Two production methods, two cost structures

Most buyers treat pressed and handmade as a style choice — rounded corners or square corners. From the factory side they are two different production methods with different tooling, different minimum quantities, different geometric limits and different price positions. Choosing between them is a range-planning decision, not an aesthetic one.

This article explains how each is made, what each can and cannot do, and which resale channel each one suits. It is written for distributors, wholesalers, importers and private-label brands planning a residential sink assortment.

Pressed sinks: how they are made

A blank of stainless steel sheet is placed in a press and drawn into the bowl shape in one forming operation. The bowl is a continuous piece of metal with no seams. Drainboards, tap ledges and the rim are formed in the same or subsequent operations, then the sink is trimmed, the drain opening is punched and the surface is finished.

The strengths follow directly: there are no welds to fail, the process is fast and highly repeatable, and unit-to-unit consistency across a batch is very good because the die does the same thing every time.

The constraint is that the die defines the product. A pressed model exists in exactly the dimensions its die produces. Changing the bowl size means a new die.

This is our core in-house line, with a minimum order quantity of 200 pieces per model.

Handmade sinks: how they are made

Flat panels are cut, bent to form the bowl walls, welded at the corners, and the welds are then ground and polished until the seam is not visible. The bowl is assembled rather than formed.

The strengths are geometric freedom and small-batch feasibility. Because there is no die, a size change is a change to a cutting list. Because the corners are welded rather than drawn, the inner corner can be genuinely tight and square.

The constraint is that quality is a function of the welding and finishing work. A well-made handmade sink is excellent; a poorly made one has visible or porous seams. There is more variation between suppliers in handmade than in pressed, and more variation between individual units.

This is a supplementary in-house line for us, with a minimum order quantity of 50 pieces per model.

Corner radius, cleaning and perceived quality

The visible difference is the inner corner radius, and it is the first thing an end customer notices.

Pressed sinks have a radiused inner corner. The radius is not a design preference — it is a forming requirement, because a sharp internal corner cannot be drawn without tearing. Larger radii are easier to draw and easier to clean.

Handmade sinks can hold a tight square corner, typically described in the market as R10 or similar. This reads as contemporary and premium, and it is the main reason handmade sells at a higher price position.

The cleaning argument runs in both directions and is worth being honest about with your customers. A generous radius is easier to wipe out. A tight square corner is harder to reach into but is often paired with the flat bowl base and rear drain positioning that handmade construction makes easy. Neither is inherently more hygienic in a residential kitchen. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling.

Thickness ranges

Handmade sinks are generally specified at the upper end of the thickness range, because there is no draw limit to satisfy and because the price position supports the material cost.

Pressed sinks are constrained from both sides: too thin and a deep bowl cannot be drawn, too thick and the forming loads and tooling wear rise. Two confirmed values in our pressed range: model 12050 (double bowl) at 0.6–0.8 mm and model 7540 (single bowl) at 0.4–0.8 mm. For any other model, ask us for the thickness on that model specifically.

The full treatment is in stainless steel sink thickness explained.

Size and configuration flexibility

This is the most commercially significant difference and the one buyers underestimate.

Pressed. You choose from the models we have dies for. A custom size means new tooling, which is a separate commercial conversation with its own cost and timeline, and it only makes sense at substantial volume. Within the existing range, though, you have configuration choice — single bowl, double bowl, with or without drainboard.

Handmade. Dimensions can be adjusted without tooling. Bowl sizes, overall length and bowl arrangement have real flexibility. This does not mean unlimited custom sizes — there are practical limits set by sheet sizes, by what can be handled and welded cleanly, and by whether the result is still a sensible product. Send us the dimensions and we will tell you whether it is workable.

For a private-label brand that needs a distinctive size to differentiate from what everyone else is importing, handmade is usually the realistic route.

Bowl depth limits

Pressed bowl depth is limited by how far the sheet can be stretched before it thins critically. Depth, corner radius and sheet thickness are one combined constraint — you cannot maximise all three.

Handmade bowl depth is set by the panel size and the welding, not by stretching, so deep bowls are straightforward. If your market wants a deep bowl with square corners, handmade is the construction that produces it.

Relative price positioning

Handmade sits above pressed. The reason is labour: welding, grinding and polishing every unit is hand work that does not go away with volume.

We do not publish prices or percentage differences here, and we would ask you to be sceptical of anyone who does, because the gap depends on size, thickness, finish, quantity and the specification of the fitting set. Price list on request, per your actual specification and quantity.

What is stable is the structure: pressed is the volume position, handmade is the margin position. Most assortments that work carry both.

Minimum order quantity: 200 versus 50

The MOQ difference is a hard commercial fact and it often decides the answer on its own:

MOQ is per model, not per order. An order of 400 pressed pieces split across four models does not meet the requirement; 200 pieces of one model does.

For a buyer testing a new market or a new price position, the 50-piece handmade MOQ is the low-risk way to put a model in front of customers. For a buyer with established volume on a known model, pressed is where the unit economics are.

Production lead time is 35 days for either line. We quote EXW and FOB.

Which method suits which resale channel

• Volume retail and e-commerce. Pressed. Price-driven, high turnover, established sizes, and the consistency across units keeps returns low.
• Kitchen furniture manufacturers. Usually pressed for standard cabinet widths, with handmade where a specific dimension or a square-corner look is part of the product design. See sink specifications for kitchen furniture manufacturers.
• Premium and design-led retail. Handmade. The square corner and deeper bowl are the visible justification for the price.
• Private label building a distinct range. Handmade for the differentiated models at 50 pieces each, pressed for the volume core once a model proves itself.
• New market entry. Start handmade to keep the commitment small, move the winners to pressed when volume supports 200 pieces.

What we produce

Pressed (drawn) stainless steel sinks are our core in-house line. Handmade (welded) stainless steel sinks are a supplementary in-house line. Both are produced by us. Quartz composite sinks are supplied to us by a partner factory — we do not produce them, and we say so rather than implying otherwise.

The under-sink fitting set is included; the faucet is not. Production lead time is 35 days. We quote EXW and FOB only.

Tell us the channel, the price position you are targeting and the volume you can commit per model, and we will tell you which construction we would put where — including when the honest answer is that a model is not worth carrying.

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