Description
Quick answer: A single-cavity 600×400 mm crate mold typically costs USD 40,000–80,000 from a Chinese toolmaker, lasts 800,000–1,000,000 shots with proper maintenance and takes about 60 working days. Part size, steel, hot runner and mechanisms move those numbers more than brand does. Concrete specifications are on the crate mould page.
What drives the price
Four things move a crate mold quote:
· Part size. A larger projected area means more steel, more machining hours and a heavier mold base. A 600×400 tool is roughly twice the steel of a 400×300 tool.
· Steel grade. 718H and 738H are pre-hardened grades for moderate volumes; DIN 1.2344 / H13 costs more but suits high-volume or abrasive work; S136 stainless is reserved for corrosive resins.
· Hot runner. A valve-gated system with 4–6 drops is standard on large single cavities; the brand and drop count are a real line item.
· Mechanisms. Hinges, latches, handles, sliders and lifters add design and machining time — and a foldable crate needs all of them.
Indicative 2026 ranges from Asian toolmakers:
|
Mold type |
Typical price (USD) |
|
400×300 beverage crate, one cavity |
25,000–45,000 |
|
600×400 crate, one cavity |
40,000–80,000 |
|
600×400 crate, two cavities |
70,000–130,000 |
|
Foldable or pallet-box mold |
90,000–180,000 |
European or Japanese tooling typically runs two to four times higher for the same part.
Steel choice and mold life
For most crate tools, 718H or 738H at 30–34 HRC is the right balance between machinability and wear. High-volume projects that run three shifts for years move to 1.2344 / H13; food, medical and corrosive applications justify S136 / 2316. SinoMould quotes 800,000–1,000,000 cycles for its crate series, and DKM specifies 1–2 million shots for its 1.2344 foldable-crate tooling.
Life is not only a steel question. Water-circuit maintenance, vent cleaning and cavity re-polishing decide whether a tool reaches its rated life or stalls at half of it.
Lead time and project schedule
A crate mold takes about 60 working days from design freeze, with 8–12 weeks typical for large single-cavity tools. The full project is longer: 2–4 weeks of DFM and Moldflow, 8–12 weeks of mold making, machine build in parallel, then 1–2 weeks of installation and 4–8 weeks of ramp-up. A 3–5 month path from order to mass production is realistic for a complete line, as described in DKM’s turnkey production solutions.
Maintenance that protects the cycle
Plan three routines: descale the water circuits quarterly, clean vents every mold change, and re-polish the cavity when part marking appears. Track shots against the 800,000–1,000,000-cycle rating, and keep a spare set of cavity inserts for high-volume tools. A mold that loses 3 seconds of cycle time costs more per year than most maintenance programs.
How to specify a crate mold
1. Require a DFM review and Moldflow analysis before steel is cut.
2. Agree the steel grade, hot-runner brand and drop count in writing.
3. Specify the cooling layout — not just “water cooling”.
4. Fix the ejection scheme for a large, flexible part.
5. Define the trial protocol: cycle time, part weight, dimensions, drop and stack tests.
A single-cavity tool built to that brief is what the one-cavity crate production line is designed around.
About DKM (Sino Group)
DKM Machinery, part of Sino Group, builds fast-speed injection molding machines and turnkey crate lines in Taizhou, Zhejiang, China, with SinoMould tooling (nearly 40,000 molds delivered, ISO 9001 and IATF 16949) and 1,600+ customers in 150+ countries. Crate molds are specified through SinoMould and matched to the DKM machine range.
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