Buying SMT stencils from China, step by step

Factory, trader or platform

Stencils from China reach overseas buyers through three channels. A trading company resells and adds a margin; large online platforms bundle stencils with their PCB business and compete on the smallest sizes. A factory sells what it cuts. For standard sizes the prices can look similar; the differences show up in custom work, in who answers the technical questions, and in whether the file is kept for your reorders. We are the third kind — the workshop floor is ours, and everything on this site is cut on it.

What to prepare

One file and five answers:

• The Gerber file — RS-274X or ODB++. What matters is the solder paste layer (usually GTP for the top, GBP for the bottom); if you are unsure which file is which, send the whole export as a ZIP.
• The foil thickness — or simply the smallest part on the board and its pitch, and we will advise.
• The quantity — and whether you want identical spares at the quantity discount.
• Your deadline — 48-hour and 24-hour production carry no surcharge; same-day 2-hour emergency dispatch adds 20%.
• The destination country — so the freight lands in the first quotation.

What happens after you send it

The same five steps every order follows: you send the configuration or the Gerber; we confirm the specifications, price and freight before anything is made; you choose the payment method; we cut and finish the stencil; and it ships by courier with a tracking number. For repeats, the file is already on record — the previous order number is enough, and nothing needs re-explaining.

Paying and shipping

Payment is by PayPal (card or balance) or bank transfer (T/T); for T/T we issue a proforma invoice with the bank details. Freight is quoted with the order so the full cost is visible before you pay — a stencil ships flat, light and well-packed: foils boxed flat, strapped and film-wrapped, up to about 1 kg for the largest frameless size and 6.8 kg for the largest frame. Dispatch is by international courier with tracking to your door.

Vetting any supplier, including us

A short list that works for factories in China and everywhere else: ask for the legal company name and check it is a manufacturer, not a trading desk; ask which operations are done in-house; send one small order first and inspect the apertures under magnification against your file; check that somebody answers technical questions in your language; and keep the invoices — they matter if import paperwork ever needs reconstructing. Every answer for our own workshop is on this site, and we are happy to be checked against it.