The difference between a real silicone factory and a trading company on Alibaba is usually visible within 17 questions. A real factory answers immediately about press tonnage, cavity count, Shore-A range, and Cpk data. A trader hedges, sends you generic photos, and quotes a price in 2 hours without asking about your part. This article gives you the exact 17 questions to send, plus what "good" and "bad" answers look like.
Why this matters
A buyer sourcing a custom silicone product from China typically contacts 10–20 suppliers. Maybe 3 are real factories with their own tooling and molding. Maybe 2 are mid-size factories that subcontract molding. Maybe 5 are trading companies that outsource everything. The rest are brokers.
Picking a trader is not always bad — but paying factory prices to a trader who marks up 15–30% and has no engineering control is. Worse: traders cannot answer DFM questions, cannot solve tooling problems mid-production, and cannot deliver the compliance files buyers need for Amazon or EU customs.
The 17 questions that reveal the truth
Send these as a single message to any prospective supplier. A real factory answers all of them in 24–48 hours. A trader takes longer, answers generically, or avoids half.
Questions about the factory itself
1. Where exactly is your factory? Can you share the full address and a recent Google Maps photo?
✅ Good: "No. 3 Wusong, Dongcheng, Dongguan, Guangdong, China. Our Google Maps pin is [link]. You can visit any time."
❌ Bad: "We are in Shenzhen" (vague city, no address).
2. What is your factory area and how many staff work there?
✅ Good: "10,000 m², 261 staff. Engineering team 8, molding team 60, QC team 10."
❌ Bad: "We have a large team" (no numbers).
3. How long have you been manufacturing silicone specifically?
✅ Good: "Since 2004, 20+ years. We started with compression molding, added LSR injection in 2012."
❌ Bad: "We have many years of experience" (no year).
4. Which certifications do you hold? Show certificate numbers.
✅ Good: "ISO 9001 cert 067918QR1, valid 2026-06-20 to 2029-06-19, issued by Beijing Aiwier. We are also ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 13485."
❌ Bad: "We have all certifications" (no numbers, no issuing body).
Questions about tooling
5. Do you make your own molds in-house or outsource them?
✅ Good: "In-house mold shop with CNC machining, EDM, and CMM. We design and cut all tooling here."
❌ Bad: "We work with partner mold shops" (trader signal).
6. What steel do you use for production molds?
✅ Good: "P20 for low-volume, 718H for medium, S136 for high-volume and medical. We'll recommend based on your shot count."
❌ Bad: "Good steel" (no answer).
7. How long does a single-cavity sample mold take? A multi-cavity production mold?
✅ Good: "Sample mold 7–15 days. Production steel mold 15–30 days."
❌ Bad: "About 2 weeks" (no breakdown).
Questions about molding capability
8. What molding processes do you run?
✅ Good: "Solid silicone compression molding, LSR injection, extrusion, die cutting, overmolding onto plastic and metal inserts."
❌ Bad: "We do silicone products" (no process names).
9. What Shore-A hardness range can you mold?
✅ Good: "Shore 20A to 80A is our standard range. Below 20A or above 80A requires custom compounding."
❌ Bad: "Any hardness" (impossible, signal of inexperience).
10. What tolerance can you hold on a 50 mm part?
✅ Good: "Compression: ±0.15–0.25 mm. LSR injection: ±0.03–0.08 mm. We'll confirm per feature after DFM."
❌ Bad: "Very tight" (no numbers).
Questions about quality
11. Do you have a cleanroom? What class?
✅ Good: "ISO Class 7 cleanroom for medical LSR molding and packaging — approximately 60 m², designated area only, not the whole factory."
❌ Bad: "We have a clean area" (no class number).
12. What is your Cpk on critical dimensions?
✅ Good: "We run Cpk studies on request. Our measured Cpk on LSR medical parts is typically 1.33–1.67. Reference study LSR-MED-007 measured 1.24."
❌ Bad: "We have good quality" (no Cpk).
13. What is your inspection process?
✅ Good: "Three-stage: IQC incoming material, IPQC in-process, OQC outgoing. AQL 1.5 for critical, 2.5 for general. FAI report on request."
❌ Bad: "We check all products" (vague).
Questions about compliance
14. Can you provide FDA / LFGB / RoHS / REACH reports for my exact material?
✅ Good: "Yes. Reports are per material grade, hardness, and color. We test on the production batch, not the sample. PFAS screening available on request."
❌ Bad: "We have FDA" (but can't show report number, lab, or date).
15. Do you sign NDAs?
✅ Good: "Yes, standard NDA before any drawing exchange. Tooling is segregated and never shared. Customer IP stays with the customer."
