Automotive Accessories
Emblem plates, badge frames, interior trim bezels, mirror housings, decorative end-caps. Zamak 5 carries the load; Zamak 3 carries the plated decorative work.
20+ years of mold engineering · Dongguan, China
Custom Zinc & Zamak Die Casting Services in China
A China zinc die casting manufacturer taking you from Zamak tooling to chrome-plated production parts — single-source accountability backed by 20+ years of mold engineering experience.
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Tight tolerances down to ±0.05 mm — sharp enough for lock cylinders & chrome trim
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Hot chamber cycles from 10s up to 3× faster than aluminum, molds scale to 1M+ shots
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The most plate-friendly die cast alloy — chrome, nickel, gold without primer
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Full Zamak family in-house — Zamak 3 / 5 / 2 / 7 / ZA-8 specified in writing
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One team — tooling → casting → plating → CMM — single PO, single owner
Die Casting Scope
What You Get From KTM — Zinc Die Casting Scope
KTM is a China-based zinc and Zamak die casting manufacturer delivering the full chain from tooling to finished parts — Zamak 3, 5, 2, 7 and ZA-8 hot chamber casting, in-house mold-making, and chrome, nickel, and powder finishing on a single invoice. Here's the full scope before you brief our engineers.
01
Tooling
Zamak molds built in-house in Dongguan on Sodick EDM and Fanuc CNC. Trial, Standard, and Premium (H13 / 2344) tiers.
02
Hot Chamber Production
Engineered by KTM through qualified casting partners under our QC standards — Zamak 3 through ZA-8.
03
Plating & Finishing
Chrome, nickel, gold, black chrome, powder coating, polishing — one invoice, RAL / Pantone matchable.
04
QC
In-house metrology lab — DFM, Casting Simulation, CMM, and material certificate on every shipment.
Of these four, alloy selection moves the project most — and it's where most zinc die casting programs quietly fail.
See which Zamak grade fits your projectFamily zamak
Zinc & Zamak Die Casting Alloys
Full Family Specialty (Zamak 3, 5,
2, 7 & ZA-8)
Alloy selection is where most zinc die casting projects quietly succeed or fail. Zamak 3 is the default across the industry — and for most projects, the right call. But when plating yield, load capacity, or long-term dimensional stability are on the line, the other four grades earn their place. KTM engineers the full Zamak die casting family and specifies the grade in writing — with rationale — before any tooling quotation.
| Grade | Composition | Tensile (MPa) | Hardness (HB) | Density (g/cm³) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Zamak 3Most used
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Zn + ~4% Al + trace Mg | 283 | 82 | 6.6 | Plated decorative hardware, lock cylinders, zipper pulls, electronics housings |
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Zamak 5
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Zn + ~4% Al + ~1% Cu | 328 | 91 | 6.6 | Structural hardware, automotive accessories, gears, load-bearing fittings |
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Zamak 2
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Zn + ~4% Al + ~3% Cu | 359 | 98 | 6.6 | Heavy-duty tooling, bushings, high-strength fittings |
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Zamak 7
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Zn + ~4% Al + Ni · ultra-low impurities | 283 | 80 | 6.6 | Premium chrome-plated parts, faucet trim, luxury hardware |
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ZA-8
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Zn + ~8% Al + ~1% Cu | 374 | 103 | 6.3 | Aluminum-alternative bearings, weight-sensitive industrial parts |
Engineering Notes
What the spec sheet won't tell you.
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Zamak 3
Runs ~70% of all zinc die casting projects worldwide. The grade KTM ships in highest volume to European hardware and furniture customers.
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Zamak 5
Gains ~15% tensile strength over Zamak 3 from 1% copper — at a small cost in elongation. Routine across KTM's lock programs.
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Zamak 2
Carries a known trade-off: higher copper introduces long-term dimensional drift. Not recommended for parts requiring 10+ year precision stability.
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Zamak 7
Delivers the cleanest substrate for chrome plating. Specify when blistering, pitting, or orange peel have cost you a scrap batch before.
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ZA-8
The only ZA-family alloy compatible with hot chamber die casting. The right answer when you're weighing aluminum die casting → but the part sits under 1 kg.
Which Zamak Grade for Your Project?
Plated decorative part→ Zamak 3
Structural load→ Zamak 5
Maximum hardness→ Zamak 2
Premium chrome plating→ Zamak 7
Aluminum-alternative under 1 kg→ ZA-8
Undecided? Send your drawing and target application — KTM's engineering team recommends the grade in writing, with rationale, before any tooling quotation.
Request a written recommendationZINC DIE CASTING PROCESS
Hot Chamber Zinc Die Casting Process — How KTM Builds Your Zamak Parts
With the Zamak grade locked, here's how KTM builds your zinc parts — and where a mold-maker's eye saves weeks of T1 rework. Hot chamber submerges the injection mechanism in the molten zinc pool: shorter cycles, mold life reaching 1,000,000+ shots, and consistent dimensional repeatability.
