Looking at total production costs, China will clearly remain the cheapest location for metalworking and industrial production in 2025. Not only are labor costs significantly lower, but materials, surface treatments, and specialized processes are also more competitively priced. The cost difference increases rapidly, especially for products that require extensive labor, manual labor, large batch sizes, or complex shapes. China benefits from economies of scale, enormous production capacity, and a mature supply chain for virtually every metal or plastics processing operation.
For large series, castings, forgings, extrusions, or mass production, China can be up to 40–60% cheaper than Europe. In addition, many factories are fully equipped for lost-wax casting, aluminum casting, forging, extrusions, and composite parts—technologies that are more expensive or less widely available in Europe.
Poland is more attractive than the Netherlands in terms of production costs, but not cheaper than China. Especially for labor-intensive work, small series, or machining, Poland comes close to Chinese prices, but China remains cheaper in terms of materials and coatings. Nevertheless, transport, speed, and size restrictions play a significant role in the final choice.
In terms of delivery time, Poland is the clear winner. While China faces long transport routes, container scheduling, and fixed shipping cycles, production in Poland is much more efficient. A project that takes 12-16 weeks in China can often be completed in Poland within 4-6 weeks. Moreover, truck transport is extremely fast: TOS delivers directly from Poland to customers in the Netherlands or Belgium within 1-2 days.
China also has logistical limitations that affect the suitability of certain products. Large welded structures, frames, machine parts, or wide steel assemblies often don’t fit in standard containers. This means components must be split up, repackaged, or shipped at higher costs. This makes Poland much more efficient for large, bulky products.
Smaller parts, CNC turned parts , cast parts, forged parts, and extrusions, on the other hand, are ideal for China: compact, efficiently stackable, well-packaged, and relatively inexpensive to ship. Only transit time remains the limiting factor.
So, for companies that need speed, flexibility and adaptability, Poland is the logical choice — China is ideal for planned series production with longer lead times.
During this conversation we will briefly explain what we can do for you and answer your questions.
Based on your product and requirements, we request prices and delivery times from various suppliers.
We will then prepare a clear quote. Prices are quoted based on your terms and conditions.
Once you have approved our proposal, we will start making a prototype.
After approval of the prototype, the assignment will begin.
The biggest difference between China and Poland lies in the available production techniques. China offers by far the most possibilities: from sand casting, high-pressure die casting , plastic injection molding , and extrusion to complex composite parts. These techniques are available in a wide variety of formats, with high production capacity, numerous material options, and very competitive prices.
Furthermore, in China, mold and die costs (casting molds, injection molds, stampings, and extrusion molds) are often considerably lower than in Europe. This makes it particularly attractive for companies launching a new product or wanting to produce large series. The investment in tooling in China is often a fraction of the cost in Poland or the Netherlands, while the lead time for a mold or die is usually short.
Quality has improved significantly over the past decade, thanks to modern machinery, improved process control, and a growing number of ISO-certified factories. For large production runs, specialized castings, injection molding, forging, or extrusions , China is often the best and most cost-effective choice.
