Bookend
SKU: FL-LB-004
Heavy-duty bookend. Powder-coated steel, anti-slip base.
| Material | SPCC steel (1.5mm) or solid metal |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing Process | Laser cutting + bending + powder coating |
| Surface Finish | Powder coating (red/blue/black/white) |
| Tolerance | ±0.3mm |
| Dimensions | 150×150×200mm |
| Weight | 0.5kg |
| Base | Anti-slip rubber pad |
| Color | Multiple options |
| MOQ | 500 units |
| Lead Time | Quoted after drawing review and process confirmation |
| Sample Time | Quoted after drawing review and process confirmation |
| Sample Fee | USD 50 |
| Price Range | USD 3-6/unit |
| Applications | Libraries, schools, offices, home |
| Compliance | REACH, Prop 65 |
| Export Markets | USA, Germany, UK, Japan |
How This Bookend Is Fabricated and Checked
A bookend looks like the simplest part in the range and is one of the harder ones to get right: the tolerance is tight and the part is judged by whether it sits flat and grips.
| Stage | What happens | What is verified before the job moves on |
|---|---|---|
| Blanking | Blank laser cut to the developed shape, including the base and the upright | Developed size and slot positions. At the tolerance this part is usually specified at, the blank has to be right before it is formed |
| Forming | Blank bent to the finished angle | Bend angle and base flatness. A base that is not flat rocks, and a bookend that rocks slides |
| Base treatment | Rubber pad or non-slip base applied where specified | Pad position and adhesion. The pad is what actually holds the part against a shelf |
| Edge condition | Cut and formed edges deburred | Burr condition on every edge the hand touches and on the faces that bear on a book cover |
| Surface preparation and coating | Degrease, phosphate, then powder coat to the agreed colour | Film thickness and colour, and that coating has not built up on the base where the pad bonds |
| Sample check | A sample offered up on a shelf against the reference | That it stands flat, grips, and does not mark the shelf or the book |
| Packing | Bulk packed or individually bagged to the order’s counting requirement | That the coating is not marked in transit, and that the count is right – at this quantity, packing is part of the cost |
Revisions That Skip New Tooling on Bookend Library Metal Decoration
This is a high-quantity part where one dimension being out is multiplied by the order, so the variables worth controlling are the base and the pad.
| What can be changed | What it affects | What it does not affect |
|---|---|---|
| Size and height | The developed blank, the bend position and the packing | The base pad |
| Base: rubber-padded, felt or plain | Grip, and whether the shelf surface is protected | The part geometry |
| Form and profile | The blank development and the bend tooling | The base |
| Thickness | Stiffness, and how firmly it holds a heavy book | The bend radius the material will take |
| Colour and finish | Powder specification, and whether a mixed set is ordered | Nothing structural |
| Packing and counting | How the parts are received, stored and issued at the library | The part itself |
FAQ on Bookend Library Metal Decoration
Why is the tolerance so tight on such a simple part?
Because the part is judged by whether it sits flat and grips, and both come from the base. A base a few tenths out rocks, and a bookend that rocks slides under a heavy book. The tolerance is on the formed part rather than on the blank, which is why the bend is checked instead of assumed.
Can we order a mix of colours in one batch?
Yes, and it is common where a library colour-codes its sections. The order runs as separate colour batches under one part number, so give us the split when ordering rather than afterwards, because the coating line is set per colour.
What stops the part marking the shelf?
The base treatment and the edge condition. A rubber or felt base protects the shelf, and a deburred edge protects the book cover. Where a library has a particular shelf finish, it is worth saying so, because that decides which base is right.
On a part bought by the hundred, the cost is in consistency – the same base flatness on the first piece and the last. Send the quantity and the colour split through the RFQ form and the batch is planned around them. Related: custom sheet metal fabrication, CNC bending and surface finishing.
Weight, Pad and the Friction That Does the Work
A bookend weighing 0.5 kg does not hold books up by being heavy – it holds them because the base has enough friction to resist the sideways push of a leaning row, and because the vertical face is tall enough to support the first book. That means the anti-slip pad is a functional component, not a decoration, and its condition matters: a pad that hardens or picks up dust loses grip and the bookend starts to slide. We fit the pad the drawing specifies and we make sure the base is flat, because a pad on a rocking base only touches at one corner.
- 1.5 mm SPCC is enough for a bookend that is decorative rather than structural; a solid metal version is a different product with a different price.
- Powder coating in red, blue, black or white is a retail decision. A matte finish hides fingerprints better than gloss on a part that gets handled.
