1) Don’t rush the quote from your suppliers. Get these basics straight first

• Headcount: Rough number of athletes. Same medal for everyone, or different finishes for winners and age groups? A ballpark is enough.
• Past work: If you have last year’s medal size or photos, send them. It anchors the new design and saves time.
• Look and feel: Standard and simple, or something that stands out? Say it upfront and we’ll shape options around it.
• Dates: Race day and the date you want medals in hand.
• Budget range: A range helps us propose materials and techniques that actually fit.

With this info a custom swimming medals manufacturer can quote accurately and protect your timeline.

To learn more through a real-life example, check out this blog post: https://sicpin.com/swimming-medal-events-from-uk/

2) Ways to make swimming medals stand out (with real numbers)

• Transparent enamel for a water effect.
  Case: UK winter-swimming event. We added iceberg shapes and a pool outline, kept the logo, used transparent blue for the “water”. First draft in two days, three quick revisions, production 15 days, delivery 3 days. Clean look, strong on-site feedback.
• Glitter colors for lanes and splash. Typical add: $0.05–$0.12 per medal depending on area.
• 3D relief for swimmers, waves, dolphins. Works best at ≥ 3.0 mm thickness.
• Spinner or slider to show a moving stopwatch or swimmer. Structure adds roughly $0.80–$2 per medal.
• Magnet add-on so the medal becomes a fridge magnet after the race.
• Logos: Solid colors work with enamel. Small text or gradients are cleaner with UV printing.

Not sure what to pick? Tell us the feeling you want. We’ll line up effect vs. cost vs. lead time in one sheet so you can decide fast.

3) What builds the price: mold fee, unit price, shipping

Mold fee

Every new design needs a mold. At SICpin we store and maintain your mold free for 3 years. If you run the race every year, you can reorder without paying the mold again. Tip: put the year or motto in printing or laser, not in the mold, so you can change it at no cost.

Unit price

Driven by size, thickness, quantity, plating, colors, and special structures. Quantity matters most. One medal and ten thousand go through the same stations; more pieces spread the fixed cost.

Shipping

• Express (UPS/FedEx/DHL): usually 3–7 days worldwide, fastest and priciest.
• Air freight: about 10–20 days, mid cost.
• Sea freight: 30+ days, cheapest for large runs.

Quotes are normally excluding import duties. If you want DDP (duties paid, door to door), we can arrange it. For many clients DDP ends up cheaper than paying duties yourself.

4) Two planning scenarios so you can “feel” the budget

Illustrative only; final numbers follow your art and specs.

5) Timelines that protect race day

• Design: first drafts in 24–48 hours; small edits the same day.
• Sample (if needed): physical sample in 12-18 days when schedule allows; photo/video proofs anytime.
• Production: usually 14-18 days depending on finish and volume.
• Shipping: see options above.

We build a simple calendar with your milestones and share photo/video updates at each stage. Our on-time delivery rate stays 99.9%, and we lock capacity early in peak months.

6) Spec cheat sheet for swimming medals

• Typical sizes: 60–90 mm fit water themes nicely.
• Thickness: 3.0–3.5 mm. Go ≥ 3.5 mm for 3D or moving parts.
• Plating: shiny gold/silver/nickel, antique gold/silver/copper, black nickel, sandblast, spray black.
• Colors: solid enamel, transparent enamel, glitter, glow, metallic paints.
• Ribbons: 25–38 mm wide with custom print; we can code groups on the back tag.
• Packaging: polybag (standard), velvet pouch or box, medal wooden box or custom gift box.

7) Quality control and after-sales

Every stage is checked: after coloring, after plating, before assembly. Scratches, missing color, weak plating get pulled for rework. You’ll see progress photos so there are no surprises.

If something slips through, show us photos or a short video. We remake affected pieces at no charge.

We are a factory in China with 15+ years in metal crafts, 6 in-house designers, and 5,000+ buyers worldwide. Design help is free. Samples are available; you only cover freight.

8) Copy-and-send brief (this opens your quote fast)

Paste this into your email and fill the blanks:

• Race date: ______
• Total qty and breakdown (overall, winners, age groups): ______
• Reference size or past medal link/photo: ______
• Effects you like (transparent, glitter, 3D, spinner, slider, magnet): ______
• Logo file: AI/EPS/PDF/JPG/PNG
• Plating and ribbon idea: ______
• Need a physical sample or is photo/video proof fine: ______
• City and ZIP for delivery: ______
• Budget range: ______

9) A plain closing line

We cast, polish, plate, color, stitch ribbons, and pack—every day. Give us your idea and a few numbers. A custom swimming medals manufacturer that understands race schedules will do the rest.

If you send last year’s medal and this year’s headcount, we’ll return 2 or 3 workable design drafts so you can see what’s possible.