Products / Kitchenware and small wood goods
Edge grain, end grain and face grain cutting boards and serving boards in acacia, maple, walnut, teak, rubberwood and beech, oiled with food grade finishes and packed for retail under your brand.
A cutting board is simple to draw and easy to get wrong. It sits wet on a counter, gets washed and dried hundreds of times and must stay flat, keep its glue lines closed and leave nothing in the food. Cutting board factories dry the wood, glue strips or blocks into blanks, plane, shape, sand and oil the boards, then brand and pack them for retail.
Price depends mostly on the grain build and the work per board. An end grain board has many more glue lines and sanding steps than an edge grain board of the same size. Juice grooves, handles, feet, inlays and custom packaging each add steps. The species sets the look and part of the cost, and it decides how the board behaves in a kitchen.
Because the board touches food, buyers also need to know what is in the glue and the finish. Ask for those documents in writing before you approve samples, not after the boxes are printed.
Name the type on the RFQ. Factories that make one type well do not always make the others.
| Type | What it is | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Edge grain boards | Long strips glued side by side with the edge of each strip facing up. The most common build for kitchen boards. | Everyday chopping boards for retail and food service. A good balance of cost and durability. |
| End grain boards | Short blocks glued with the end grain facing up, often in a checkerboard or brick pattern. Thicker and heavier. | Higher price boards. Gentler on knife edges and shows fewer cut marks. |
| Face grain boards | One wide board or a few wide strips with the flat face up. | Serving and charcuterie boards and thin boards where the figure of the wood sells the product. |
| Serving and charcuterie boards | Shaped boards with handles or paddles, often thinner, with carved wells or a groove for crackers. | Gift sets, hospitality and home decor ranges. |
| Board sets and bundles | Two or three nested sizes, or a board packed with a stand, bowls or a knife. | Gift programs, holiday sets and e-commerce bundles. |
Starting points used across the trade. Your drawing sets the real values, and each factory confirms what it can hold on the quote.
| Spec | Typical value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Board size | About 300 x 200 mm small to 500 x 350 mm large, typical | Give length, width and thickness for each size in the range. |
| Thickness | About 20 to 40 mm edge grain, 30 to 50 mm end grain, typical | Thin end grain boards crack. Keep end grain at about 30 mm or more. |
| Strip width | About 20 to 50 mm on edge grain boards, typical | State whether strips must match in color or may vary. |
| Juice groove | About 8 to 12 mm wide and 4 to 6 mm deep, typical | Mark the distance from the edge and whether it runs all round. |
| Edge radius | About 3 to 6 mm on all edges, typical | Larger radii and chamfers change the look and the price. |
| Flatness | Within about 1 mm over the length, typical | Check on a flat table after a few days in your own climate. |
| Moisture content | About 8 to 12 percent at packing, typical | Match the market. Boards packed wet crack in dry winter homes. |
Typical values, not a guarantee. Confirm every value that matters to you on the quote and the approved sample.
The usual process chain, from dried lumber or panels to packed goods. Ask which steps happen in-house and which go out to another plant.
New ranges usually start with samples per species and size, then a pilot order. Volume programs run from a few thousand boards up to full containers per range. Many plants set a minimum per size and per species, and printed packaging has its own minimum.
Sell private label boards in retail and online. Care about consistent color, packaging and repeat runs.
Need boards that survive parcel shipping, with retail ready boxes, barcodes and care cards.
Buy seasonal programs in volume with fixed delivery windows and full compliance documents.
Need hard, close grained boards in standard sizes that stand up to daily washing.
With these points stated, every matched factory quotes the same product.
Approve one sample in writing and keep it as the reference for every shipment.
The problems that cost buyers of cutting boards the most time and money, and how to head them off in the RFQ.
Related guides:
Reference: Wikipedia: Cutting board
Edge grain boards cost less, weigh less and suit most retail ranges. End grain boards cost more because they have more glue lines and sanding steps, but they are gentler on knives and hide cut marks. Many brands offer edge grain as the core range and end grain at a higher price.
Hard maple, beech and walnut are close grained and kind to knives. Acacia is common in volume for its color and price. Teak resists water well but dulls knives faster. Avoid soft or very open grained species on cutting surfaces.
Ask the factory for the glue data sheet and a statement that the glue is suitable for indirect food contact under 21 CFR 175.105, plus its water resistance class, often EN 204 D3 or D4. Keep both on file for your retail customers.
Yes. Laser engraving is the most common option because it needs no ink and lasts. Hot stamping and printed sleeves or boxes are also used. Send vector artwork and mark the position and size on the drawing.
Most cracks come from boards that dry out after they reach the user, or from soaking and dishwashers. Ask for boards packed at a moisture that suits your market, add a care card and tell users to oil the board and keep it out of the dishwasher.
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