of — around 2,000 sets a month.
- The company. A mold maker is the business that builds any of the above. When a search result says “Chinese mold maker”, check whether they machine in-house or pass the drawing to a shop like ours and add a margin.
We are the second kind, and we also take on the first when the order includes cavity and core inserts. If you only need plates cut to a drawing, that is a shorter conversation.
What the price of a mold base from China is made of
A mold base quote is steel, machine hours, heat treatment if the drawing calls for it, inspection, packing, and the delivery term. Two quotes for the same drawing usually differ on the first two, and it is worth asking which:
Steel
The grade on the drawing decides the plate cost more than anything else. P20 (1.2311/1.2312) and 718 are the common pre-hardened choices; S50C is the economical one for plates that carry no cavity; 4Cr13, 420H, S136H and H13 come in when corrosion, polish or heat treatment matter. A quote that does not name a grade is not a comparable quote.
Machining
Pockets, bores, threads, water lines and grinding are separate operations on separate machines. A frame with deep pockets and a 0.02 mm position callout on the pillar bores costs more to make than a plain stack of the same size, and the difference shows up in the hours, not in the steel.
What the price does not include is just as important: ocean freight, insurance, terminal handling, import duty and inland delivery depend on the delivery term at the foot of the quote. We do not publish FOB prices, because the same drawing can swing with the grade and the machining — the number that means something is the one against your drawing. How to read FOB, CIF and DAP on a mold base quote →
How 7–10 days actually happens
7–10 day lead time is typical from an approved drawing to shipment. That is possible because the machining stays in one building: 20+ CNC machining centres, CNC milling, EDM, wire-cut and deep-hole drilling, two shifts, and a 2,000 m² plant with 50+ staff. Nothing is sent out and waited on.
What pushes a date out is real work, not queue: roughing a thick plate before finishing, a stack with several heat-treatment steps, or a grade that has to be brought in. Those get their own date in the quote, and we would rather give you a real one than a fast one.
Every base is measured on a CMM before dispatch and the record travels in the crate. If your QA department needs the scan before the crate leaves, ask for it on the order and we will send it ahead of shipment.
Packing is export crates with the plates blocked so they cannot shift, faces protected, and the crate marked to your instructions. What actually ships in a crate →
Checking a Chinese mold base supplier before you pay
This applies to us as much as to anyone else on your shortlist. None of it needs a factory visit.
- Factory or trader. Ask which machines the parts will run on, then ask for a photo of that machine with the job on it. A trader cannot answer without a delay.
- Steel source. Ask for the mill name and the heat number for the plates in your order. “Equivalent” on a drawing is where grades quietly change.
- An inspection record. Ask for a CMM report from a finished job, not a sample certificate. Compare the actual numbers to the tolerance on your drawing.
- One set first. A single set is a normal order here. Judge the quality on the first one and the repeat order tells you whether the process is stable.
- Terms in writing. Grade, tolerance, delivery term, packaging, and what happens if the part arrives out of tolerance — all of it belongs in the order, not in chat.
What we machine
Fourteen product families. These are the ones a mold base buyer usually starts with.
Injection mold base
Family and single-material frames with ejection, cooling and slide space allowed for.
Standard mold base
Catalogue patterns in S50C and P20, taken from stock.
Die casting mold frame
Heavier frames for aluminium and zinc dies.
Complete mold build
Base, cavity and core inserts, ejector system, assembly and spotting.
Precision ground mold base
Ground faces held to ±0.02 mm, Ra 0.8 µm.
Specification, at a glance
Steel grades we machine
- S50C (1.1730)
- P20 (1.2311 / 1.2312)
- Forged P20
- 718
- 718H
- 738
- 738H
- 4Cr13
- 420H
- S136H
- H13 (1.2344)
- 1.2711 (54NiCrMoV6)
Other grades on request — tell us what the drawing specifies and we will confirm availability.
What we hold on the finished part
- ±0.02 mm on fitting and ground faces, including parallelism and squareness
- ±0.02 mm position on guide pillar and guide bush bores
- Ra 0.8 µm on ground faces; 0.3 mm on non-fitting faces
- Plates above 600 mm agreed piece by piece before the first cut
1 set MOQ. Payment is 50% deposit with the order and 50% before shipment; credit terms are not offered to new customers.
Questions buyers ask before the first order
What is the difference between a mold and a mold base?
A mold is the complete tool: cavity and core inserts, hot runner or sprue, ejection, cooling and the base that carries all of it. A mold base — also called a mold frame or mold shoe — is the steel stack itself. We machine both, so you can order the frame alone against your own insert design, or the whole build including cavities and cores.
Are Chinese mold bases good enough for European or American tools?
That depends on the factory, not the country. The things that decide it are measurable: whether the work is done in-house or subcontracted, which steel mill the plates come from, whether ground faces are actually ground, and whether an inspection record travels with the crate. Ask for a CMM record from a previous job and compare it to the tolerance on your drawing — that answers the question faster than any brochure.
How long does a mold base take to arrive from China?
Machining is typically 7–10 days from drawing approval to shipment for a complete, ordinary drawing. Plates that need roughing before finishing, several heat-treatment steps, or steel that has to be ordered in will take longer, and we quote those with their own dates. Add sea freight to your port on top of that — the two clocks run separately.
Which Incoterm should I use when buying a mold base from China?
FOB is the usual starting point for a first order because it is easy to compare between suppliers. CIF moves the freight bill to us but does not move the risk, which still passes when the crate is on board. DAP is worth it when you would rather not arrange import at all. Whichever you choose, ask for the same term from every supplier before comparing prices.
What is the minimum order?
One set. Mold base plates are matched to each other and are not split, but a single set is a normal order — most first orders are one or two sets.
What do you need in order to quote?
A drawing in DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES or PDF; the steel grade for each plate; the quantity; and the date you need it. A destination port or address lets us quote the delivery term you actually want. If the drawing is not finished, send what is settled and mark the rest as open — we will tell you which lines we can price now.