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Hardware sourcing glossary — fifteen terms that decide your landed cost
A glossary of the hardware-sourcing terms that actually change your price, your risk or your paperwork. Each entry is written so it can be read on its own.
Industrial belt (产业带)
A county or district where one product category is made by thousands of clustered factories, giving shared sub-suppliers, tooling shops and logistics. Hardware buyers route enquiries to the belt, not to a random city.
MOQ
Minimum order quantity — the smallest run a factory will schedule. It exists mainly because setup, plating baths and packing are batch operations, so it can often be waived for stock items and negotiated for mixed containers.
OEM vs ODM
OEM: you supply the design, the factory builds it. ODM: the factory proposes an existing design and applies your brand and packing.
First article inspection
Measurement and approval of the first produced parts against the drawing before serial release; the approved piece is kept as the physical reference for the batch.
Property class (8.8 / 10.9)
The strength grading of metric fasteners under ISO 898-1: the first digit x100 is ultimate tensile strength in MPa, the second digit after the dot is the yield-to-tensile ratio.
DIN / ISO / GB / ANSI
Standards families you will quote fasteners and tools against: German, international, Chinese national and US. Cross-standard substitution must be checked dimension by dimension, not assumed.
Hot-dip vs electro galvanising
Hot-dip coats 45–85 µm and protects outdoors but changes fine thread fit; electro-galvanising coats 5–12 µm, keeps dimensions and is cheaper for indoor use.
Dacromet / Geomet
Non-electrolytic flake zinc coatings giving far higher corrosion and heat resistance than zinc plating, used on high-strength fasteners because they do not cause hydrogen embrittlement.
WLL / CWL / safety factor
Working load limit and constant working load are the rated capacities; the safety factor is how many times the proof load exceeds them (typically 5:1 for forged lifting parts).
Mill test report (EN 10204 3.1)
The steel producer's certified record of chemical and mechanical properties for the exact heat shipped. For fittings and lifting goods, ask for it before dispatch, not after.
PPAP / first-article / AQL
Automotive-grade documentation discipline (PPAP) versus general-consumer sampling (AQL). Hardware usually ships on AQL sampling unless the buyer requires otherwise.
FOB / CIF / DDP
Shipping terms defining who pays freight, insurance and duty. Hardware from China is usually quoted FOB Ningbo / Shanghai / Qingdao, which is why the port of the belt matters.
Consolidation (拼柜)
Combining goods from several factories into one container with separate packing lists. It is the single most effective way to buy from source factories without meeting every MOQ.
DZR / low-lead brass
Dezincification-resistant brass used for potable-water valves and fittings; low-lead alloys (e.g. CW511L) are required by several drinking-water regulations, so the lead percentage belongs on the PO.
EAC / CE / GS / RoHS
Conformity regimes you may need: EAC for the Eurasian Customs Union, CE for the EU, GS as a voluntary German safety mark, RoHS/REACH for restricted substances. Only marks the factory can evidence should appear on paperwork.