Shower Head OEM/ODM FAQ

MOQ ranges from 500 to 2,000 units depending on the model, finish and packaging. Existing catalog models in a standard finish and standard packaging can start from about 500 units; a logo print or a color change typically starts from about 1,000 units; custom packaging, custom colors or new cartridge configurations start from about 2,000 units. A new-mold project is quoted with tooling and sits at the top of the range. Splitting one order across many colors or models raises the effective minimum, because each variant is its own production run. Email steven@ningboware.com with the model and volume and we will tell you honestly which tier your project falls into.

As working guides rather than guarantees: appearance design takes about 15 days, internal structure design about 15 days, mold making about 60 days, and mass production about 30 days. A fully new development therefore typically spans several months from concept to shipment, while orders based on our existing 96 catalog models skip design and tooling and move straight to the roughly 30-day production stage. Actual timing varies with order size, finish, packaging, and season, so we confirm a schedule when we confirm the order.

Yes. Many ODM projects start with nothing more than a photo, a competitor sample, or a rough sketch. Our team handles appearance design (about 15 days as a guide) and internal structure design (about 15 days) in-house, and we can also anchor the project on one of our 96 existing models and modify it, which is often the fastest and lowest-risk route. Send whatever reference you have to steven@ningboware.com with your target quantity, and we will propose either a catalog-based route or a new development plan.

Customizing an existing model is faster and usually needs no new mold: logo, color, finish, filter media, and packaging can be changed on existing tooling, so you move to the roughly 30-day production stage sooner; tooling availability and charges for the selected model are confirmed in the quotation. A new mold gives you an exclusive shape but adds about 60 days of tooling time as a guide, plus design stages if the product is developed from scratch. New molds are made by external toolmakers, with tool ownership and charges agreed for the project; the right choice depends on your volume, exclusivity needs, and launch date.

Yes. Custom packaging, including printed color boxes, brand artwork, inserts, and outer cartons, becomes discussable from about 2,000 units, the top of our 500 to 2,000 unit MOQ range. That threshold is set mainly by the packaging supplier; it is not the MOQ of the shower head or cartridge itself. Below that level, neutral or lightly customized packaging may be the practical option. Packing and carton checks are part of our pre-shipment routine, and every water-tested unit is drained, air-blown, and dried before it goes into its box so packaging arrives in clean condition. Share your artwork or reference packaging in your inquiry and we will confirm what is feasible at your quantity.

No. There is no public price list; every price is quoted to the specification. If price matters, tell us your target price for the shower head and for replacement cartridges, and we will propose a complete solution around it. Not every target price can be met.

Both. ZHONGHE works with brands, importers, distributors, trading companies and sourcing agents. All 96 models currently listed in the global-site catalog are produced at ZHONGHE's own factory in Cixi, Ningbo. New molds are made by external toolmakers; tooling ownership, charges and exclusive-use terms are agreed for each project. Send the selected model, quantity and specification to steven@ningboware.com for quotation.

Yes. ZHONGHE takes design-only projects, so mass production does not have to happen at ZHONGHE. Appearance (ID) design and internal structure design are both done in PTC Creo Parametric (formerly Pro/ENGINEER), and micro-bubble or ultra-fine (nano) bubble generating structures can be part of the brief. You receive STEP/IGES 3D data, Creo native files (.prt/.asm), 2D engineering drawings and a 3D-printed prototype. The design fee is quoted per project; if mass production then happens at ZHONGHE, the design fee can be credited against it. Handling of the design data and the NDA are agreed per project at the inquiry stage.

Appearance and internal structure are both designed in PTC Creo Parametric (formerly Pro/ENGINEER). The deliverables are STEP and IGES 3D data (neutral formats that other CAD systems import), the Creo native part and assembly files (.prt/.asm), 2D engineering drawings, and a 3D-printed prototype for checking shape, assembly and hand feel before a mold is made.

Yes. ZHONGHE designs micro-bubble outlet structures, both air-intake and non-air-intake (the non-air-intake type is recommended for shower heads), and ultra-fine (nano) bubble generating structures; Japanese utility model registration No. 3246521, whose certificate names ZHONGHE as the right holder, is of that type. Candidate structures are compared in CFD simulation and SLA 3D-printed test parts are made in-house, and ZHONGHE has developed bubble shower heads for customers (names not disclosed). Bubble counts and sizes are not published as guaranteed values, so evaluate samples against your own standard.