- The vertical face height sets what the bookend can hold. A 200 mm face holds paperbacks; a tall art book needs more.
Retail Realities: Finish Consistency Across a Batch
Bookends are usually bought in sets and displayed together, which makes batch consistency more important than absolute colour accuracy. Two bookends from different powder batches can differ visibly when they sit side by side on a shelf. We run a set from one batch whenever the quantity allows, and we tell you when an order is large enough to need more than one – because that is the point at which a colour tolerance becomes a commercial question rather than a technical one.
Packing is the other retail issue. A coated bookend rubbing against another in a box arrives with marks. Interleaving or an individual sleeve costs little and prevents the kind of damage that turns into a return. Lead time is quoted after drawing review and process confirmation.
Payment Terms
How a project is paid for is agreed before production starts, and the structure that applies to your order is stated on the quotation and on the order confirmation, so there is no ambiguity later.
- 30% advance payment with the order and the 70% balance before shipment — our standard structure.
- 70% advance payment with the order and the 30% balance before shipment — used for some projects.
- 100% payment in advance before production starts — used for some projects.
If your finance team works to a fixed structure, say so in the first enquiry and we will confirm what applies to your order before you commit. Request a quotation.
Questions buyers ask before sending drawings
The questions that come up most often before a project starts, answered the way we answer them by email.
What do you need from me to quote Bookend?
2D drawings as PDF, DWG or DXF, or 3D files as STEP, IGES or SolidWorks, together with material grade, sheet thickness, surface finish, quantity and destination country. If the drawing is not finished yet, send a photo, a sketch or the existing part instead — we review what can be measured from it and reply with the questions that still need answering.
How long does a quotation take?
Enquiries are answered within one business day. Simple laser-cut and bent parts are quoted within 24 hours. Welded frames, assembled units and multi-part structures are quoted after the drawing review and process confirmation, and the date is confirmed in our reply.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
Prototypes are made from a single piece and small batches of 10–50 pieces are routine. Prototype, first batch and repeat volume are quoted together so the numbers stay consistent as the project scales.
Can you work from a sample or a photo if I have no drawing?
Yes. Send the part itself, clear photographs with a rule or caliper in frame, or a dimensioned sketch. We measure what can be measured, list what is still undefined, and confirm it with you before production.
Need a Similar Part?
Most enquiries that start on a page like this are not an order for Bookend — they are a search for a factory that can make something like it. Send us your drawing, 3D model or sample and we will review the manufacturing process and the quotation requirements, then come back with a process plan, a price and a lead time.
We work from 2D drawings, STEP / DWG / DXF / PDF files, or a physical sample if that is all you have.
No complete drawings yet? Describe the part, send photos or a sketch, or send a sample — we can start from there. Discuss your project.
Trade Terms and Delivery
We quote under the standard Incoterms your logistics team already works with, and build the packing and documentation around the one you choose.
- EXW — you collect from our Ningbo facility and run export clearance through your own forwarder.
- FOB Ningbo — we deliver to the vessel at Ningbo port and handle export clearance.
- CIF — we cover carriage and insurance to your named destination port.
- DDP — we handle carriage, insurance, import clearance and duties through to your door.
Send your destination country, target delivery date and preferred trade term together with the drawing. Request a quotation.
Quotation Time
We quote from your drawings. How long that takes depends on what the part asks for:
- Simple parts — quoted within 24 hours. Laser-cut blanks and bent components, supplied with complete 2D or 3D drawings. Mon–Fri, GMT+8.
- Complex assemblies — quoted after the drawing review. Payment kiosks, multi-part welded frames, enclosures with purchased hardware, or anything needing a coating or assembly trial. We confirm a quotation date once the scope is clear.
Production lead time is quoted separately, after drawing review and process confirmation. Send your drawings.
What stands behind this quotation
- Manufacturing since 20162,500 m² Ningbo plant — 3 laser cutting machines (including newer TRUMPF), 4 CNC press brakes and 10 welding stations.
- Shipped to more than 30 export marketsEnclosures, cabinets and formed parts supplied to OEM buyers across Europe, North America and Asia.
- 123 documented product casesMedical device housings, HVAC and heat pump enclosures, agricultural and livestock equipment, industrial hydraulics, material handling trolleys and EV charging cabinets.
- Factory evidence you can checkTUV Rheinland audit reference MIC-ASI243729 and Bureau Veritas reference MIC-ASR263630 available for buyer review under NDA.
Before you send drawings: an NDA is signed on request · first-article inspection is carried out before a batch continues · pricing is staged from prototype quantity to repeat volume · pre-shipment photos and packing records are prepared when the project needs them.