Zinc-Alloy Mold Cost: Why Year-Two Medals Are 40% Cheaper 💰

A custom medal die costs ฿8,000–15,000 once. Across a 5-year program, that cost amortizes to almost nothing. The math is worth understanding before your next quote.

Year-One vs Year-Five Math

Year one with 200 medals: ฿12,000 mold + ฿20,000 medals = ฿160/medal. Year two with no new mold and 200 medals: ฿20,000 only = ฿100/medal. Year five total: 1,000 medals at average ฿112/medal. The mold cost amortization is the single biggest reason to design a medal you can reuse for 3+ years.

Design Choices That Enable Reuse

Skip year on the die. Skip recipient name on the die (engrave it separately on a brass plate). Skip rank (gold/silver/bronze use the same die, just different plating). One well-designed die supports five seasons of stock changes via ribbon color and engraving plate alone. RS Trophy retains your die file at no cost.