1M+
shots / mold
±0.05
mm tolerance
30–45s
cycle time
Mold Life & Tool Steel — Pick the Tier That Fits
Trial / Prototype
Small batches
shots
P20 or pre-hardened
Design validation
Standard Production
200,000 – 500,000
shots
H13 / SKD61 / 8407 / 8418 (HRC 48–52)
Most KTM zinc programs
Premium
1,000,000+
shots
LG / W360 / TS580 / YXR33 (HRC 54–60)
High-gloss, long-life, anti-soldering
Design Guidelines & Tolerances
Standard Tolerance
±0.1 – ±0.2 mm
High-Precision
±0.05 mm on request · ±0.02 mm w/ CNC post
Minimum Wall
0.5 mm
Recommended Wall
1.0 – 3.0 mm
Draft Angle
1°–3° outer / 2°–5° inner
Surface Roughness
Ra 0.8 μm (mirror-polishable)
Max Part Weight
up to ~5 kg (typical 10 g – 2 kg)
Cycle Time
30–45 s (60+ s for complex)
Minimum Radius
0.5 mm
Upload CAD · Response within 24–72h
SURFACE FINISHING & PLATING
Plating & Surface Finish on Zamak — one invoice, one owner
Hot chamber casting gives you geometry. Plating gives your Zamak part its final identity. KTM coordinates every finish through audited partners operating under KTM's QC standards — documented pre-treatment QC prevents blistering, pinholes, and adhesion failures.
01
Electroplating
The reason you chose Zamak
- Chrome (bright & satin)
- Nickel (electroless, bright, matte)
- Gold (jewelry-grade)
- Black chrome
02
Painting & Coating
RAL / Pantone matchable
- Powder coating
- Wet paint (solvent / water-based)
- E-coat (ED coating)
03
Mechanical Finishing
Class-A cosmetic surfaces
- Polishing (Ra 0.2 μm)
- Sandblasting
- Brushed satin
- Vibratory tumbling
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Chemical Treatment
Corrosion & adhesion
- Passivation
- Chromate conversion (yellow/olive/clear)
- Phosphating
Color matching without guesswork.
Send a physical sample, RAL reference, or Pantone code with your RFQ. For mixed-finish assemblies — bright chrome body with a satin nickel accent, or powder-coated base with a polished bezel — KTM sequences plating steps and masking before quoting, so the invoice matches the drawing.
INDUSTRIES & APPLICATIONS
Industries We Serve — Where KTM Zinc Die Casting Parts Actually Ship
Not catalog renders — these leave our dock weekly. KTM's strongest zinc die casting references sit in three sectors below.
Hardware & Locks
Lock cylinders, padlock bodies, door handles, zipper pulls, belt buckles, furniture trim. Where Zamak 3's plating affinity and ±0.05 mm repeatability matter most.
Consumer Electronics
Connector housings, USB shells, EMI shielding frames, device mounts, decorative end-caps. Thin walls, tight tolerances, chrome or satin nickel plating.
Applications we also support: Cabinet handles, faucet trim, lamp bases, bushings, valve bodies, machinery fittings, instrument enclosures — alloy and finish matched to load, environment, and program volume.
QUALITY CONTROL & INSPECTION
Quality Control & Inspection — Four Documented Reports Before Every Zinc Die Casting Shipment
Every zinc die casting shipment from KTM leaves with four documents your QA team can file directly: a DFM analysis from the design stage, a Casting Simulation review for complex parts, an ISIR dimensional report, and a material certificate per batch. Written to European engineering conventions — your engineers read them without translation.
DFM Analysis flow, solidification and shrinkage prediction on complex or cosmetic parts
Casting Simulation (Moldflow)flow, solidification and shrinkage prediction on complex or cosmetic parts
ISIR Dimensional Report (CMM)every critical dimension measured against drawing tolerance
Material CertificateZamak alloy composition verified per batch to ASTM B240
Plated parts are inspected twice — once after casting, again after plating. A defect caught at the casting stage never reaches the plating tank, and a plating defect never reaches your dock.
Sample QC Pack on request. Preview a complete redacted report set — DFM, Casting Simulation, CMM, and material certificate from a real Zamak production run. Client identifiers removed.
Now that you've seen how every part is verified, the next question is how the project moves from RFQ to shipment. Here's the seven-step path KTM walks with you.
YOUR ZINC DIE CASTING PROJECT — STEP BY STEP
How to Start Your Zinc Die Casting Project 7-Steps from RFQ to Shipment
From the moment your CAD lands in our inbox to the day your zinc die casting parts ship — one project lead, one engineering channel, one written quote. NDA signed first on request.
