CNC machining in China, without the sourcing risk

A China CNC machining service run for overseas engineers

China has a huge base of machine shops with 3, 4 and 5-axis mills, lathes and finishing lines. The machines are not the hard part. The hard part, for an engineer in Boston, Munich or Melbourne, is finding a shop that reads your drawing correctly, answers in English, ships on time and tells you about a problem before the parts are made, not after they arrive.

7DayParts sits in that gap. You send us CAD and a drawing. Our team reviews it, quotes it, places it with a partner machine shop in China that fits the part, manages the order, and inspects the parts before they ship. You deal with one contact, one quote and one invoice.

• Custom CNC parts from 1 piece up to around 1,000 pieces.
• CNC milling on 3, 4 and 5-axis machines; CNC turning and mill-turn; sheet metal laser cutting, bending and welding.
• Standard tolerance ±0.03 mm. Tighter on critical features if they are called out on the drawing and confirmed in the quote.
• Finishing in the same order: bead blasting, anodizing Type II and III, powder coating, passivation, plating, polishing, laser marking.

How the CNC machining China online quote works

There is no automatic price generator that guesses at your part. An engineer reads the files and replies within 12 hours with a unit price for your quantity, the lead time, shipping cost to your country and DFM notes. DFM notes point out features that drive cost or risk: an internal corner radius smaller than any practical end mill, a tolerance tighter than the function needs, a thread depth that forces a special tool, a wall too thin to hold flat after anodizing.

Send a 3D file (STEP or IGES is best; X_T and STL also work) plus a 2D drawing in PDF or DWG that shows tolerances, threads, material and finish. Files up to 50 MB each. If you are unsure what to include, read how to prepare CAD files for a CNC quote.

The real worries about cnc manufacturing in China, answered

Most engineers who hesitate to order from China have the same five concerns. Here is how each one is handled.

Communication

You write to us in English and get replies in English, 7 days a week. Questions about your drawing come back as specific items (feature, dimension, proposed change) before machining starts. Time zones work in your favor: files sent at the end of a US or European workday are usually reviewed overnight.

Quality control

Every order ships with an inspection report that records the critical dimensions. For batches, we make one part first and send photos and measurements for your approval before the rest run. Material certificates are available on request. If parts are out of tolerance against the approved drawing, we remake them free. Details are on the quality and inspection page.

IP and NDA

We sign your NDA or ours before reviewing files. Your files are only shared with the engineers who quote and make the part. As a practical rule, send only what is needed to make the part: a single component, not a full assembly, and no firmware or system-level documentation.

Shipping time and import duties

Parts ship by DHL, FedEx or UPS express, typically 3–5 days door to door, with tracking. Duties and import taxes depend on your country and the part's tariff classification. Ask for DDP (delivered duty paid) pricing and the quote will include them, so the courier does not stop at your door asking for payment.

Payment safety

Pay by PayPal, credit card through PayPal, or international bank transfer (T/T). Invoices are in USD or EUR. Paying through PayPal or a card gives you the buyer protection of those systems. Existing invoices can be paid on the payment page.

When ordering CNC parts from China makes sense, and when it does not

China CNC machining is not the right answer for every part. Lead time from upload to your desk is roughly two weeks at standard speed: up to 12 hours to quote, up to 7 days to make, and 3–5 days to ship. Expedited production cuts that to about one week. Use that number to decide.

If your project sits in the "good" rows, the main thing to plan for is the shipping leg. Order a day earlier than you would locally, and do not leave first articles to the last week before a build.

Custom CNC parts China: what we make

Typical parts are brackets, housings and enclosures, heat sinks, manifolds, fixtures and jigs, shafts, pins, bushings, threaded fittings, sheet metal chassis and panels. Common materials include aluminum 6061-T6 and 7075-T6, stainless 303, 304, 316 and 17-4PH, steel 1018, 1045 and 4140, brass C360, copper C110, titanium Grade 2 and Grade 5, and plastics such as POM, PEEK, nylon, PC, ABS and PTFE. Other grades are sourced on request. See materials and surface finishes for properties and options.