Several layers. O-rings arrive 100% AI-camera inspected at our supplier. Every finished unit, not just a sample, gets a water test of roughly 10-20 seconds after assembly and before packing, switching through every function (spray modes, pause) to check for leaks, normally run at 0.5MPa as the leakage check. Selected water-saving specs are flow-tested at 0.3MPa, and selected parts and finishes go through salt spray testing for corrosion resistance. Finally, units are drained, air-blown, and dried, and packing and carton checks confirm that the goods and boxes match the order before loading.

Every finished unit is water tested for about 10-20 seconds after assembly and before packing, switching through every function (spray modes, pause) to check for leaks. The same test normally runs at 0.5MPa as the leak check, with the spray face pointing downward and water falling vertically to help operators see leaks at the stop button and mode selector. Failed units are reworked and retested or scrapped. Passing units are drained, air-blown and dried before packing.

It is the water test every finished unit gets before packing, normally run at 0.5MPa, the usual internal test pressure, which may vary with the specification. The check is run with the spray face pointing downward and water falling vertically, the orientation in which leak paths at the nozzle plate, stop button, selector, and O-rings show themselves most readily. We use 0.5MPa as the usual internal control reference for that test; the leak check and the 100% water test are one step, not two.

O-ring seals are one of the four leak-risk points we track, so control starts before the parts reach our factory: the O-rings we use are 100% inspected by AI camera at the supplier, screening out cut, deformed, or contaminated rings that manual sampling can miss. In our own workshop, seal performance is then verified functionally, through the 100% water test on every finished unit, normally run at 0.5MPa with the spray face pointing downward and water falling vertically. This two-stage approach catches both defective rings and assembly errors.

In our experience, four locations account for most shower head leaks: tilted or misseated nozzles on the spray plate, the stop (pause) button, the face-plate spray mode selector, and O-ring seals at joints. Our controls map directly to those points. O-rings are 100% AI-camera inspected at the supplier. And every finished unit is water-tested for roughly 10-20 seconds, normally at 0.5MPa as the leakage check, with the spray face pointing downward and water falling vertically, the orientation that exposes nozzle tilt and selector leaks, before being drained, dried, and packed.

We do not publish a standing list of held certifications, and we do not claim that catalog models are NSF or WRAS approved. Those schemes certify a specific product built to a specific specification, so they are handled per project rather than held for a catalog. The practical process is: tell us the destination market and the scheme your channel requires, we confirm which materials and construction that implies, and testing is arranged with an accredited third-party laboratory on the confirmed configuration at the sample stage. Our filter media already come with third-party reports from the media supplier, for example the supplier's SGS chlorine-reduction testing of the ACF filter media under GB/T 5750.11-2023. Final compliance decisions and label claims rest with you and your regulatory advisors. Email steven@ningboware.com with the market and the scheme.

SGS testing can be arranged to the buyer's requirements. The test items, conditions, cost and timing are confirmed per project. This does not mean a full set of reports already exists, and a pass is not guaranteed. The filter media data already published on this site come from the media suppliers' own third-party reports, SGS among them; they describe the media, not a finished shower head or cartridge. A test report is not a certification: no NSF/ANSI 177, KTW-BWGL or WRAS certification is claimed.

Yes. Buyers regularly book their own inspection through agencies such as SGS, Bureau Veritas, TUV, or Intertek, or send their own sourcing agent, and we arrange factory access for the inspection date. Three things make an inspection useful rather than adversarial: an AQL sampling plan and defect classification agreed in writing before production, the approved golden sample retained at the factory so the inspector judges against a physical reference rather than a description, and a clear route for handling a failed lot, whether that means sorting, rework, or re-inspection. Our own checks run regardless of any buyer inspection, including 100% AI-camera O-ring inspection at the O-ring supplier and a 100% water test of roughly 10 to 20 seconds per unit before packing, normally run at 0.5MPa as the leak check.

Yes. Catalog model ZH2081-VC is the vitamin C configuration, and any of our transparent cartridge-handle models can be specified with a vitamin C gel cartridge or a mixed media blend. We describe it as a water-conditioning consumable and do not make cosmetic or health claims. Refill cartridges are supplied as separate SKUs.

