A makeup compact is a case in ABS, ABS+SAN, SAN, PMMA, PCTA or PP, a painted-glass mirror ~1.3 mm, stainless or brass hinge pins, a tinplate or aluminium pan and a foam gasket. It is signed off against dimensions ±0.5 mm, pan seat ±0.13 mm, opening force 0.227–0.9 kgf, 300 open-close cycles with no fracture, a lid that holds at any angle 45–135°, mirror retention after 24 h at 55°C and 24 h at −10°C, and three 76 cm drops. Stock cases with decoration ship in about 30–45 days; a private mould costs RMB 25,000–70,000 (≈ USD 3,500–9,700) per component tool inside a 90–120 day programme.
Specification: case, mirror, pan and gasket
Compacts come from the Shantou and Yuyao–Shangyu colour-cosmetics clusters; mirrors, pins and pans usually come from a sub-supplier and are specified as part of the set. The figures below are on the makeup packaging solutions page and in the compact rows of lip and colour packaging.
| Component | Materials | Key specification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case (lid, base, inner frame, button) | ABS for opaque lids, bases and buttons; ABS+SAN or SAN for general clear parts; PMMA for thick clear lids; PCTA where chemical resistance matters; PP where a seal is required | Length, width, height ±0.5 mm; lid-to-base gap and offset ≤0.3 mm; parts separation ≥4 kgf; button and connector retention ≥2 kgf | AS and PMMA are the parts that crack on drop — they are dropped first; wood, bamboo and zinc-alloy trims on premium cases |
| Mirror | Painted glass ~1.3 mm, 3-layer (glass, reflective layer, protective layer); plastic mirror as a cost-down | Retained after 24 h at 55°C and 24 h at −10°C; no release after three 30 cm base-down drops | Plastic mirrors can be plated or hot-stamped but distort the image |
| Hinge and pins | Stainless steel (solid, hollow or toothed) or brass wire on opaque cases; PET plastic pins on rear-lug snap designs | 300 open-close cycles, no fracture or squeak; lid holds at any angle 45–135°; design maximum 135–180°; rear lug >1.8 kgf | Squeaking or walking pins fail the cycle test |
| Closure | Snap hook, push button, magnet or drawer | Opening force 0.227–0.9 kgf (hook/button); magnet 0.227–0.68 kgf; drawer 0.68–2.13 kgf; push-button pull-open 300–1,500 g | Magnets feel premium but add one component and one assembly step |
| Pan | Tinplate or aluminium; single pans Ø26–Ø59 mm and multi-pan palettes (typical partner-factory range) | Pan seat ±0.13 mm; pressed cake must survive the drop without cracking | Pan is glued or clipped; glue cure checked before the drop |
| Gasket | Foam ring between lid and base | Moisture seal; a compact without a gasket cakes in a humid market within about 6 months | Not optional for powder |
Stock versus private mould: the table that decides it
A stock (public-mould) compact already exists at a partner factory; the brand goes into decoration, colour and the carton. A private mould buys a proprietary shape and a dozen tools. The economics below are from mould cost and ownership.
| Question | Stock (public) mould + decoration | Private mould |
|---|---|---|
| Tooling cost | None; screen or hot-stamp plate; spray colour-matching per shape | RMB 25,000–70,000 (≈ USD 3,500–9,700) per component tool; a worked mid-size tool ≈ RMB 76,500 (≈ USD 10,600); a compact is several tools |
| Payment | Order deposit and balance | 30/40/30: 30% on signing, 40% after DFM and mould-flow sign-off, 30% within a week of acceptance |
| Lead time | Stock 7–25 days; +5–7 print or hot-stamp; sprayed 30–40 days; 30–45 days for a decorated set | Tool 45–60 days; full programme 90–120 days including the 48°C / 30-day test |
| Working minimum | ~2,000 printed shells; sprayed 2,000–5,000 per shape; moulded-in colour 5,000–10,000; plated ~10,000 | 3,000–10,000 pieces to amortise the tools |
| Ownership and life | Factory owns the public mould; your design lives in the decoration | Brand owns the mould; factory holds it in custody; rated ~800,000 cycles |
| Choose it when | First launch; a range of shades on one shell; volume under about 10,000 per component | A hero shape that decoration cannot deliver; volume that amortises the tools inside 12–18 months |
MOQ, decoration and lead time by route
Ranges are indicative via partner factories already tooled for small runs; the published single-factory floor is 5,000–10,000 pieces per item. Cross-category: MOQ index, lead-time index; finishing detail on decoration process comparison.
