Custom Dice Manufacturing

We get a surprising number of inquires from people with all varieties of reasons to produce custom dice: special events, game releases, book releases, personal use, even trick dice for magicians! While Awesome Dice is not itself a manufacturer, and thus not always capable of providing, we do work with several different manufacturers around the world, meaning we can both help you realize your project and keep you informed!

Be sure to check out the end of this post for our FAQs. 

First, let's stress the difference between full-custom dice and customized dice. 

• Customized dice are, in essence, blank stock dice that have already been put into production. Your custom design can then be laser etched or painted onto the surface of one or more die faces. The die itself cannot be a custom shape or size, and you will be limited to the materials and colors already available. On the plus side, however, you can get customized dice in much smaller quantities and, of course, no mold fees are required. 

• Full-custom dice, on the other hand, are primarily produced through the use of custom dice molds. Thanks to this, the dice produced can be of any shape, any size, any combination of colors, and any opacity. Foil paper inclusions, glitter, and pearl-effect inking, among other things, also become available options. This method is a necessity if you are looking to make dice of a unique size and/or with a unique number of faces. With this option, there can be as much as substantial up-front costs and you will be required to purchase a greater amount of dice, but the per-die prices are often more reasonable and production time is (contrary to expectations) much faster. 

Full-Custom and Customized Dice Manufacturers

As previously stated, customized dice can be made in smaller quantities. Depending, you may even be able to get price breaks by purchasing greater quantities, though it won't bring the cost down to only pennies. You can get customized dice in a variety of styles from: 

• Chessex: Chessex offers customized dice in a large variety of d6 colors and sizes (with customization on the 1 or 6 face), a limited variety of d10s (with customization on the 10 face), and all opaque white dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d%, d12, & d20 with customization on all faces). The turnaround time for small orders is a few months to about half a year. 

• Q Workshop: Q Workshop offers customized dice in a large variety of colors and sizes and for every standard die type. This includes customization on all faces. As long as you are looking for standard die shapes, Q Workshop customization will essentially allow you to make almost entirely custom dice without the cost of custom molds! The turn around time is usually around five months. 

In either case, customized sharp edge and translucent dice are not available, and the per-die price will never be less than a dollar. It's fairly safe to set your expectations at around $4 - $7 per die! 

For full-custom dice, you will need to pay for the creation of a custom mold (unless you are working with gemstones), which could cost anywhere from $100 to over $1,000 depending on the material and size of your dice (my recommendation: unless you need 10,000 dice, stay away from acrylic! Those mold prices are wild). 

You will also need to be willing to purchase, at the very least, 200 full sets or 1,000 individual dice (all of the same type and design). Per-die prices fluctuate greatly here due to the variety of shapes, sizes, materials, and inclusions, but it is often cheaper than customized dice. 

No matter which option you choose, be it customized or full-custom, manufacturing will happen overseas, so there will also be shipping fees, the price of which is rarely under $100. 

Some manufacturers may require sample fees. On top of all this, these manufacturers typically only sell to retail businesses with resale licenses (like us, Awesome Dice). If you want to find a U.S. plastic injection mold manufacturer for your dice, be prepared for the potentiality of paying as much as ten times more for setup and the final product. 

Why the High Minimum Order Quantities? 

"Minimum order quantity," "MOQ," and "minimum purchase requirement" all refer to the same thing: it is simply the minimum amount of dice any single manufacturer will require you to purchase. 

Making dice can be expensive. Any single manufacturer's minimum order quantity reflects how many dice they would need to make in order to earn a profit from the sale. They need to earn a profit to stay in business. Therefore, different manufacturers may have different minimum order quantities. 

For more information: what minimum order quantity any single project faces additionally depends on the material used, the amount of dice within the project (a single d20 vs a full set of 7), and the dice style (rounded edge vs sharp edge, standard size vs larger or smaller size). Of course, this too varies by manufacturer. 

FAQs

Can I get only a few sets or a few dice? 

Unfortunately, the quick answer is "No." 

As all the manufacturers we work with and know of deal in bulk, we are not capable of producing a small number of dice. Minimums are heavily dependent on the specifics of your project, but as a broad and quick reference, our lowest possible minimums are 50 single dice or 200 sets. 

What will this cost? 

This is heavily dependent on your project, but I can guarantee both per-die and per-set prices will not be less than a dollar (unless you need 10,000 dice and your material choice was acrylic). 

How soon can I get my dice? 

At the fastest: 2 – 2.5 months on average, depending on the specifics of your project. 

How much will it cost to ship to my location? 

This depends on starting location, destination country, and the size + weight of the shipment. A box of only 50 dice, for example, will be far cheaper to ship than a box of 500 full sets. Since our manufacturers are scattered all over the world, it is safe to anticipate a triple-digit shipping cost. 

Once they have all the specifics of your project, most of our manufacturers are able to obtain this number before your order goes into production, so you'll know what you'll be paying from the start. 

Can Awesome Dice help me with design? 

Awesome Dice does not have a dedicated design team, so you'll have to come to us with your prepared design plans. You won't need a several-page presentation on your design (although that'll never hurt), but you will need at least a general idea of what you'd like to produce. 

The only minor exception to this rule is Q Workshop and Chessex. Because these manufacturers have limited color options, your design will need to match those available. 

Are you capable of producing dice with unique shapes, sizes, and number of faces? 

Absolutely! Particularly unusual shapes (like our Awesome d2) may require a 3D file reference, though. Awesome Dice cannot prepare this 3D file for you. 

Can I get a quote? 

Please email us directly for specific inquiries. Please do not leave your inquiries in the comments section of this blog. We do not check it regularly and may therefore miss your question!