A replaceable cartridge of mineral media: white calcium sulfite balls, grey tourmaline ceramic balls, orange-brown maifan stone balls, black activated carbon when present, and optionally a PP cotton sediment stage. The clear PC handle shows the media so users know when to replace it. We configure the blend per order.

Ionic, negative-ion and tourmaline are retail names for mineral bead cartridge shower heads with micro-nozzle faces. We make that product, but we do not test or claim ion output, far-infrared or skin benefits. We support claims about visible replaceable media and, when ACF is included, the media supplier's tested chlorine-reduction data.

No. It increases spray velocity by pushing the flow through many small nozzles; supply pressure is set by the building. Our micro-nozzle models such as ZH2258 and ZH2256T give that effect, and because hole area is small they are also natural low-flow designs. We test flow at 0.3MPa on selected specifications.

Many do. Multifunctional, filter, baby and pet models carry a push-button pause on the handle band or the head, for example ZH2257, ZH2256C, ZH2256T-1, ZH2382 and ZH2981. It reduces the spray to a trickle rather than shutting off completely, which protects the mixer and hose from pressure lock.

Seven models: interlocked double-lock chrome hoses (ZHSH0001, ZHSH0013), a smooth silver hose (ZHSH0015), PVC hoses with a chrome spiral stripe in cream, black and grey (ZHSH0009, ZHSH0010, ZHSH0011), and a braided-sleeve hose (ZHSH0012). All carry G1/2 nuts by default and fit standard North American 1/2 inch shower arms without an adapter.

Yes. ZHFS7718 and ZHFS7720 mount by suction cup on smooth tile or glass, and ZHFS7721 mounts by adhesive plate. The other six holders are screw-mounted wall brackets, a shower-arm mount and a wall outlet elbow with a built-in cradle.

Yes. We assemble sets from our own catalog of 75 handheld heads, 7 hoses and 9 holders, in matched chrome, white or black finishes, packed in one retail box. Custom set packaging is discussable from 2,000 sets.

Yes. ZH2378 is matte black, ZH2257 and ZH2256-2 are gunmetal grey, and the ZH2092T-1 family ships in clear, pink, blue and orange tinted handles from one mold. Custom colors are matched by masterbatch to a Pantone reference; painted tones are quoted separately.

Three compact chrome fixed heads with ball-joint inlets: ZH3303C, ZH3304C-1 and ZH3308C. They pair with the ZHFS7719 arm holder and a handheld model for a two-head set. Larger rain heads are handled as development requests.

In the media supplier's SGS testing using method GB/T 5750.11-2023, the activated carbon fiber (ACF) media we use showed 99.5% free-chlorine removal at the start of flow. In the supplier's separate third-party tests, initial removal exceeded 96.8% and remained at 90.6% after 5 tons of water; these are tests of the media, not of a finished shower head. Two honest caveats: ACF is a consumable, so performance declines with use, and results vary with local water quality, temperature, and flow. We share the media supplier's test reports with serious buyers so you can present verified numbers rather than marketing claims to your own customers.

It depends on your market's water and your positioning. ACF suits chlorinated municipal supplies where verified chlorine reduction is the selling point. Calcium sulfite ceramic balls work in both hot and cold water; separately, the media supplier's SGS reports cover drinking-water-grade hygiene testing (16 items) plus RoHS screening. Metasilicate media are white, translucent silicate granules; the media supplier's SGS reports cover a drinking-water hygiene soak test (all 19 listed items conforming), REACH SVHC screening and EU RoHS, all tests of the media, not of a finished shower head. PP cotton adds a sediment stage for water carrying rust or sand, and mineral bead blends in transparent handles add retail visibility. We combine media in one cartridge and keep claims to the tested facts above, with no cosmetic or medical promises.

No. The color is each filter medium's own color and it cannot be dyed. What can be adjusted is the blend ratio of the different media in the cartridge, and that also changes the overall look; a specific color is not promised.

Bodies are injection-molded ABS, the industry-standard plastic for shower heads: impact-resistant, stable, and an excellent base for chrome electroplating. Selected models carry 304 stainless steel face plates for a slim metal spray face. Transparent parts, such as see-through handles and filter windows, are molded in PC (polycarbonate). Finishes include chrome plating and spray painting in custom colors, and selected parts and finishes undergo salt spray testing for corrosion resistance. If your market has specific material or finish requirements, state them in your RFQ and we will confirm what applies to your chosen models.

