When it comes time to order zippers for your design or production run, there are a number of things you’ll need to know and decide on in advance before ordering zippers. In this blog, we’ll go over what you need to know before ordering zippers to make your life, or at least your “zipper life”, just a little bit easier.
HOW MUCH IS A ZIP?
This is usually the first question we get when people walk in through our doors. Answering how much a zipper costs is not complicated, but there are a number of factors that need to be decided before a price can be given. One of the main things to know is that UCAN Zippers USA DOES NOT CARRY STOCK ITEMS. We manufacture and produce all of the zippers exactly to the specs of our clients. Below are the items that you will need to know for us to give you accurate pricing.
ZIPPER TYPE
What type of zipper are you looking for? What will the final zipper application be? Are you looking for a nylon coil, metal, or plastic molded zipper? Every type of zipper that is produced should meet the functional needs of the piece and be balanced with the aesthetic that the designer is trying to achieve. Once you know what zipper type you’ll be using, then you can move on to the gauge size.
ZIPPER STYLE
The Zipper Style is referring to the actual usage of the zipper. For example, if you were designing and producing a jacket, then you will need a Separating Bottom zipper. For denim, a Closed Bottom will suit you fine. If you have a long trench coat and need two zipper pulls, one on top and one on bottom, then you would need a Two Way Separating Bottom zipper.
The base Zipper Styles are:
- Closed Bottom
- Separating Bottom
- Two Way Separating Bottom
- Two Way Closed Bottom
ZIPPER GAUGE SIZE
Here at UCAN Zippers USA, when we refer to gauge size, we are talking about the size of the teeth. We produce gauges from #2 – #10 across the different types of zippers we make. That said, you will need to get an idea of how big (the width) you want the teeth to be, to again, meet the functional demand of the piece as well as the aesthetic desires. If the zipper is a metal zipper, then move on to the zipper finish. If it’s nylon coil or plastic molded zipper, then skip to the zipper length.
ZIPPER FINISH
This only applies to metal zippers. Are you looking for brass, nickel, gun metal, antique nickel, antique brass, etc? While the finish is mostly for aesthetics, there are occasions where the type of finish should be considered for the kind of processing the garment will be going through. Most often we see this with the denim industry. With all of the chemical washes used to achieve a certain finish or look, the type of zipper finish should be planned in advance to ensure the zipper will survive the garment wash required.
ZIPPER LENGTH
The next two are pretty straightforward. What length will you need your zipper to be? When you measure a zipper, you DO NOT include the length of the tape extenders. You only measure from top stop to bottom stop for your zipper length, metal to metal.
ZIPPER COLOR
Colors are probably the most subjective zipper part that we deal with. While you may think that red is red or blue is blue, it’s not. Here’s why. Once you’ve selected your color, you have to think about what type of light you approved the color under. Was it fluorescent, white light, or were you outside using sunlight? If you were outside, was it morning sun or afternoon sun? When you approve colors, be consistent with the light source being used while reviewing and approving colors. Here at UCAN Zippers USA, we most often use white light in a controlled environment, unless otherwise specified by our clients.
ZIPPER QUANTITY
When purchasing wholesale zippers, you’re going to run into minimums. Why are minimums imposed for wholesale zippers? The reason we do is because the minimums are in line with the smallest amount we can produce with our machines. Some wholesale zipper companies will impose a quantity minimum, while others may impose a yardage minimum. Here at UCAN Zippers USA we have a yardage minimum. If you’re not sure how many pieces of zipper you can get for a yardage minimum, we’ve made a handy calculator to help you with that here.
There you have it. All of the parts of knowledge you need to be armed with before you order your wholesale zippers. If you have any questions about zipper prior to ordering, feel free to contact us and we can help you through the process. Once you’ve gone through it, it gets easier and easier.
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