Custom Silicone Phone Cases — Liquid and Solid, Both In-House

Short version: we mould silicone cases in-house, both liquid silicone and solid silicone. But before you order either, there is a question worth settling: a large share of what buyers call a “silicone case” is actually TPU. The two are different materials with different moulds, different costs and different decoration rules. This page covers that first, then the solid-versus-liquid choice.

Most people asking for a silicone case are not asking for silicone

TPU is the default soft case material in this industry. It is cheap, it takes printed graphics beautifully, and it is routinely sold as silicone — on marketplace listings, in supplier catalogues, and by traders who never see the factory floor.

The difference is easy to feel:

• TPU springs back instantly, has a faint plastic grip, and picks up fingerprint oil on the surface.
• Silicone is silkier and slightly warmer to the touch, returns more slowly, and stays dry-feeling in the hand.

That difference is not cosmetic. TPU is a thermoplastic: it melts, it injects, and it accepts in-mould decoration, UV printing and water transfer. Silicone is a thermoset: once cured it cannot be remelted, and the same decoration methods do not apply. If you quote a project assuming one and receive the other, the price and the artwork both fall apart.

Solid silicone and liquid silicone are two different products

Both are silicone, and both are sold as “silicone cases”. They are not interchangeable. Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is injection moulded and is the higher grade; solid silicone (HCR) is compression moulded and is the budget option.

If a supplier quotes you a liquid-silicone price and ships a compression-moulded part, the difference shows up in the hand within a week. Ask which process the quote is built on before you compare numbers.

Both processes run here, not at a subcontractor

Liquid silicone injection and solid silicone compression are both in our own plant in Guangzhou. That matters for three practical reasons:

• Samples move faster. Nothing waits in a queue at an outside silicone workshop.
• Problems get fixed at the source. If a part flashes or a dimension drifts, the answer is a tool adjustment in the same building, not a message to a third party.
• Small runs are possible. We are not forced to push you into a large order because a subcontractor has a high minimum.

The mould side of this is covered on the phone case mould page.

What we can put on silicone

Silicone is soft and stretchy, and any decoration has to survive that. Four routes run on it here:

• Screen printing — silicone-specific ink, cured onto the surface. The standard route for logos and one to three colour graphics.
• Laser marking — the surface changes colour without cutting into it. Flat to the touch, which makes it the right choice for fine text, model codes and small marks.
• Laser engraving — cut into the surface, so the mark is recessed and tactile. It reads as depth rather than print.
• Custom colour — pigment goes into the material itself, so it cannot wear off. MOQ is 1,000 pcs per colour per model, and the order total must reach 3,000 pcs.

Every solid and liquid silicone case we ship carries a sprayed silicone oil coating as standard. That coating is what produces the dry, matte hand feel — it is not an optional upgrade and it is already inside the quoted price.

What we do not do is transfer a hard-shell method onto silicone. IMD, water transfer and UV print are built for rigid shells and will not hold on a soft silicone part. If your artwork was approved on a hard case, send it anyway — we will tell you which of the four routes reproduces it closest, and what changes in the design to get there.

If you want a clear case, you are not shopping for silicone

Silicone cases are made in solid colour. Both grades, liquid and solid, are opaque — a transparent silicone phone case is not a product that exists. When a listing advertises a “clear silicone case”, it is almost always clear TPU.

That matters because yellowing belongs to the clear materials, not to silicone:

• Clear TPU will yellow. It is a property of the material under UV and skin oils, not a moulding defect. Generic material typically shows colour at roughly 3–6 months; Bayer material is clearer from the start and typically holds around 6–12 months.
• How fast it goes depends on the user as much as the material — sweat, sun and heavy daily handling accelerate it. Two people with the same case can see very different timelines.
• If clear is mandatory and yellowing is not acceptable, the answer is clear PC: a hard shell with a hardened surface treatment that resists scratching. The trade-off is rigidity — you give up the soft grip.

So the choice is not “better silicone”. It is solid-colour silicone, clear TPU, or clear PC, and each one solves a different constraint. Tell us which constraint matters and we will quote the material that fits.

Minimums and lead time

• Quantity: 100 pcs per model per design to reach the standard price band. Smaller runs are quoted individually — the MOQ page explains the tiers.
• Custom colour: 1,000 pcs per colour per model, and the order total must reach 3,000 pcs. This is pigment in the material, not a coating, so the colour cannot wear off — which is also why it carries its own minimum.
• Lead time: quoted with the price, based on which process your part runs on. Liquid silicone and solid silicone do not share a schedule.
• Samples: available before a full run, and worth taking on silicone — feel is the whole product here, and it does not photograph honestly.

What we need from you

1. Model and quantity — which phone, how many pieces per design.
2. Which silicone — liquid, solid, or “tell me which one fits my budget”.
3. Artwork — vector or layered file; and the colour reference if the colour matters.
4. Colour — a reference: Pantone, a physical sample, or a hex value. Custom colour carries the 1,000 pcs per colour minimum described above.

Send those four and we come back with a process recommendation, a price range and a date.

Questions

How do I tell whether my current case is silicone or TPU?

Squeeze it and let go. TPU snaps back immediately and has a faint plastic feel; silicone returns more slowly and feels dry and silky. A second tell: TPU takes a crisp printed graphic, silicone rarely does.

Which is better, liquid or solid silicone?

Liquid is the better material — finer surface, better recovery, slower yellowing. Solid is the cheaper one. Which is right depends on your retail price point, not on which sounds more premium.

Can you print my logo on a silicone case?

Yes — screen printing for colour graphics, laser marking for flat fine detail, laser engraving when you want the mark recessed into the surface. Send the file and we will say which of the three holds best on your design, and what it adds per piece.

Do you make biodegradable or compostable cases?

Yes. Eco materials are a separate material family with their own cost and durability trade-offs — ask for a comparison against silicone for your specific use case.

What is the minimum order?

100 pcs per model per design for standard pricing. Mixed models ship together but are counted separately.

Can you do other models?

Around 5,000 models across Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO and vivo — current and recent generations. Send the exact model and we confirm from stock rather than from a list on a page.