Custom Pin Badge Manufacturer
FactoryPins manufactures custom pin badges, challenge coins, medals, patches and keyrings in our own factory — not through a trading company.
Are you buying from a factory or a middleman?
Most websites selling “custom pin badges” do not make anything. They take your order, send it to a factory, and add a margin. You only find out when a deadline slips and nobody can tell you which stage your order is at.
There are four questions that separate a manufacturer from a reseller. Ask them of any supplier, including us:
| Question | A trading company will… | A factory will… |
|---|---|---|
| Who physically makes the badges? | Name a partner factory, or stay vague | Show the production floor and the plating line |
| What is the mould charge and who keeps the mould? | Bundle it into the unit price | Itemise it, and store the mould for your reorders |
| Can I change one enamel colour after sampling? | Say yes, then charge for a new run | Repaint the same mould — it is a colour change, not a new tool |
| Which stage is my order at today? | “In production” | Name the stage: stamping, colour fill, polishing, plating, QC, packing |
Our answer to all four is on this page. If a supplier cannot answer them, the price difference you are comparing is not a real difference — it is a margin.
What we manufacture
We run one production floor covering metal badges and the accessories that usually ship alongside them, so a multi-item order does not get split across three suppliers and three delivery dates.
- Custom pin badges — soft enamel, hard enamel, die-struck, printed, PVC, wooden
- Challenge coins — single and double sided, die-struck, enamel fill, 3D relief, rope and diamond-cut edges
- Custom medals — die-cast and die-struck, with ribbon and presentation packaging
- Embroidered and woven patches — merrowed or laser-cut borders, iron-on, sew-on, Velcro or pin backing
- Keyrings — hard enamel, soft enamel, die-struck, leather fob, bottle opener
- Enamel jewellery — earrings, cufflinks, pendants with necklace fittings
- Caps and beanies — embroidered
- Custom socks — knitted and printed
- Temporary tattoos — colour and metallic
Which badge process should you specify?
Most quotes go wrong here, not on price. The same artwork in soft enamel and hard enamel is a different product at a different cost, and one of them may be wrong for your use case.
| Process | What it looks like | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft enamel | Colour sits below raised metal lines; you can feel the ridges | Event giveaways, trading pins, tight budgets, bright flat colour | Recesses collect dust; less premium in the hand |
| Hard enamel | Polished flat, metal and colour level; jewellery-like | Corporate identity, long-service awards, retail merchandise | Higher unit cost; multiple colour layers mean more polishing passes |
| Die-struck (no colour) | Stamped metal, polished against sandblasted contrast | Formal recognition, military, academic, heritage brands | No colour at all — some buyers expect fill and are surprised |
| Printed / offset | Flat printed surface, often under epoxy dome | Photographic artwork, gradients, unlimited colours | Ink can fade; dome can yellow in strong UV |
| 3D relief | Sculpted multi-level metal | Figures, buildings, animals, premium collector pieces | Needs artwork designed for depth, not a flat logo |
| PVC / silicone | Moulded rubber, soft touch | Children’s events, outdoor use, chunky shapes | No metal line detail; fine text will not hold |
If you are unsure, send the artwork and say where the badge will be worn or handed out. We will tell you which process will actually survive that use case — even when it is the cheaper one.
What the price is actually made of
Two quotes for the “same” badge can differ by 300% because they are not quoting the same thing. Here is every line item that goes into a pin badge price, so you can compare quotes line by line instead of comparing totals.