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Step 101 / 07
RFQ & Structural DFM
Day 0–3Send STEP / IGES / STP / DWG / X-T files with your specs — target volume, alloy preference, mold-export or KTM-run production. Our engineers run a structural DFM check; written quote returned within 24–72h.
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Step 202 / 07
Detailed DFM & Casting Simulation
After orderA full DFM covers wall thickness, draft, parting line, gate location — and the cosmetic zones that must survive the chrome tank. Casting Simulation runs only when geometry is complex.
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Step 303 / 07
Tooling at Dongguan
6–10 weeksMold steel matched to program life (P20 / H13 / 2344). Cavities cut on Fanuc CNC; precision detail finished on Sodick mirror EDM. Weekly progress reports with photos or video.
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Step 404 / 07
T1 Trial Shots
—1 dayFirst samples shipped for dimensional and plating-surface sign-off — critical for Zamak parts headed to chrome or satin nickel. Adjustments documented and approved in writing before release.
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Step 505 / 07
Production or Mold Export
—depends on your requestTell us at RFQ stage whether the mold ships to you or stays with us. Export molds cost more and carry handover packaging; we recommend keeping the tool at KTM for your cost saving.
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Step 606 / 07
Finishing & QC
—YesChrome, nickel, gold, or powder coating applied only when your Zamak part calls for it — internal structural parts often ship raw. Every part inspected in our in-house before it moves.
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Step 707 / 07
Pack & Ship
—YesCMM report, material certificate, and export paperwork travel with the goods, shipped per your Incoterm. One PO, one engineering owner — from the first DFM sketch to the container on your dock.
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Ready to walk step 1?
Send your CAD — written quote in 24–72h. NDA first on request.
Why KTM
The Only Zinc Die Casting Partner Run by a Mold-Design Engineer, Not a Salesperson
Six steps need an owner. KTM is built to be that owner — founded and technically led by a mold-design specialist with 20+ years of hands-on factory experience. The six reasons below are why EU and North American brands keep returning.
01
One Contract, One Engineering Owner
Tool, production, and plating run under one PO, one engineering contact, one timeline. From RFQ to chrome-plated shipment, accountability never transfers — the same engineer who signs off your DFM signs off your final CMM report. No hand-offs between tool shop and caster.
02
A Mold-Maker's Eye on a Casting Problem
A mold-design founder learns to prevent casting defects before steel is cut, not fix them after T1. It shows in gate placement, vent layout, and parting lines that respect plating geometry — deciding whether your Zamak part clears the chrome tank first pass.
03
Alloy Matched in Writing
Most suppliers quote Zamak 3 and stop. KTM engineers the full family — Zamak 3 for chrome adhesion, Zamak 5 for load, Zamak 2 for hardness, Zamak 7 for defect-free plating, ZA-8 for sub-1 kg parts fighting aluminum. Grade and rationale in writing.
04
Defect Ownership Stays Inside KTM
With finishing coordinated under KTM's QC, a porosity or plating-adhesion issue never becomes a vendor dispute. Every Zamak part is inspected once after casting and again after plating, and any rework decision sits with KTM's engineering team — documented, dated, and fully owned.
05
Engineers on Email
Daily updates run through fast English communication — no translation lag. Complex technical questions — porosity diagnosis, draft revision, plating sequencing — escalate to the engineering team within 24 hours, with answers grounded in mold-shop reality, not a sales script rehearsed for the video call.
06
China Cost Structure, European Engineering Discipline
Reshoring buys a domestic time zone — not a mold built faster or documented better. KTM applies the discipline EU Tier-1 brands expect — DFM before tooling, ISO 9001:2015 QMS, Zamak parts inspected twice — at a cost structure no three-vendor domestic chain can match.
The engineering DNA explains why the seven steps hold. What it actually costs you — line by line, with no surprise invoices halfway through tooling — is the next conversation.
↓ See How KTM Quotes Zinc Die Casting ProjectsZINC DIE CASTING PRICING
What actually drives your zinc die casting cost
Transparent pricing starts by showing you the levers — not hiding them behind a single line item. Every zinc die casting quote from KTM is built from the same six drivers, listed in the order they move the number.
01Tooling Complexity
Cavity count, slides, lifters, mold size, and steel grade set the baseline. Because Zamak runs at ~385 °C, tool steel wears far slower than in aluminum casting — so a single tool amortizes across 1,000,000+ shots. We recommend the right tier in writing, never the priciest by default.
02Zamak Grade
Zamak 3 sets the reference price. Zamak 7 and ZA-8 carry a modest premium tied to alloy purity. Grade choice also shifts scrap rate and plating yield — both flow back into per-part cost, so the cheapest alloy up front isn't always the lowest landed cost.
