Food-Grade Isn’t Enough: 2 Key Factors for Flatware Supplier

November 11, 2025Buying Guide

Dear buyers, when searching globally for stainless steel flatware suppliers, it is likely that you have already specified “304 stainless steel” or “18/10 stainless steel” as a baseline requirement. Food safety is certainly the bottom line that is not negotiable. But please consider this: why do some flatware, both labeled as 304 stainless steel, remain shiny and new after months of use, while others become dull and even develop rust spots?

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Well, the answer is simple: “Food-grade” is only the beginning. The quality of the “food-grade” is the difference maker in this case, and we are talking about processes, and quality control, as well as attention to detail. As the source factory, we understand the importance of these details to your brand reputation. Therefore, we suggest that the next time you evaluate a supplier, don’t just ask “What material is it?”, but delve deeper into the following two key questions.

Table of Contents

1. Ask about the polishing process: “How long can your mirror/brushed finish ensure that the product doesn’t fog up or scratch?”

Why it’s important:

Polishing directly determines the “first impression” and durability of the flatware. Inexpensive polishing uses low-grit wheels for quick results, producing a seemingly shiny surface, but the loose structure makes it easily scratched by detergents and hard objects, quickly turning dull. A better polish requires multiple passes of a wheel, usually starting with a coarse grit and working down to a fine grit (600 grit to 2000 grit or more) to polish and consolidate the density of the surface layer to a level of smoothly dense with better durability against corrosion and scratches.

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Our Practice:

In our factory, every mirror-finish flatware undergoes at least six polishing processes and is inspected by quality control personnel under specific lighting conditions for “orange peel” or “pockmarks.” We confidently assure our customers that with normal use and care, our products will maintain their captivating shine for a long time.

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2. Question about the Quality Control System: “What is your quality control process? What is the typical rejection rate?”

Why it’s Important:

A systematic and traceable quality control system is the cornerstone of ensuring the stability of bulk product quality. Relying solely on a final “human visual inspection” step is far from sufficient.

Our Practices:

Our QC encompasses the entire production process:

IQC (Incoming Quality Control) ensures steel quality
IPQC (In-Process Quality Control) includes checkpoints after each stage of stamping, polishing, and welding to promptly remove defective products
OQC (Outgoing Quality Control) conducts final audits of finished products according to AQL sampling standards.

We transparently share our quality control flowcharts and standards with our clients.

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Conclusion

Asking these questions is not to harass your suppliers, but to select partners with whom you can achieve long-term mutual success. A factory that dares to answer honestly and can provide concrete data and solutions is the strongest support for your brand. We welcome you to visit our factory with these questions in mind, because we answer them with our actions every day.

FANGYUAN: Premium Stainless Steel Flatware Manufacturer and Supplier

FANGYUAN is one of the top three stainless steel flatware manufacturers in China, founded in 2009, and is capable of outstanding production capacity and flexibility in customization. Not only do we offer a large selection of high-quality wholesale flatware, but we also provide professional customized tableware services to customers all over the world. With more than 30 years of experience in the import and export of stainless steel flatware, we are confident that we can serve the specific demands of a diverse set of markets.

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We have passed audits and inspections by numerous certification bodies and major supermarket chains, such as ISO, BSCI, SEDEX, SCAN, Walmart, Target, Costco, and Tesco.