How to manufacture a product you now make by hand

How to manufacture a product: the short version

Manufacturing a product you already make by hand means handing your recipe or pattern to a contract manufacturer that makes it in larger runs under your brand. You stop making each unit, and you start managing a supplier: the spec, the samples, the order size, the quality checks and the paperwork that comes with selling a product under your name.

The steps below follow that order. Most makers move one product first, keep making the rest by hand, and move more once the first run sells through. Rules on product safety, labelling and imports vary by product type, and some states and cities add their own. This page is general information, not legal, customs or tax advice.

1. Write a spec that someone who has never seen your workshop could follow.
2. Find two or three manufacturers that already make your product category.
3. Pay for samples and approve one pre-production sample in writing.
4. Agree order minimums, price, payment terms and lead time.
5. Sign a quality and supply agreement that also covers tooling and files.
6. Work out your safety duties as the brand or importer before the first run.
7. If the factory is abroad, plan the import: importer of record, entry type, duties and origin marking.

Write the spec and get samples

A factory quotes and builds only from what you write down. The spec is also what you check every delivery against.

1. List materials and suppliers

   Name each material, its grade or supplier, colour references and any finish. For a candle that is the wax blend, wick series, fragrance load and jar; for a bag it is the fabric weight, hardware and thread.

2. Add measurements and tolerances

   Give every dimension with an allowed range, plus weights, fill volumes and pack-out counts. Clothing makers usually put this in a tech pack with a graded size chart.

3. Describe the build and the checks

   Write the order of operations and what a good unit looks like. Include photos of an approved piece and of common faults to reject.

4. Pay for samples

   Ask two or three factories for samples made from your spec. Compare them against your own best piece, then approve one pre-production sample in writing and keep it as the reference for every later run.

How to find a manufacturer for your product

The fastest way to find a manufacturer is to look for factories that already make your category for other small brands. A soap maker needs a cosmetic contract manufacturer, a sauce maker needs a co-packer, and a jewellery maker needs a casting house. A general factory that has never made your type of product will learn on your order.

Good places to look are trade shows for your category, supplier directories, the packaging and ingredient suppliers you already buy from, and the labels of products similar to yours. Ask each factory for its minimum order, sample cost, lead time, the certifications it holds and the names of two current small-brand clients you can call.

Order minimums, price and the supply agreement

A minimum order quantity (MOQ) is the smallest run a factory will make. It exists because setup, tooling and material buys cost the same whether the run is small or large. Ask whether the minimum is per product, per colour or per size, and whether a higher unit price buys a smaller first run. A first order you can sell within a few months ties up less cash than a cheaper large order that sits in storage.

Put the deal in a written agreement before you pay a deposit. Without one, a dispute over a bad batch comes down to emails.

• Quality: the approved sample as the standard, the tolerances from your spec, how units are inspected, and what happens to a batch that fails.
• Ownership of moulds, dies and tooling: who paid for them, who owns them, and whether you can move them to another factory.
• Ownership of design files, formulas and patterns: state that they stay yours and may not be used for other clients.
• Price, deposit and payment terms, lead time, and late-delivery remedies.
• Compliance: which party tests, which party issues safety certificates, and who keeps the records.
• Changes: the factory may not swap a material or sub-supplier without your written approval.

The safety duties that move to you as the brand

Moving production out does not move responsibility out. The name on the label, and the importer for goods made abroad, carry most of the federal duties.

Consumer products: CPSC requires domestic manufacturers and importers of certain general-use products that are subject to a safety rule to certify them in a General Certificate of Conformity based on testing or a reasonable testing program. For children's products, meaning products made primarily for children 12 years of age or younger, CPSC requires domestic manufacturers and importers of children's products to issue a Children's Product Certificate based on test results from a third-party, CPSC-accepted laboratory. Since July 8, 2026, importers of most regulated consumer products must eFile these certificates with CBP.

Cosmetics: under MoCRA, the responsible person is the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of a cosmetic product whose name appears on the label. That person must list each marketed cosmetic product with FDA, including product ingredients, and provide any updates annually. Manufacturers and processors must register their facilities with FDA and renew their registration every two years, and a facility includes any establishment (including an establishment of an importer) that manufactures or processes cosmetic products distributed in the United States. The responsible person reports serious adverse events within 15 business days. MoCRA exempts certain small businesses from GMP, registration, and product listing requirements, with exceptions for some product types. FDA does not provide certificates or other documents to verify compliance for cosmetic product facility registration, so a factory cannot show you an FDA certificate as proof.

Food: FDA registration covers facilities engaged in manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding food for consumption in the United States, renewed every other year. A co-packer registers its own facility; ask for its registration and its food safety plan, and keep your labels and recall plan current.

Work out the landed cost per unit

Landed cost is what one unit costs you once it is on your shelf. Compare factories on this number rather than on the quoted unit price.

1. Start with the factory price

   Example: a quote of $4.00 a unit for 1,000 units is $4,000. Add sample and tooling costs spread over the first run, for example $500 of moulds adds $0.50 a unit.

2. Add freight and insurance

   Add the freight quote to your door, insurance and any warehouse receiving fee. Example: $600 of freight on 1,000 units adds $0.60 a unit.

3. Add duties and customs costs

   Duty depends on the product's classification in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS). For goods made in China on a Section 301 list, the HTS adds plus 25% or + 7.5% on top of the regular rate, depending on the list. Add the customs broker's fee and the bond.

4. Add testing and compliance

   Add lab testing for certificates, inspection fees and labelling changes, spread over the run. If you expect damage or rejects, divide the total by the units you expect to sell rather than the units ordered.

Importing your own manufactured goods

When a factory abroad ships finished goods to you, someone must be the importer of record: the party that makes entry with CBP. For a small brand that is usually the brand itself. CBP says that even when you use a broker, you, the importer of record, are ultimately responsible for the correctness of the entry documentation presented to CBP and all applicable duties, taxes and fees. CBP also notes that many first time importers and exporters consult a licensed customs broker. For goods sent by post, entry can only be made by an owner or purchaser of the merchandise, or a licensed customs broker.

The duty-free route for small parcels is gone. CBP announced the indefinite suspension of the de minimis exemption, so shipments of $800 or less that used to clear duty-free now need formal or informal entry. Informal entry is generally allowed for $2,500 or less; formal entry is required for shipments exceeding $2,500. Mail entries need a basic importation and entry bond (single transaction or continuous). If the goods come by sea, an Importer Security Filing is also required for cargo arriving in the United States by ocean vessel.

Duty depends on the HTS code. Goods made in China may also carry Section 301 duties: the HTS lists plus 25% for products on the lists under heading 9903.88.01 and + 7.5% under 9903.88.15. Look up your own code on hts.usitc.gov and confirm it with your broker before you accept a quote.

Country of origin marking: under 19 CFR 134.11, every article of foreign origin, or its container, must show the English name of the country of origin, marked in a conspicuous place as legibly, indelibly, and permanently as the nature of the article (or container) will permit. Agree with the factory that it prints or sews this marking before the goods ship.

Where Nation fits

Questions about manufacturing a product