| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Typical MOQ | Many shower head OEM projects at ZHONGHE start from about 2,000 units; the final MOQ depends on model, packaging, and development scope. |
| Custom packaging MOQ | Custom packaging for OEM shower heads is discussable from about 2,000 units. |
| Design time (guide) | Appearance design takes about 15 days and internal structure design about 15 days, varying with complexity. |
| Mold making (guide) | A typical new shower head mold takes about 60 days to make, varying with complexity. |
| Mass production (guide) | Mass production takes about 30 days as a guide once the pilot sample is approved. |
| Fastest route | Adapting one of ZHONGHE's 115 existing models in 10 categories avoids new-mold cost and roughly 90 days of design and tooling time. |
| The factory | ZHONGHE was founded in 2001 in Cixi, Ningbo, China, and runs 15 injection molding machines and 4 production lines. |
What drives shower head OEM unit cost
Shower head unit cost is set less by the product category and more by a stack of individual decisions. At ZHONGHE, a shower head factory founded in 2001 in Cixi, Ningbo, China, quotations are built from five main drivers: material, surface finish, filtration, packaging, and mold amortization. Understanding each driver helps a buyer hit a target retail price band without cutting the specs that matter.
Quality assurance is part of the base process rather than a paid extra. ZHONGHE water-tests 100% of finished units for about 10 to 15 seconds each after assembly and before packing, and applies a 0.5MPa leakage check in selected processes.
- Material: ABS bodies are the standard baseline; a 304 stainless steel face plate on selected models or transparent PC parts add material and processing cost.
- Surface finish: chrome-like plating and painted finishes cost more than molded-in color because they add process steps and yield loss.
- Filtration: adding a filter in the head or the handle adds parts, assembly time, and sometimes extra tooling.
- Packaging: a plain polybag, a printed color box, a window box, and a blister pack sit at very different cost levels, and custom packaging is discussable from about 2,000 units.
- Mold amortization: a new mold is a fixed cost spread across the units produced, so lower volumes carry more mold cost per unit; using one of the 115 existing models avoids it entirely.
Why shower head MOQs start around 2,000 units
For many projects at ZHONGHE, the MOQ starts from about 2,000 units, and custom packaging is discussable from the same quantity. The number is not arbitrary: plating batches, paint runs, printed packaging, and production-line changeover each have a minimum efficient quantity, and below it the setup cost per unit climbs sharply.
The final MOQ always depends on the specific model, the packaging content, and the development scope. A neutral-packaging order of an existing model is easier to run at the low end of the range than a fully custom design with printed retail packaging, so buyers testing a new market usually start from the catalog of 115 existing models in 10 categories.
Timeline from RFQ to shipment
The stage times below are typical planning figures, not guarantees. Actual timing varies with product complexity, sample rounds, and order details. Existing-model projects skip the design and mold-making stages, which is why they ship months earlier.
- RFQ and scoping: share your sales channel, target price band, desired functions, and quantity. As an ODM-centric factory, ZHONGHE can start from this information even without final drawings.
- Model selection or design: choose an existing model, or run appearance design (about 15 days) and internal structure design (about 15 days) for a new product.
- Sample confirmation: for new designs, a 3D-printed sample is used to confirm shape, ergonomics, and assembly before any mold cost is committed.
- Mold making: about 60 days as a guide for a typical new shower head mold.
- Pilot sample approval: confirm off-tool parts, finish, spray behavior, and packaging fit in writing before release to mass production.
- Mass production: about 30 days as a guide, including 100% water testing of finished units before packing.
- Pre-shipment: packing and carton checks are completed before the goods leave the factory.
Existing model vs new mold: what changes
The biggest structural choice in a shower head OEM project is whether to adapt an existing model or open a new mold. Both routes end in the same production and quality process; they differ in upfront cost, calendar time, and differentiation.
| Factor | Existing model | New mold (ODM) |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront tooling cost | None; the mold already exists | A new mold is a fixed cost amortized over production volume |
| Time to first shipment | Shortest; skips roughly 90 days of design and mold making | Adds about 15 + 15 days of design and about 60 days of mold making before production |
| Differentiation | Logo, color, finish, filter, and packaging changes | Unique appearance and internal structure owned by the project |
| Risk profile | Low; the design is already in production | Managed through 3D-printed samples and pilot approval before volume |
| Best suited to | Market tests and fast launches from about 2,000 units | Established lines that need a proprietary product |
How to get an accurate quotation quickly
A quotation is only as accurate as its inputs. Send the sales channel, target quantity, desired functions, finish, filtration, and packaging format together, and the factory can quote a specific configuration instead of a wide range.
State your true first-order quantity rather than an inflated forecast. MOQ and mold amortization both hinge on it, and a quotation built for 20,000 units will not survive a 2,000-unit purchase order. It is faster to quote twice, once for the pilot quantity and once for the reorder volume, than to renegotiate a mismatched quotation after samples are approved.
If you have already seen a product you like, ZHONGHE offers a photo-match service: email a product photo to [email protected] and the factory replies with the closest of its 115 existing models, or proposes an OEM/ODM route if no close match exists.