❌ Bad: "We are confidential" (no written NDA).
Questions about commercial terms
16. What is your MOQ, and what is your unit price at 500 / 1,000 / 5,000 pieces?
✅ Good: "Production MOQ starts at 500, with low-MOQ consumer program from 100. Three price brackets: [500 / 1000 / 5000]."
❌ Bad: "MOQ 100, unit price $X" (no brackets).
17. What is your lead time from drawing approval to shipment?
✅ Good: "Sample mold 7–15 days. Production 15–30 days for mold, then 10–20 days for production. Total typically 30–45 days depending on part complexity."
❌ Bad: "Fast delivery" (no timeline).
The red flags list
Walk away if any of these show up in your first conversation:
- Quotes a price within 2 hours without asking about your part geometry, hardness, color, or compliance requirements.
- Uses stock photos of a generic factory that are watermarked or clearly borrowed from another manufacturer.
- Sends a PDF "company profile" with no address, no certificate numbers, no specific equipment list.
- Cannot answer Cpk, tolerance, or Shore-A questions with numbers.
- Wants 100% deposit before production (real factories ask for 50% deposit, 50% before shipment).
- Refuses a video call / factory tour (real factories host customer visits and virtual walkthroughs).
- Cannot sign an NDA before drawing exchange.
- Price is 30% below the average of other quotes (this usually means hidden tooling charges later, or a different material grade).
What to do after the first conversation
For the top 3 shortlisted factories:
- Request a 15-minute video call walking through the molding floor, QC lab, and mold shop. You will see immediately whether it is their own facility.
- Ask for 3 reference customers in your market (US baby brand, EU kitchenware brand, etc.). Real factories can share anonymized references under NDA.
- Order a paid sample from each shortlisted factory before committing to tooling. Compare material feel, color match, flash, and packaging.
- Check their Google Maps listing for reviews, photos, and owner response. Factories that care about reputation respond.
- Cross-check their company registration on qcc.com or tianyancha.com. Verify registered capital, business scope, and years in operation.
What to ask in the DFM stage
Once you shortlist one factory, the DFM (design for manufacturing) stage is where real factories prove value. A real factory will come back with:
- Wall thickness recommendations (silicone typically 1.5–3.0 mm for consumer parts)
- Draft angles (1–2° for easy demolding)
- Corner radius (minimum R0.5 mm to avoid tear)
- Parting line location recommendation
- Gate location recommendation (for LSR)
- Shore-A recommendation for your use case
- Color Pantone match plan
A trader comes back with a unit price and "we can do this."
Why the "ask questions first" approach works
Real engineers enjoy discussing your part. They see your wall section at 0.8 mm and say "this will tear at demolding, let's thicken to 1.5 mm." They see your corner radius at R0.2 mm and say "this will wear the mold in 5,000 shots, let's radius to R0.5 mm."
If your supplier does not push back on your design, they are not engineering your product — they are just running it through a press. That means quality problems, mold failures, and delivery delays will appear on your timeline, not theirs.
FAQ
Q: How many suppliers should I contact?
A: 8–12. Shortlist 3 based on their answers to the 17 questions. Get samples from 2. Pick 1 for tooling.
Q: What is the realistic unit price range for a silicone baby teether?
A: At MOQ 1,000 pieces, a compression-molded teether in food-grade silicone typically runs $0.80–$2.50 depending on size, color complexity, and packaging. Below $0.50, expect hidden tooling charges or material grade compromise.
Q: Can I visit the factory?
A: Yes. Real factories host customer visits. If you cannot travel, request a virtual walkthrough video. CYES SILICONE provides both.
Q: How long should the first conversation take?
A: Expect 1–2 weeks of back-and-forth: initial inquiry, drawing exchange (after NDA), DFM feedback, quotation, sample order, sample approval, tooling, first article approval, production. Rushing this process usually costs more later.
Q: What if the factory I pick turns out to be a trader?
A: Usually you will not know until DFM stage. The signal: no engineering feedback, generic answers, delays. At that point, stop the project, request your deposit back (if not yet in production), and restart with a real factory.
Q: Is Alibaba Gold Supplier status a reliable signal?
A: Not by itself. Many traders are Gold Suppliers. The 17-question test is more reliable.
Q: Should I pick a factory near Shenzhen or near Dongguan?
A: Dongguan is the silicone manufacturing capital of China. Shenzhen factories are usually electronics-focused. For silicone OEM, Dongguan-based factories typically have better pricing and deeper expertise.
See our consolidated Company Profile to check how we answer these questions, or start a conversation with our engineering team.