The honest answer is: longer than you think. For a first product with custom plastic parts and electronics, going from a solid idea to units you can sell commonly takes a year or more, and two years isn't unusual. A very simple product with no electronics can be much quicker.
That's not because any single step is slow. It's because there are many steps, several of them involve waiting (for molds, for labs, for ships), and most projects go round the loop more than once.
This guide breaks the time down so you can build a realistic plan, and shows where you can save weeks.
The three things that set your timeline
1. How complex the product is. A silicone kitchen tool with one mold is a different project from a Bluetooth device with a battery, a circuit board, five plastic parts and an app. Every extra part, technology or market adds time.
2. Who's on your team. An experienced team makes fewer wrong turns. If you're learning as you go (and most first-time founders are), expect extra prototype rounds.
3. Money. Running out of cash stops a project faster than any technical problem. Teams that can pay for tooling and certification when they're needed move faster than teams that wait for each payment.
A stage-by-stage timeline
These are typical ranges for one pass through each stage. They're not promises: your product may be faster or slower. The stages follow the Path.
| Stage | Typical time for one pass | What usually stretches it |
|---|---|---|
| Design | 2–8 weeks for a first complete design | Unclear requirements, adding features |
| Prototyping | 3–10 days per prototype round, plus time to test | Needing 3, 4, 5 rounds instead of 2 |
| Electronics | 1–3 weeks per board batch, plus firmware | Board revisions, parts shortages |
| DFM & tooling | 3–6 weeks to first mold samples | Several rounds of mold fixes |
| EVT · DVT · PVT | Several months in total | Waiting for molds, fixing test failures |
| Certification | 2–6 weeks | Failing a test and retesting |
| Packaging | 2–4 weeks | Starting late |
| Logistics | Days by air, weeks by sea | Customs paperwork, peak seasons |
If you add the middle of each range end to end, you get roughly a year. Real projects overlap some stages (good) and repeat others (normal), so the real number swings either way.
Where the time actually goes
Prototype loops. Each round is quick in Shenzhen, often a week, but you need time to test, think and redesign between rounds. Two or three rounds is a sensible plan; more is common.
Waiting for molds. You shouldn't order a mold until the design is settled, and the first samples (called T1, the first trial shots from a new mold) usually need fixes. Each fix and re-test cycle adds a week or two. See How to get an injection mold made in China.
Pilot builds. EVT, DVT and PVT each take weeks, and the gaps between them are spent fixing what the last build found. See EVT, DVT, PVT explained.
Certification queues. Labs book up, and if a test fails you change the design and go again.
Firmware. Software on the device often takes longer than the hardware. It runs alongside everything, so it rarely shows up on a schedule until it's late.
China-specific things to plan around
- Chinese New Year. Most factories close for one to several weeks around the holiday in January or February, and output slows for a week or two either side as workers travel home and return. Orders placed in December often slip. Plan as if the whole period is lost.
- National Day Golden Week in early October is a shorter closure, but still worth checking with suppliers.
- Peak shipping seasons before Western holidays can mean full ships and higher rates.
- Time zones. A question sent from Europe or the US in the afternoon gets an answer the next morning. Small delays add up across hundreds of messages.
How to save time (without cutting corners)
- Do DFM from day one. A design that follows manufacturing rules needs fewer mold fixes. See What is DFM?
- Order long-lead items early. Molds, test fixtures, some electronic components and packaging all take weeks. Start them as soon as their part of the design is stable.
- Book the certification lab during DVT, not after it.
- Freeze the design, then stop changing it. Every late change ripples through tooling, parts and testing. See Engineering change orders and design freeze.
- Be there for key builds. A problem spotted on the factory floor gets fixed the same day. A problem found in photos takes a week of back-and-forth.
- Pick partners who answer quickly. Response time during quoting is a good preview of response time during production. See How to choose a factory in China.
What doesn't save time
- Skipping prototype rounds. You'll pay it back later at tooling, at a higher price.
- Opening molds early "to save time". If the design changes, the mold needs rework or replacing.
- Starting mass production before PVT is clean. Fixing a problem in thousands of units is slower than fixing it in a hundred.
FAQ
How long does it take to make a prototype? A single prototype round in Shenzhen often takes 3–10 days to make. A prototype you're happy with usually takes several rounds over a few months.
How long does it take to manufacture a product once it's designed? After tooling and pilot builds are done, a production run itself might take a few weeks, depending on quantity and parts lead times. Getting to that point is the long part.
Can a product be ready in six months? Simple products, experienced teams or products built mostly from existing parts sometimes can. A first product with custom electronics and molds usually takes longer.
Keep reading
- Product development stages: from idea to finished product
- How much does it cost to develop a hardware product?
- Prototype to production: what changes from 10 units to 1,000
- EVT, DVT, PVT explained
Next steps
- Find NPI partners who manage the whole sequence for first-time teams
- Browse contract manufacturers and test and certification labs
- See the EVT · DVT · PVT stage of the Path
- Not sure where to start? Get an intro
Updated 3 October 2026
