Every buyer wants a good price. But the price tag on your mold quote tells only 10% of the story. Here is the other 90%.
## What Makes Up Mold TCO?
Total Cost of Ownership includes:
1. **Initial mold cost** – The quote you receive
2. **Maintenance cost** – Cleaning, repair, replacement of wear parts
3. **Downtime cost** – Lost production when the mold fails
4. **Scrap cost** – Defective parts from poor mold quality
5. **Cycle time cost** – Slower molds = higher per-part cost
## Real Numbers: Cheap vs. Quality Mold
| Factor | Cheap Mold (,000) | Quality Mold (2,000) |
|——–|———————|————————|
| Expected life | 100,000 shots | 500,000+ shots |
| Maintenance/year | ,000 | 00 |
| Scrap rate | 5-8% | 1-2% |
| Cycle time | 35 seconds | 28 seconds |
| **3-year TCO** | **8,000+** | **6,500** |
The cheap mold costs 2.3x more over 3 years.
## Why Chinese Molds Are Not All the Same
China has over 30,000 mold shops. They range from garage workshops to ISO-certified factories with German and Japanese CNC equipment. The gap between the best and worst is enormous.
## What to Look For in a Quality Supplier
– Steel certification: Ask for mill certificates for P20, H13, S136, NAK80
– Heat treatment: In-house or certified partner, with hardness reports
– Dimensional inspection: CMM reports for every mold
– Mold trial: At least 3 trials with sample parts shipped to you
– Warranty: Minimum 1 year or 500,000 shots
At Haoqiang, we use only certified mold steels, run every mold through CMM inspection, and provide complete documentation. Our molds typically run 500,000 to 1,000,000+ shots before major maintenance.
[Request a quote with TCO breakdown →](https://haoqiang-mold.com/#contact)