Glossary of wallet manufacturing terms

• 13.56 MHz
• 98.8% avg. attenuation
• AQL 2.5

The ability of a wallet to attenuate the radio-frequency fields used to read contactless cards (13.56 MHz NFC/EMV). A shielded wallet slows or blocks this signal so a card cannot be read through the material at close range. We verify shielding per batch on a 13.56 MHz bench and report 98.8% average attenuation at AQL 2.5 — always ask a supplier for their test report, not a marketing claim.

• Find My network
• Isolated from card stack

A hidden slot sized for Apple's AirTag tracker, letting a wallet be located through the Find My network. In our travel wallets the pocket sits away from the card stack so it does not interfere with RFID shielding or card reading.

• 13.56 MHz
• ISO/IEC 14443
• ≈4 cm range

The short-range wireless standard (13.56 MHz, ISO/IEC 14443) that lets a contactless card, phone or transit pass exchange data when held within a few centimetres of a reader. NFC is the exact frequency a wallet shield is tuned against — which is why shielding is tested at 13.56 MHz and not at the UHF frequencies used for logistics tags.

• One fold
• 8–16 cards

A wallet that folds once, into two panels. The classic Western layout: bill compartment in the fold, card slots on each side, 8–16 card capacity. Bifolds are the safest first SKU for a new brand because consumer expectation is well defined.

• 6–12 mm
• < 60 g

A wallet designed to minimize stack height and weight — typically 6–12 mm and under 60 g — usually card-first, often cashless. The fastest-growing wallet category in North American EDC retail.

• Spring clip
• Front-pocket carry

A wallet that carries folded notes under a spring clip instead of a bill compartment — the Spanish “money clip” carried at the front. Minimalist cash users are the core audience.

• Two folds
• 16–18+ cards
• 100 × 78 mm

A wallet with three panels folding twice; the highest-capacity traditional layout (16–18+ cards) with an ID window built in. At 100 × 78 mm folded, it serves buyers who refuse to downsize.

• 6–12 cards
• Spring-loaded tray

A slim-metal wallet with a spring-loaded tray that fans 6–12 cards out with one press or lever motion. The mechanism is the product: it determines feel, reliability and the demo moment that sells the wallet. Mechanism QC is where low-cost copies fail.

• 2–6 cards
• No cash section

A minimal carrier for 2–6 cards with no cash section; the entry product in most minimalist lines.

• Top layer
• Un-sanded
• Develops patina

The top layer of the hide, un-sanded and un-embossed, retaining its natural surface and fiber strength. It develops a patina over years of use and is the premium standard for leather wallets. Hides are grade-sorted and cut so natural markings land on least-visible panels.

• Sanded / embossed
• Entry price points

The same upper layer, sanded or buffed to remove surface imperfections, then often embossed with a uniform texture. More consistent and cheaper than full-grain; a correct value choice for entry price points.

• PU or plant-based
• No upcharge

Polyurethane-coated fabric (PU) or plant-based composites sold as leather alternatives. Vegan options carry no upcharge in our lines; durability expectations should be set honestly at retail — a $20 vegan wallet is not a $50 full-grain wallet.

• Alloy 6061
• T6 temper
• Aerospace grade

The workhorse aerospace-grade aluminium alloy: CNC-machinable, anodizes cleanly, and light. “6061” is the alloy, “T6” the heat-treatment state that gives it strength — the alloy name on a spec sheet means little if the machine shop is not certified.

• Oxide layer, not paint
• Pantone-matchable

An electrochemical process that grows a hard, coloured oxide layer on aluminium. It is the reason aluminium wallets can be black, gunmetal or custom Pantone-matched — the colour is part of the metal, not paint. Wear-resistant and consistent when batched correctly.

• 3K weave
• Not self-shielding

Weave of carbon filaments laid in epoxy; in wallets it appears as solid rigid plates (3K weave) praised for strength-to-weight and a technical aesthetic. Not a conductive Faraday shield on its own — shielding must be added as a separate layer.