| Route | Indicative minimum | Set-up | Lead time, factory gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock compact, stock colour, undecorated | From ~500–1,000 pcs (typical partner-factory range) | None | 7–25 days |
| Stock compact + screen print or hot stamp on the lid | ~2,000 pcs | Screen or foil plate; ~1,000 pieces/hour hot stamp | +5–7 days; 30–45 days for the decorated set |
| Sprayed custom colour (matte, soft-touch, metallic) | 2,000–5,000 per component shape; lid and base are two set-ups | 7-step pre-treatment, primer, mid-coat, top coat | 30–40 days |
| Moulded-in custom colour | 5,000–10,000 pcs | Material changeover and purge | 15–25 days |
| Electroplated frame or lid | ~10,000 pcs — the floor holds everywhere | 12-step line; racking | 25–40 days including plating queue |
| Private mould | 3,000–10,000 pcs plus tooling | Several tools at RMB 25,000–70,000 each; 30/40/30 | Tool 45–60 days; programme 90–120 days; plan a launch 5–6 months from brief |
| Buffer | — | — | × 1.3; +15 days across Chinese New Year; +7–10 days across Golden Week; sea 18–35 days |
Rule for first orders: hot-stamp or screen a stock shell; keep plating and sprayed colour for the reorder once each shape clears its own floor.
QC thresholds a compact inspection report is signed against
Under the four gates (IQC on mirrors, pins and pans before assembly; FQC against the golden sample) on our QC standards page.
| Test | Method | Pass threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Callipers, gap gauge | Length, width, height ±0.5 mm; pan seat ±0.13 mm; lid-base gap and offset ≤0.3 mm |
| Compact function | Force gauge; cycling | Opening force 0.227–0.9 kgf (magnet 0.227–0.68); 300 open-close cycles with no fracture; lid holds at any angle 45–135°; button retention 300–1,500 g |
| Mirror and pins | 24 h at 55°C and 24 h at −10°C; three 30 cm base-down drops | Mirror retained after both holds; no mirror release; hinge pins do not squeak or walk |
| Drop | Filled, onto concrete | 76 cm × 3; no functional damage; AS and PMMA parts dropped first |
| Decoration adhesion | 3M 600 over print and hot stamp; 3M 810 over 2 mm cross-hatch on spray, metallising and plating | 10 passes, pulled at 45°, no lift; hot-stamp loss ≤0.5 mm²; cross-hatch grade 1 or better; pencil hardness ≥2H sprayed |
| Thermal cycling | Oven and freezer, filled | 48°C and −15°C, 24–48 h each; no cracking, warping or colour change after 2 h recovery |
| Formula compatibility | Pan, gasket, sponge and cup with the actual bulk at 48°C for 30 days | No discolouration, swelling or odour; decoration soak 24 h in the formula |
| Colour | Signed golden sample under D65 | ΔE within agreed tolerance; lid, base and carton judged in one hand |
| Heavy metals / nickel | Third-party lab | Pb+Cd+Hg+Cr(VI) ≤100 ppm; no nickel on skin-contact surfaces; nickel-release data for EU |
Vella is a Guangzhou-based beauty packaging solutions provider — a sourcing partner, not a factory — that specifies, sources, samples, quality-controls and ships compacts, palettes and cushion cases from vetted partner factories operating to ISO 22716 / GMP, against the thresholds above and a signed golden sample. The method is on how we work; the questions to ask any supplier are in how to evaluate a China packaging supplier.
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Launching a powder, blush or palette?
Start on a stock shell.
Tell us the product, pan layout, shade count and quantity. We reply within 24 hours with stock compact options, decoration minimums and the function-test plan.
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