Q: What is the typical MOQ for custom zippers?
For custom color and custom length, most zipper factories ask for roughly 1,000 to 3,000 pieces per size, per color, per length. The figure is driven by the minimum dye bath: a tape dyeing line needs a certain weight of greige tape to circulate properly, and small batches waste dye and create shade risk. Stock colors and standard lengths usually start much lower, often a few hundred pieces.
Metal chains add a second constraint, because tooth finishing and plating runs are also batched. Molded resin is more flexible on color, since pigment is compounded rather than dyed, but tooling for a new tooth profile or a custom puller carries its own minimum. Slider customization, such as an engraved logo, typically has a separate and higher threshold.
MOQ should be discussed as part of the total program, not as a single number. A buyer who can consolidate several styles into one color and one chain construction often reaches the threshold with less inventory. Ask separately for the MOQ of the chain, the tape dyeing, the slider and the packing, because they are quoted by different departments and can be negotiated independently.