You worry that late raw material deliveries will ruin your production schedule. Delayed shipments mean stopped machines and lost revenue during your busy season.
For standard Electrolytic Tin Plate orders, my production lead time is typically 15 to 25 days. However, if you need custom sizes or specific printing, it may take 30 to 45 days. I can ship stock items within one week.
Timely delivery is the lifeblood of the metal packaging industry 1. When you buy from China, you need to know exactly when your material will arrive. Below, I explain how we manage time, handle urgent requests, and keep your supply chain moving.
Can you expedite production for my urgent harvest season orders?
You feel panic when the fruit harvest begins and your warehouse lacks cans. Every day you wait for tinplate sheets puts your entire canning operation at risk.
Yes, I can expedite your orders. I understand that harvest seasons for crops like tomatoes or peaches cannot wait. By prioritizing your schedule in my factory, I aim to cut standard production time significantly to save your season.
Understanding the Pressure of Harvest Seasons
In the food canning industry 2, time is not just money; it is survival. I have worked with many clients like you who operate in agricultural hubs. You have a very small window to pack fresh produce. If the tomatoes are ripe, they must go into the can immediately. If you do not have the cans ready, the crop rots. It is that simple.
At Huajiang, we treat harvest season orders with "Red Light" priority. This means we move other non-urgent orders to the back of the queue. We understand that a client making paint cans can wait an extra week, but a client canning fresh fish or fruit cannot. We have a massive production capacity with 53 coating lines. This scale allows us to insert urgent orders without breaking the system.
However, expediting an order requires clear communication. You must tell us your deadline before we start. We also need to check our raw material availability. If we have the base steel coil (black plate) ready, we can move very fast. If we must buy the steel from the mill, it takes longer.
Here is a breakdown of how we handle standard versus expedited requests:
Comparison of Standard vs. Expedited Timelines
| Order Type | Raw Material Status | Processing Required | Estimated Lead Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Order | Available in Stock | Cutting & Oiling | 15 – 20 Days |
| Standard Order | Needs Mill Production | Full Production | 35 – 45 Days |
| Expedited (Harvest) | Available in Stock | Priority Cutting | 7 – 10 Days |
| Expedited (Harvest) | Needs Mill Production | Priority Slotting | 25 – 30 Days |
We use our relationship with major steel mills like Baowu 3 to get raw materials faster than small factories. But the best way to ensure speed is to plan. If you know your harvest starts in June, talk to me in March. But if you are in a pinch, ask me. I will do my best to clear the line for you.
How much stock do you keep in your Fujian warehouse for immediate shipment?
Most suppliers make you wait weeks because they have zero inventory. This forces you to carry the risk and cost of holding extra safety stock 4 yourself.
I keep nearly 100,000 tons of tinplate and TFS coils in my warehouse. This massive stock allows me to skip the steel purchasing wait time and start processing your order immediately for fast shipment.
The Power of 100,000 Tons of Inventory
Inventory is the biggest difference between a trader and a real manufacturer. Many companies you find online do not own the metal. They take your deposit, buy the steel, and then make you wait. At Huajiang, our business model is different. We invest heavily in stock because we know speed matters.
Our warehouse in Fujian covers a huge area. Walking through it, you will see row after row of steel coils. We stock materials from top mills like Baowu and Shougang. We keep common specifications ready. This includes standard tempers like T2, T3, and T4, and common thicknesses ranging from 0.15mm to 0.40mm.
Why does this matter to you? It removes the "Mill Lead Time." Getting raw steel from a steel mill can take 30 to 45 days. If I already have that steel sitting on my floor, we save that entire month. We only need to do the final steps: cutting (slitting), coating, or printing.
For a buyer, this reduces risk. If you have a sudden spike in sales—perhaps your competitor failed and you gained their customers—you can call me. I can check my system, find a matching coil, and put it on the cutting machine the same day.
Stock Availability by Specification
We try to keep a balanced mix of inventory. However, stock changes every day. Here is a general guide to what we usually have ready for immediate processing:
| Material Type | Thickness Range | Temper | Availability Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tinplate (ETP) | 0.18mm – 0.28mm | T2.5 / T3 | High (Always in stock) |
| Tinplate (ETP) | 0.30mm – 0.45mm | T4 / T5 | Medium |
| Tin Free Steel (TFS) | 0.16mm – 0.22mm | DR8 (Double Reduced) | Medium |
| Lacquered Coils | Various | Various | Low (Made to order) |
Having this stock helps us stabilize prices for you, too. If steel prices jump up tomorrow, but I bought my stock last month, I can offer you a better price than the current market rate. This acts as a buffer for your business against wild market swings.
Note: We also stock Tin Free Steel 5 for applications requiring strong coating adhesion.
Does custom printing add significant time to the delivery schedule?
You want your cans to look premium, but you fear complex designs will delay delivery. You struggle to balance high-quality branding with the need for speed.
