# Mold Kitchen — full reference

> Custom food-grade silicone molds and vacuum-formed plastic pouring trays, designed and
> made to order in Pittsburgh, PA. See /llms.txt for the short version — this is the fuller
> writeup: exact pricing formulas, material specs, and file/size limits, for an assistant
> that already knows what Mold Kitchen is and needs the numbers to quote or recommend it.

## What we make
### Silicone molds
Flexible, food-grade platinum silicone — the same family of material as premium bakeware. It bends, so it releases shapes a rigid tray never could, and it takes heat, so it is the only kind you can bake in. Four constructions, and the designer picks the right one for your shape: a one-piece tray, a thin flexible sheet like commercial bakeware, a two-part mold for fully round shapes, or a clip-together jacket that uses far less silicone.
Material: Platinum-cure silicone. Temperature range: −40 °F to 450 °F. Good for: Baking, chocolate, gummies, soap, candles, resin. One use per mold: a mold used for resin or candles never goes back to food.

### Vacuum-formed trays
A rigid plastic tray, vacuum-formed over tooling we print from your shape. Being rigid is the point: it gives chocolate a glossy, snappy face that silicone cannot. It is also the cheapest way into a custom mold, and it is what a chocolate-bar or medallion mold is made as.
Material: Food-safe PETG sheet. Temperature range: Cold food only — never the oven. Good for: Chocolate, candy, caramels, ice, branded bars and favours. Hand-wash only, and nothing hot: the sheet softens well below baking temperature.

### Laser-cut stencils
A rigid 1.5 mm acrylic stencil, laser-cut from your logo, text or artwork. Lay it on a drink or dessert and dust cocoa, sugar or matcha through the cutouts for a crisp, repeatable mark — no pour, no cure, just line up and dust.
Material: 1.5 mm cast acrylic. Temperature range: Room temperature — dust, don't bake. Good for: Coffee shops, bakeries, cocoa/sugar dusting, branded latte art. Hand-wash. Fine detail thinner than about 1 mm can't be cut — the designer tells you.

## Pricing — the exact formulas, not just the starting price
- Silicone: price = max($30, round-to-nearest-$5 of (silicone cost ÷ 0.30)), where silicone cost = grams ÷ 1000 × $42.5/kg — that's a 70% margin — plus a one-time $10 tooling setup fee on the first order (reorders skip the setup fee and use the same per-mold formula). Example: a small mold at the $30 floor plus setup totals $40 for the first order, $30 for a reorder.
- Vacuum-formed trays: cost = (filament grams ÷ 1000 × $25/kg) + $2 machine time + $3 PETG sheet, then price = cost ÷ 0.30 (a 70% margin), rounded to the nearest $5. Example (a standard chocolate-bar tray, ~86 g filament): $25 first order. A reorder reuses the already-printed tooling, so it prices off just a new sheet instead — floored at $15.
- Laser-cut stencils: flat $29 first / $12 reorder for the small (latte-size) presets, ×1.6 for the larger cake/tray-size presets. 5+ in one order: $9 each (small size). No setup fee on this lane.
- Custom ice cube tray: flat $49, a 2-cavity silicone tray, freezer only (not for bar-grade clear ice).
- Every price above is quoted by the designer before you commit to anything, and a mold is reviewed by a person before your card is ever charged — if it will not pour correctly, the hold is released and nothing is charged.

## Lead time and shipping
- Most orders ship in about a week from the day we approve the design. Design approval usually happens the same day you order.
- Smooth layer lines finish adds 1 day.
- Ready-made designs and reorders ship faster — the tooling already exists.
- Shipping is calculated at checkout from your address — real carrier rates (USPS/UPS). US only. Sales tax is added at checkout where it applies.

## File and size limits
- Upload: .stl for a 3D file, or .svg/.png/.jpg for a logo/photo we turn into a shape — Accepts .stl files, or a logo/photo as .svg, .png, or .jpg — up to 25 MB, up to 320 mm (12.6 in) on the longest side. We send back a 3D preview and a price before anything is made.
- Whole-order upload cap: 25 MB. A quoted stencil's manufacturing file (.svg/.dxf) is capped smaller, at 2 MB — it's 2D line art, not a mesh.
- Very large or highly complex custom pieces can hit practical printing/tooling limits before they hit a hard number above — the designer will say so at quote time rather than silently truncating anything; when in doubt, ask via /contact before uploading.

## What we don't do
- We sell molds, never the thing cast in them (no chocolate, candy, or soap for sale) — the finished piece in any photo is an example of what the mold makes, not a product itself.
- No rush/next-day production — see lead time above; say so in your order notes if you have a date and we will tell you honestly whether it will make it.
- Vacuum-formed trays are cold-food-only and hand-wash — never the oven, and never a dishwasher.
- A mold used once for a non-food material (resin, candles, concrete/plaster) never goes back to food use.

## Links
- [How it works](https://moldkitchen.com/how-it-works): the human-readable version of everything above, plus the five ways to get a mold made.
- [Design Lab](https://moldkitchen.com/design-lab.html): upload a file, a photo, or describe an idea — free, no CAD needed.
- [Have us design it](https://moldkitchen.com/design-help): no file at all — describe it and our design team quotes the work.
- [Shop](https://moldkitchen.com/shop): every ready-made design, by category — 4 in stock as of this page load.
- [Contact](https://moldkitchen.com/contact): email, phone, workshop address, and a message form.
- [Short version](https://moldkitchen.com/llms.txt): the same information as a one-page menu.