| Cost component | What drives it |
|---|---|
| Mould / die charge (one-off) | Size and complexity of the die-cut outline. Charged once; kept for your reorders at no extra cost. |
| Metal base and stamping | Thickness (1.2–2.0 mm typical), size, and whether the design needs multi-level relief. |
| Enamel colour fill | Number of distinct colours. Each colour is a separate fill and a separate curing pass. |
| Plating | Gold, silver, copper, black nickel, antique finishes, rainbow. Antique and two-tone cost more than polished. |
| Polishing | Only on hard enamel, and it scales with colour count. |
| Fittings | Butterfly clutch (standard), rubber clutch, deluxe locking, magnetic, safety pin, tie-tack. |
| Packing | Poly bag (standard), individual bag with backing card, velvet pouch, gift box. |
| Freight | Weight, destination, and whether you need it by a date. |
Minimum order, sampling and lead time
| Stage | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Minimum order quantity | 100 pieces per design. Below that, the mould charge dominates the unit price and the order stops making sense for either side. |
| Physical sample | 7 working days from approved digital proof. US$50, credited against the bulk order |
| Production | 10 working days from sample approval. |
| Transit | Express 5-7 days; We quote transit separately so you can see what speed costs. |
One thing worth planning for: the days that ruin deadlines are rarely production days. They are artwork approval, a sample that needs one colour changed, and customs clearance. Build a buffer for those three, not for the factory.
Certifications and compliance
If you are buying for a regulated buyer — a retailer, a public body, a listed company — the paperwork matters as much as the badge.
- Material declaration and plating compliance statement supplied with every order. REACH-conformant finishes available for EU deliveries. If your buyer needs a certificate we do not hold, we tell you before you place the order, not after.
We supply documentation with the order, not on request after a problem: material declaration, plating compliance statement, and the audit certificate relevant to your market. If your buyer needs a specific certificate we do not hold, we will say so before you place the order rather than after.
How an order runs
- Brief and artwork. Send a vector file, or a sketch with the size and where it will be worn. We come back with the process that fits, not the one that is easiest to make.
- Quote with a breakdown. Unit price, mould charge, plating, fittings, packing and freight shown as separate lines.
- Digital proof. Pantone references on the proof, revised until the layout is right.
- Physical sample. The actual plating and the actual enamel on your actual design — the only point where colour and weight can still be changed cheaply.
- Production and in-line QC. Stamping, colour fill, curing, polishing, plating, then inspection against the approved sample before packing.
- Packing and dispatch. Bagging or presentation packing to your spec, with photographs of the finished run before it leaves.
Frequently asked questions
- Are you a factory or a trading company?
- We are a manufacturer. All pin badges, challenge coins, medals and keyrings are produced on our own production floor, which is why we can quote a mould charge separately and tell you which production stage your order is at on any given day.
- What is your minimum order quantity?
- 100 pieces per design for pin badges. Sample orders below MOQ are possible at a higher unit cost — ask and we will tell you the real number rather than refusing.
- How long does production take?
- Standard production is 10 working days after you approve the physical sample, plus 5-7 days express transit. If your date is tighter than that, tell us the date first and we will say honestly whether it is achievable.
- Can I get a sample before ordering?
- Yes. A physical pre-production sample is US$50, credited against the bulk order and takes 7 working days. Digital proofs cannot show how hard enamel reads against soft enamel, or whether your Pantone survives firing — only a physical sample can.
- Do you match Pantone colours?
- We match to Pantone solid coated references and confirm the match on the physical sample. Screen colour and enamel colour are not the same thing; the sample is the agreement.
- What is the mould charge and do I pay it again on reorder?
- The mould is charged once per design. We hold it, and reorders using the same artwork carry no second mould charge. Changing one enamel colour on an existing mould is a colour change, not a new tool.
- Can you handle artwork that is not vector?
- We can redraw from a raster file or a sketch, and we will tell you which details will not survive at badge size before tooling rather than after. Send the file through our quote form and we will come back with a corrected proof showing what holds at your size.
- Do you ship to the UK, EU and US?
- Yes, and we quote freight as a separate line so you can see the true landed cost. For EU deliveries we can supply the documentation your customs broker will ask for.
- Who owns the artwork and the mould?
- You own your artwork. We do not reuse a customer’s design or mould for anyone else, and we will sign an NDA before you send files if you need one.
- What happens if the finished order does not match the sample?
- We inspect against the approved sample before packing and send photographs of the finished run before dispatch. If a run does not match the approved sample, we remake it. That is the point of approving a physical sample first.
Start with the date, not the price
Tell us the event date and the quantity, and we will tell you which process is achievable, what it costs line by line, and whether the date is realistic. If it is not, we will say so before you pay anything.