• Ti-6Al-4V
• ≈½ the weight of steel
• Flagship SKUs

The premium metal-wallet material: roughly half the weight of steel at comparable strength, biocompatible and corrosion-resistant. Costs several times aluminium per unit; used for flagship SKUs.

• Ages with use
• Full-grain only

The sheen and colour shift that vegetable-tanned and full-grain leather develops through handling, sunlight and oil from the hand. Patina is the reason full-grain is sold as a long-life material — and the reason two wallets from the same hide do not age identically.

• Cut from solid billet
• Tight tolerances

Computer-numerically-controlled milling: cutting a wallet frame from a solid billet of metal. Slower than casting, but stronger and precisely toleranced — the right process for mechanisms that must last.

• Blind / foil / filled
• Heated die

Pressing a heated brass or magnesium die into leather so the logo sits below the surface and stays legible for the life of the product. Blind (no foil), foil and stamped-and-filled are the three common finishes — blind deboss is the most durable and the cheapest at volume.

• Lab dip / swatch approval
• ΔE tolerance band

Specifying a brand colour by Pantone reference instead of by eye. On leather and fabric the match is made on a lab dip; on aluminium the anodizing dye lot is matched to the reference. Expect a ΔE tolerance band and approve a physical swatch — screens are not a colour standard.

• 300 pcs / colour
• 3,000+ for ODM tooling

The smallest quantity a factory will produce for one design. Our baseline is 300 pcs per colour for stock designs; custom tooling (ODM) effectively requires 3,000+ so mould amortisation works. MOQ is where most sourcing conversations actually start.

• Factory designs + builds
• 14–20 weeks

The factory both designs and manufactures, offering its designs or developing new ones with you. You brand the result. Faster to market for brands without in-house industrial design capacity.

• Zero development
• Most commoditised

An unbranded, stock product you resell under your own name with no development at all — the fastest launch, and the most commoditised.

• AQL 2.5 major
• 0.65 visual (premium)

The sampling standard used in QC: a statistically chosen sample is inspected, and the batch passes if defect count stays under the agreed limit. Our standard is AQL 2.5 major defects (0.65 for visual on premium tiers). An AQL level in a quote is a real commitment — ask which level is applied.

• FOB Shenzhen / Dongguan
• DDP available

An Incoterm meaning the seller's responsibility ends when goods are loaded on the vessel; the buyer pays ocean freight, insurance and destination costs. We quote FOB Shenzhen / Dongguan by default and can provide landed-cost guidance (DDP to US/EU) so you can compare apples to apples.

• Your design, our line
• Owned or shared tooling

You bring the design; the factory manufactures it to your specification under your brand. Tooling can be yours or shared. The right choice when you already know exactly what you want.

• Existing tool
• Lowest development cost

You buy an existing tooled design (ours or a shared tool), possibly with small changes, and sell it under your brand. Cheapest route to a branded product because development is already paid for.

• Final tooling + materials
• Last sign-off gate

The sample made with final tooling and materials before a production run — the last sign-off gate where you approve finish, colour, branding and packaging. Never skip it; it is the cheapest mistake-proofing in sourcing.

• 25–35 days (stock)
• 7–15 days (sampling)
• Q2 = tightest

The days from confirmed P.O. to cargo ready. Stock designs: 25–35 days. ODM with new tooling: 14–20 weeks concept-to-shelf. Sampling: 7–15 days. Book tentative production slots 60 days out for seasonal programs — Q2 is our tightest window.

• FNSKU + carton labelling
• Compliance docs included

Amazon's warehousing and shipping service. FBA-ready supply means carton dimensions, barcode labelling and compliance docs handled before goods reach Amazon's centres — a service we provide as standard for marketplace sellers.

• EXW · FOB · CIF · DDP
• Defines risk transfer

The ICC's standardised trade terms (EXW, FOB, CIF, DDP and the rest) that define who pays for freight, insurance, duties and risk — and at which point risk transfers from seller to buyer. Naming the Incoterm and the port in a quote is what makes two supplier quotes comparable.