Silicone Factory Sourcing Checklist — 12 Questions to Ask

If you’ve ever run an RFP for custom silicone kitchenware and ended up with 12 quotes that all look identical, you know the problem: every supplier claims ISO 9001, FDA, LFGB, MOQ 500, and “premium quality.” On paper they’re indistinguishable. In production they’re not.

Here are the 12 questions that filter the real factories from the trading companies, consolidators, and middlemen. We publish them because the industry standard should be higher than it currently is, and because we’d rather win programs against a real benchmark than against marketing claims.

12 questions filter trading companies from real silicone factories on any OEM RFP. Each has a clear correct answer real factories have ready. The questions cover ownership, traceability, manufacturing discipline, and audit access. A supplier scoring below 10 out of 12 will run into quality issues during your program.

The checklist

1. Do you own the molds, presses, and QC stations — or do you subcontract?

Correct answer: “We own all three. Mold workshop, press floor, and QC stations are all on one factory floor. You’re welcome to walk all of them on audit.”

Red flag: Vague answer, “we work with the best factories”, “our partner factory”, or “we coordinate production.” These are trading companies. They don’t own the production assets and your IP, traceability, and QC accountability fragment across whatever downstream factory they route the order to.

2. What is your master-batch lot retention policy?

Correct answer: “36 months minimum. We can produce a master-batch lot record from any production run within that window on request.”

Red flag: “We keep records” with no specific duration. This usually means no formal retention policy and no real lot traceability.

3. Per-batch third-party FDA + LFGB test reports — yes or no, and from which lab?

Correct answer: “Yes, per production batch, from SGS / Intertek / TÜV / Bureau Veritas, referencing your master-batch lot number. Here’s a sample report from a recent batch.”

Red flag: “We have FDA and LFGB certification” pointing to a single 18+ month-old certificate from a “representative” batch. This means production runs go untested in practice, and your retail-buyer audit will flag it.

4. Mold material — P20 hardened steel, aluminum, or epoxy?

Correct answer: “P20 hardened steel for production. Aluminum or epoxy only for soft-tool prototypes when explicitly requested by the customer.”

Red flag: Claims “P20” while quoting tooling at $300-500 (real P20 single-cavity is $1,200-$3,500), or admits aluminum / epoxy on production tooling. Soft-mold production will drift dimensionally within 200-1,000 cycles.

5. In-mold decoration or post-cure surface decoration?

Correct answer: “In-mold debossing or in-mold label (IML) for permanent decoration; silk-screen or laser etching for stainless component decoration. We do not run post-cure surface decoration on silicone for daily-use products — it wears within 6-12 months of dishwasher exposure.”

Red flag: Surface printing or surface coating on silicone parts. These look great at unboxing and wear visibly within 12 months of use. Retail returns spike.

6. Pantone match tolerance — ±0.5 ΔE or “approximate”?

Correct answer: “±0.5 ΔE measured with spectrophotometer against TPX/TPG reference, mixed in master-batch (not surface coating). We file a color cert per production batch.”

Red flag: “Approximate”, “color matched”, “we’ll get it close”, or no spectrophotometer documentation. Anything looser than ±1 ΔE shows as visible batch-to-batch drift on the retail shelf.

7. Cycle time and press capacity for my program volume?

Correct answer: “Specific cycle time per part (typically 3-8 minutes for silicone compression), specific press tonnage assigned to your mold geometry, and a published production schedule slot. For a 5,000-piece order: ~25-30 working days of press time plus post-cure and packaging.”

Red flag: Vague timeline answers or “we’ll fit you in.” This means your order will queue behind larger customers, and your launch date is at someone else’s mercy.

8. Customer audit policy — in-person and virtual welcome?

Correct answer: “Yes. Virtual factory walkthrough within 24 hours of request, in-person audit within 2 weeks. Full press floor / mold workshop / QC station / packaging line access. We host approximately one customer audit per month.”

Red flag: Refusal, postponement, or pre-recorded video tours. This is the strongest single signal in silicone OEM vetting. A supplier that won’t show you the floor has something to hide.

9. IP / NDA terms — mold ownership and exclusivity?

Correct answer: “Mutual NDA before sensitive technical discussion (we sign your template or use ours). The tooled mold is yours — we don’t run your geometry for other buyers. Multi-year non-compete available for tooled designs.”

Red flag: No clear NDA process, refusal to commit mold dedication, or evasion on non-compete terms. Your tooling and design can end up running for competing buyers.

10. Payment terms — milestones, L/C acceptance, escrow option?

Correct answer: “30% deposit after PO and mold approval, 70% after production QC pass and pre-shipment inspection. L/C and escrow available on larger programs. We do not require 100% upfront wire transfer.”

Red flag: Demand for 100% upfront with no recourse. This is supplier-risk concentration — if production fails, you have no leverage to recover.

11. PFAS-free formulation — independent test report available?

Correct answer: “Yes — independent third-party non-detect PFAS test reports per production batch on request. Standard for premium retail programs (Whole Foods, West Coast organic retail, EU premium).”

Red flag: Claims of “PFAS-free” without test report documentation, or hesitation on the PFAS question. Increasingly required by premium retail buyers; suppliers without it lose programs at audit.

12. Lead time discipline — published commitments with track record?

Correct answer: “Sample: 7-15 days from existing mold, 18-25 days for new tooling. Mass production: 30-45 days for 500-5,000 pieces. We add a 7-10 day buffer on Tier 2 retail chain programs (chain DCs don’t accept late shipments). Our 12-month on-time delivery rate is published on request.”

Red flag: No published lead-time commitments, or refusal to share on-time delivery data. You’ll bear all the schedule risk on retail launches.

How to use the checklist

1. Email the 12 questions to your shortlisted suppliers with the RFP.
2. Score the written answers — clear “yes” answers with specifics = full credit. Vague or evasive = no credit.
3. A supplier at 12/12 is a real factory. 10-11/12 is workable with risk on specific dimensions. Below 10 means quality or traceability issues will surface during your program.
4. Pay particular attention to questions 1, 3, 4, and 8. These are the load-bearing questions — a no on any of these is a deal-breaker.

The 5-minute version of this checklist: Question 1 and Question 8. If a supplier can’t immediately say “we own the production assets” and “we welcome an audit within 2 weeks,” they’re not a serious shortlist candidate.

What Wetop scores

We score 12/12 — we publish this list because we want customers measuring us against the real standard, not against our marketing. If you’re running a program with a serious retail buyer and a real launch timeline, you should be asking these questions of every supplier you’re considering, including us.

Email inquiry@wetopsilicone.com with your spec and any of the 12 questions you want answered in writing. We reply within one business day, with the engineering lead’s signoff.