03Part Geometry & Shot Weight
Wall thickness, undercuts, deep cores, and finished weight drive both cycle time and zinc consumption per shot. Two parts with identical bounding boxes can quote 20–30% apart on geometry alone — which is why we price from your actual CAD, not a volume estimate.
04Surface Finishing Stack
A raw-cast part and a bright-chrome part with masked satin accents are not the same invoice. Each plating, coating, or mechanical step is a documented line item — quoted before steel is cut, so finishing never becomes a surprise added after your first sample batch ships.
05Order Quantity & Release Schedule
No MOQ. Because one zinc die casting tool holds tolerance across 1,000,000+ shots, per-part price keeps dropping as the tool spreads over more parts. Annual blanket releases against one tool typically land 15–25% below repeated one-off batches — prototype runs cost more per part by design.
06Casting Simulation — On Request
For complex geometry or tight cosmetic zones, Casting Simulation (Moldflow) can be run post-order at your request to predict porosity and cold shuts. Standard parts skip it, and we never bill analysis your part doesn't need — deep engineering rigor applied only where it earns its cost.
Quote Locked once confirmed
As long as drawings and specifications remain unchanged, the price you accepted is the price you'll be invoiced — tooling, production, QC documentation, packaging, and export paperwork included. Any change order is quoted in writing before we proceed.
Cost questions surface the same way technical ones do — in a list. Below are the twelve questions engineers and sourcing managers ask most. ↓
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The twelve questions engineers and sourcing managers send us most, answered straight.
1. What's the difference between Zamak 3 and Zamak 5?
Zamak 3 is the default for plated decorative work — best castability and chrome adhesion. Zamak 5 adds ~1% copper for ~10% higher tensile strength, suited to load-bearing parts.
2. Can zinc die castings be chrome plated?
Yes. Zamak 3 and Zamak 7 are among the most chrome-friendly die cast alloys. KTM documents pre-treatment QC on every plated batch.
3. What is hot chamber die casting?
The injection mechanism sits in the molten zinc pool — short cycles, long mold life, the right fit for Zamak. Cold chamber is reserved for aluminum.
4. How long do zinc die casting molds last?
Trial molds cover validation. Standard H13/2344 tooling reaches 200,000–500,000 shots. Premium with maintenance exceeds 1,000,000.
5. When should I choose zinc over aluminum?
Zamak for parts under ~1 kg needing tight tolerances or chrome plating; aluminum for larger or thermally loaded parts — see our aluminum die casting services.
6. Will zinc die castings corrode or rust?
Zamak resists corrosion well and will not rust like ferrous metals — but bare zinc will develop white oxide over time in humid or salt environments. For outdoor or marine use, KTM specifies chromate passivation or a chrome/nickel plating layer. Match the finish to the environment and a Zamak part holds its surface for years.
7. Can KTM handle both tooling and production?
Yes. Tooling built in-house in Dongguan; production engineered by KTM's team through qualified hot chamber partners under our QC standards.
8. What surface finishes do you offer for Zamak?
Chrome, nickel, gold, black chrome, powder coating, wet paint, E-coat, polishing, sandblasting, passivation — one invoice, RAL and Pantone matchable.
9. What is your MOQ?
None strict. Smaller runs pair with a trial mold at higher unit cost; production tooling unlocks lower per-part pricing as volume justifies.
10. What is your lead time?
Tooling 6–10 weeks depending on cavity count, steel grade, and slide complexity. First batch follows T1 sign-off. Progress reports at five milestones.
11. Do you sign NDAs before reviewing drawings?
Yes. Check the NDA box on the RFQ form — signed before any CAD is opened. Files stored encrypted, need-to-know access.
12. Why source zinc die casting from China rather than reshoring to the US or Europe?
Two structural realities. First, the Dongguan cluster keeps tooling, casting, plating, and finishing within a ~50 km radius — compressing lead times a fragmented Western chain of three separate vendors cannot match. Second, cost: for Zamak parts under 1 kg with chrome plating, KTM typically lands 30–45% below EU and 40–55% below US tooling cost, at comparable lead times once that local cluster is factored in. The honest exception — for parts above 5 kg or programs needing weekly EU delivery, nearshoring may win, and we'll tell you so.
Twelve answers down. The thirteenth — what your Zamak part costs and when it can ship — lands in your inbox after the RFQ. ↓
START YOUR PROJECT
Ready to Start Your Zinc Die Casting Project?
Upload your STEP, IGES, or DWG files — NDA signed first if you check the box. Within 24–72h our engineering team returns one written, locked quote covering tooling, hot chamber production, plating, QC documentation, and export paperwork. One partner, one PO, from Zamak tool to chrome-plated production part.
One partner from Zamak tool to chrome-plated production part.
NDA First
Quote Locked
Weekly Progress Reports
Engineering-Led Quality Resolution