Custom printing does add time, usually adding 5 to 7 days to the process. However, my 53 Fuji coating lines allow me to print multiple colors simultaneously, which keeps your delay to a minimum.
Balancing Aesthetics and Speed
Printing on metal is not like printing on paper. It is a complex chemical and mechanical process. When you ask for your logo and brand colors on the tinplate, we add several steps to the production line. The process of printing on metal 6 requires precision to ensure the ink withstands the forming process.
First, we must make the printing plates. If this is a new design, this takes about 2 days. Then, we apply a base coat (primer) to the metal so the ink sticks. After that, we apply the ink. We use 4-color or 6-color printing machines. Each layer of ink or coating must be cured (baked) in a long oven. If you need a gold lacquer on the inside and a logo on the outside, the sheet must go through the line twice.
This curing process takes time. You cannot rush it. If you rush the oven time, the ink will not dry properly. This leads to scratching or peeling later. We do not want that.
However, we are faster than others because of our equipment. We use Japanese Fuji printing lines 7. These machines are the best in the world. They run faster and more precisely than older Chinese machines. Because we have 53 lines, we do not have a "bottleneck." Small factories might have only two lines. If one breaks, your order stops. With 53 lines, if one machine stops, I move your job to the next one.
Time Impact of Printing Options
To help you plan, look at how different printing choices affect the total days added to your lead time:
| Service Level | Description | Additional Days |
|---|---|---|
| Plain (Silver) | No coating, just cutting. | +0 Days |
| Clear/Gold Lacquer | One side coating (internal). | +2 to 3 Days |
| Standard Print | 4-Color print + Varnish. | +5 to 7 Days |
| Complex Print | Spot white + 6-Color + Special Varnish. | +7 to 10 Days |
For clients in high-end markets, this extra week is worth it. A beautiful can sells the product. We ensure the colors match your brand perfectly. We send you a "metal proof" sample before mass production to avoid mistakes. This adds a few days at the start, but it prevents disaster later.
How do I track my order progress during the manufacturing phase?
You hate the "black box" of manufacturing where you send money and hear nothing for weeks. You need visibility to book shipping containers and manage your local logistics.
I provide transparent updates at every key stage. You will know when production starts, when quality checks are finished, and when your goods are loaded, giving you full control over your logistics planning.
Why Visibility Matters in B2B Manufacturing
When you buy from overseas, silence is scary. You have sent a large payment, and you are thousands of miles away. You cannot walk into the factory to check the progress. I know this feeling. That is why my team focuses on proactive communication.
We do not wait for you to ask "Where is my order?" We tell you.
The process starts the moment we receive your deposit. We send a confirmation that the order is in the system.
Next, we tell you when the raw coils are allocated. If we are printing, we send you photos of the first printed sheets coming off the line. This is a great moment. You can see your brand coming to life. If the color looks wrong in the photo, we can stop and discuss it. This saves huge trouble.
We also share our Quality Control (QC) 8 reports. Before we pack the sheets onto wooden pallets, our lab tests them. We check the tin coating weight, the hardness, and the dimensions. We can share these data points with you. You will know the goods are good before they even leave the factory.
Key Milestones We Communicate
We break the timeline into four main alerts. You should expect an email or a message from us at these stages:
1. Production Start Alert
- When: Day 1-3 after deposit.
- Action: We confirm raw material is ready and the schedule is set.
- Value: You know the clock has started ticking.
2. The "Mid-Production" Update
- When: Day 10-15.
- Action: Photos of printing or coating.
- Value: Visual proof of quality. You can show your marketing team.
3. Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI)
- When: 3 days before loading.
- Action: Sharing the SGS report 9 or internal lab report. Packing list confirmation.
- Value: You can verify the specs match your order.
4. Loading Confirmation
- When: The day of loading.
- Action: Photos of the container, the seal number, and the pallets inside.
- Value: You can now give your freight forwarder 10 the exact weight and volume to book the vessel.
This system builds trust. You are not just buying tinplate; you are buying the certainty that it will arrive. We treat your order as a project we manage together. You remain the boss; we are the production arm.
Conclusion
I deliver standard orders in 15-25 days, leveraging massive stock and advanced lines.
Footnotes
1. Overview of the association representing the rigid metal packaging industry. ↩︎
2. Insights into food safety standards for the commercial canning sector. ↩︎
3. Official site of the world’s leading steel producer and supplier. ↩︎
4. Definition of inventory held to mitigate risk of stockouts. ↩︎
5. Technical specifications for electrolytic chromium coated steel (ECCS/TFS). ↩︎
6. Association providing resources on metal decorating and printing processes. ↩︎
7. Details on advanced industrial printing systems for graphic arts. ↩︎
8. Explanation of systematic processes to ensure product quality standards. ↩︎
9. Global leader in inspection, verification, and certification services. ↩︎
10. Definition of intermediaries managing logistics for international shipping. ↩︎