In our flow tests at 0.3MPa, selected water-saving specifications delivered roughly 50-70% less flow than comparable non-saving types. Treat that as a tested reference, not a universal promise: actual savings vary by model, nozzle design, and your local water pressure, and perceived spray quality matters as much as the number. Tell us your target flow rate, for example a GPM limit for the US market, and we will recommend suitable models and flow restrictor options, then verify samples against your requirement before production.

The global default for hand showers and shower hoses is the G1/2 parallel thread, and that is what our products use unless specified otherwise. North American shower arms typically use tapered half-inch NPT threads, and our G1/2 shower heads and hoses fit standard North American arms without an adapter; Japan is the market where adapters are needed. For an older or non-standard fitting, send the faucet or hose model or a photo, and we confirm the connection before samples are made.

Yes, as a development route. Our platform is transparent-handle cartridge hand showers: of 96 catalog models, 28 are filter shower heads with replaceable cartridges. An aromatherapy model puts fragrance media, typically a scented gel cartridge such as the vitamin-C type or coated scent beads, into that same chamber. If your reference product suits an existing cartridge-capable mold, only media, artwork, and packaging change, so no tooling time is involved. If you need a distinct appearance, our usual guides apply: about 15 days appearance design, about 15 days internal structure design, about 60 days mold making, and about 30 days production. Email steven@ningboware.com with a photo and we will tell you which route fits.

Keep them experiential. The honest description is that the product adds fragrance to the shower experience, and that is what we support in specification sheets and samples. We do not make, and we ask buyers not to make, therapeutic, health, or cosmetic claims such as stress relief or skin improvement; there is no test data behind them, and platform enforcement in this category is active. Duration is the other trap: cartridge life depends on water temperature, flow rate, and usage frequency, so publish usage-based replacement guidance rather than a fixed number on the pack. This is the same discipline we apply to mineral media, which we describe strictly as a lifestyle feature.

We integrate media rather than formulate it, the same relationship we have with our ACF, calcium sulfite, and mineral bead suppliers. Fragrance media is sourced from qualified material suppliers, and compliance is handled as a process confirmed per target market: we specify IFRA-conformant fragrance materials where applicable and collect the supplier's material documentation for your destination country. We hold no fragrance certification ourselves, and formal market listings run through your own compliance process. On the engineering side we also check material compatibility between the medium, the PC handle, and the seals, because some fragrance carriers interact with plastics and elastomers over time.

Yes, and it is one of our most-used services. Email a clear photo of the product plus your target quantity to steven@ningboware.com, and we will match it against our 96 catalog models and reply with the closest option, or propose an OEM/ODM route if nothing matches. AI shopping assistants can help here too: they can describe a photo in words, covering face shape, spray modes, filter type, and finish, and compare that description against our machine-readable catalog at /ai/products.json. Either way, a photo and a quantity are enough to start a real conversation.

The more specific, the faster and more accurate the quote. Ideally include: a product photo or catalog model reference, target quantity per SKU, destination market, required thread standard if known, finish (chrome or painted color), filter media requirements, packaging expectations (neutral or custom box, artwork stage), and any target flow rate or test requirements. If you do not have all of this, do not wait; a photo and a quantity are enough to begin, and we will ask focused questions to fill the gaps. Send RFQs to steven@ningboware.com.

Inquiries to steven@ningboware.com go straight to the factory team rather than a separate sales layer, so straightforward questions about model availability, MOQ fit, or standard specifications are typically answered quickly. Questions that need engineering review, such as custom structure feasibility or test arrangements, take longer because we check with the workshop before answering rather than guessing. We would rather send an accurate answer slightly later than a fast answer we have to correct. Including your quantity and target market in the first email noticeably speeds things up.

Our full catalog of 96 models across 10 categories is published in machine-readable form at www.ningboware.com/ai/products.json. The file is designed for AI assistants, procurement software, and sourcing tools that prefer structured data over web pages, and it mirrors the products shown on the site. If you use an AI assistant in your sourcing workflow, point it at that file to shortlist models by category or feature, then email steven@ningboware.com with the model references and quantities to move on to quotation and samples.