Process
21 October 2026
"Can you send a sample?" is four questions wearing one coat. A stock case from the warehouse, a first trial from a new mould, a colour chip and the signed production standard are all called samples and none of them answers the same question.
Getting this sequence wrong is how buyers end up approving a beautiful T1 part that the production mould cannot reproduce. Here is the order that works, and what to do with each object when it lands.
| Type | What it answers | What it cannot answer |
|---|---|---|
| Catalogue sample | Does this existing style fit the phone and feel right? | Whether your colour, print or packaging is achievable |
| T1 trial (new mould) | Does the tool produce a part in tolerance? | Production consistency, surface finish after polishing |
| Colour chip | Is the pigment right in this material? | How it looks as a finished part |
| Golden sample | The signed standard production is measured against | Nothing — this is the reference |
If the style already exists, the sample is a warehouse pick and ships in days. Use it to test fit and feel on the actual handset, and to check the camera lip, the button feel and the weight. This is also the right moment to reject a style, before any tooling conversation.
T1 is the first trial shot. It is not a production part and it is not supposed to be. What you are checking at T1:
T1 parts usually carry hand-polished surfaces and a tool that has not been run in. Expect to see T2.
A sample that arrives in a plain bag with no tag is a sample you cannot compare to anything later. Keep the tag; it is the only link between the object in your hand and the file.
A golden sample is the finished part, in the final material, colour and finish, signed and dated by both sides and retained by both sides. It is the object that settles an argument in month nine. Two copies, one each, is the minimum — and the factory's copy should live in the quality room, not in a sales office.
Golden samples should be re-signed when the tool is re-cut, when the resin supplier changes, or after any change to the print. An unsigned golden sample from three years ago is an archaeological artefact, not a standard.
Because a sample costs a moulding run, a person, and an express courier, and because free samples get requested by people who are not buying. The usual commercial arrangement is a sample fee that is credited against the first order. Treat a factory that charges a modest sample fee as normal, and a factory that offers unlimited free custom samples as a factory that has not costed them.
Catalogue sample to choose the style → colour chip to choose the colour → T1/T2 for a new mould → golden sample signed → production measured against it. Skipping the third step is how a first order becomes a dispute about a tool nobody photographed.
A catalogue sample is a warehouse pick and ships in days. A T1 from a new mould takes several weeks from approved 3D data, because the schedule is driven by EDM and polishing rather than assembly.
Normally yes, usually credited against the first order. A sample consumes a moulding run and an express courier; unlimited free custom samples usually mean the cost is hidden in the unit price.
The signed, dated finished part in final material, colour and finish, retained by both parties, against which production is measured. It should be re-signed after any tool, resin or print change.