# Shower Head Samples and Production Lead Times

Source: https://www.ningboware.com/sourcing/shower-head-samples-and-lead-times/
Publisher: Cixi Zhonghe Sanitary Appliance Factory (ZHONGHE), Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. Contact: steven@ningboware.com
Updated: 2026-09-05

ZHONGHE, a shower head factory in Cixi, Ningbo, China, sends catalog samples from stock and specification samples after a short build. Development runs on working guides of about 15 days appearance design, 15 days structure design, 60 days mold making and 30 days production. Sample fees and lead time by order size are being confirmed for publication, and every date is fixed in the order confirmation.

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Item | Detail
--- | ---
Catalog sample | A model from the 96 published codes can normally be picked, packed and couriered quickly, since it exists in the sample room
Specification sample | A catalog body in your colour, filter media, logo or packaging has to be built, so it takes longer than a shelf sample
Appearance design | About 15 days as a working guide, for a new look on an existing or new platform
Structure design | About 15 days as a working guide, running after or alongside appearance design
Mold making | About 60 days as a working guide for a new mold, then trial shots and sample approval before production
Production | About 30 days as a working guide on an existing mold, subject to order size and season
Peak season | Capacity tightens before Chinese New Year and before the western peak shipping season; book early rather than assuming the guide figure
Sourcing | MOQ ranges from 500 to 2,000 units depending on the model, finish and packaging; custom packaging from about 2,000 units. Every finished unit is water tested about 10 to 15 seconds before packing

## The two kinds of sample, and why they take different times

A catalog sample is one of the 96 published model codes taken from the sample room, checked and couriered. Nothing is manufactured, so the clock is mostly courier time. Ask for this whenever the question is about build quality, spray feel, weight or finish, because it answers those questions in days rather than weeks.

A specification sample is your product: your colour, your filter media and fill weight, your logo, your packaging. It has to be built, which means a colour change on the line, a printed or plated part, and sometimes a purchased component. That is a short production run, not a picking job, and it is the sample that decides whether the order is right. Sample fee and turnaround policy is being confirmed for publication.

## The development and production timeline

The table below sets out the working guides ZHONGHE uses when planning a project. They are planning figures, not promises: the confirmed dates for your order go in the order confirmation, after the specification is fixed and the quantity is known. Steps can overlap, and a project on an existing mold skips the two longest rows entirely.

Read the table from the bottom if you have a launch date. Work backwards from the date the goods must be in the destination warehouse, add the sea transit for your lane, add the production guide, add sample approval, and the answer tells you when the specification has to be frozen. Most late launches are late because the specification was frozen a month after it should have been.

Step | Working guide | Notes
--- | --- | ---
Quotation | After a complete RFQ | A complete brief gets one quotation instead of three rounds of questions
Catalog sample | Courier time from the sample room | Fee and turnaround policy being confirmed
Specification sample | A short build, longer than a shelf sample | Colour, media, logo and packaging all add steps
Appearance design | About 15 days | Only for a new look
Structure design | About 15 days | Only for a new part
Mold making | About 60 days | Only for a new mold; then trial shots and approval
Production | About 30 days | On an existing mold; varies with order size
Inspection and packing | Inside the production window | 100% water test about 10 to 15 seconds per unit before packing
Sea transit | By lane and carrier | Confirm with your forwarder; loading at Ningbo-Zhoushan

## How order size and season change the answer

Lead time is not a single number because it is set by the queue as much as by the work. A small order on an existing mold in a quiet month can move quickly. The same order behind three large ones waits. A very large order runs longer simply because more units have to be molded, assembled and tested, and every unit gets the same water test of about 10 to 15 seconds before it is packed. Lead time by quantity band is being confirmed for publication.

Season matters more than most first-time buyers expect. The weeks before Chinese New Year are the busiest of the year because everyone wants goods shipped before the factories close, and the run-up to the western peak shipping season tightens both plant capacity and container space. If your launch is fixed, book the slot early and put the ship date in the order confirmation rather than relying on a guide figure from a web page.

## What to do with the sample when it arrives

Do not just look at it. Fit it, run it at your own supply pressure, cycle the spray modes, check the thread against the fitting it will meet in the destination market, weigh it, and inspect the plating in daylight against your reference. Compare the packaging against the barcode and language rules of the channel it is going into. The dedicated guide on testing a sample lists the measurements worth recording.

Approve in writing, and keep the approved sample sealed and dated. It is the reference for the pre-shipment inspection, and it is the only thing that settles an argument about whether production matches what was agreed. If anything changes after approval, treat it as a new sample round rather than an email amendment.

## FAQ

### How long is the lead time for a shower head order?

About 30 days of production on an existing mold is the working guide, before sea transit and after sample approval. A new mold adds about 60 days of tooling and about 15 plus 15 days of design before that. Lead time by quantity band is being confirmed for publication, and the confirmed dates for your order go in the order confirmation.

### Do you provide free samples?

Sample fee policy is being confirmed for publication. What is true at every factory is that a catalog sample from the sample room is quick and cheap to provide, while a sample in your colour, filter media, logo and packaging is a short production run and carries a cost. Ask for the fee, the turnaround and whether the fee is credited against the first order, and get all three in writing.

### How long does a new shower head mold take?

About 60 days as a working guide, after about 15 days of appearance design and about 15 days of structure design, and followed by trial shots and sample approval before production starts. If the programme can run on an existing ZHONGHE mold, all of that disappears and the timeline is a sample round plus about 30 days of production.

### Does peak season change the lead time?

Yes. The weeks before Chinese New Year are the tightest of the year, and the run-up to the western peak shipping season squeezes both plant capacity and container space. Book the production slot early, put the ship date in the order confirmation, and talk to your forwarder about space at the same time rather than afterwards.

### What should I check on the sample before approving it?

Fit it and run it at your own supply pressure, cycle the spray modes, check the thread against the real fitting, weigh it, inspect the plating in daylight against your reference, and check the packaging against the channel's barcode and language rules. Approve in writing and keep a sealed, dated sample, because that is the reference used at pre-shipment inspection.

## Related pages

- https://www.ningboware.com/resources/how-to-test-a-shower-head-sample-before-ordering/
- https://www.ningboware.com/resources/shower-head-oem-moq-cost-lead-time/
- https://www.ningboware.com/manufacturer/shower-head-mold-maker-and-tooling/
- https://www.ningboware.com/manufacturer/shower-head-assembly-and-water-testing-line/
- https://www.ningboware.com/sourcing/shower-head-pricing-and-quotation-guide/
- https://www.ningboware.com/resources/shower-head-oem-pre-order-checklist/