What kinds of traditional Chinese architecture moulds are on this page?
Five families: (1) compound wall coping caps and antique-style integrated wall tiles (围墙压顶/仿古连体瓦) — load-bearing coping caps in 40–60cm sections with matching corners and inner forms, plus Type-37/Type-50 one-piece tiled wall crowns; (2) roof ridge moulds — the horizontal ridge beams that cap a Chinese-style roof, including the smooth round 'sugarcane' ridge (甘蔗脊), imitation-tile ridge (假瓦脊), ruyi-pattern ridge (如意脊), round-bead ridge (圆珠脊) and cylindrical drum ridge (滚筒脊),; (3) ridge-end ornaments & decorative blocks — Bogu antique ridge heads (万字博古), ridge-end cap blocks, and small 'Wen Dou' ornamental blocks with Wan lattice (万字文斗) or Fu character (福字文斗), with cap-and-base sets; (4) Paofang (抛枋) decorative wall bands / eave mouldings — the horizontal trim strips that run along the top of courtyard walls, in PP and ABS, one-piece (连体) or left/middle/right combo sets, L-shaped and with cover pieces; and (5) gable bargeboard sets (博风板), three-line / tile-bed wall coping (三线板/瓦托底) for 18- and 24-brick walls, and wall ornaments — ruyi appliqué plaques (如意贴), wall-hung floral panels (挂墙花板) and meander/fret pattern blocks (回文正古).
Who uses these moulds outside China — can they be made for overseas projects?
Yes. These moulds serve Chinese-style temples, clan halls, courtyard restaurants and teahouses, Chinatown gateways, Chinese gardens and landscape walls, and luxury residential projects that want a Suzhou (苏派) or Huizhou/Anhui (徽派 — white walls, dark tile) look in South-east Asia, North America and beyond. We name each part in plain English by its function (roof ridge, wall band, bargeboard, coping, ornament block) so the drawing is unambiguous. Send reference photos or CAD; we confirm the regional style and quote the matching mould set.
What is the difference between a roof ridge, a Paofang wall band and a bargeboard?
They sit in three different places and are the most commonly confused parts. The roof ridge (屋脊) runs along the very top of the tiled roof and is often curved or round. The Paofang wall band (抛枋/抛方线条) is a flat decorative trim strip mounted horizontally on the upper wall or eave line — typically 50–80cm long and only 3.5–10cm thick, sometimes in left/middle/right sections. The bargeboard (博风板) is the sloped board that trims the gable end (rake) of a roof, and also comes as left/middle/right combo pieces. Ordering by location — roof top, wall face, or gable slope — avoids mixing them up.
How do the left / middle / right combo-set moulds work?
Both bargeboards (博风板) and some Paofang bands are supplied as a set of three moulds: left end piece (左端/左边板), straight middle section (中段/中间段) and right end piece (右端/右边板). The middle section repeats along the run; the two end pieces finish the corners and are handed — a left end cannot be used as a right end. Order the full set (one left + one right + however many middle sections per metre of run), not just the middle, or the corners will not close out.
What do thickness figures like '3-2cm' or '6.5 / 3 / 2' mean on the thin bands and covers?
These thin decorative pieces are drafted (tapered) for demoulding, so the wall is thicker at one face and thinner at the other — '3-2' means 3cm tapering to 2cm, and 'thickness 3 / 2' marks the same taper on the cover. It is a designed draft angle, not a tolerance. Paofang bands, bargeboards and their covers are facade trim, not load-bearing elements; do not specify them as structural coping. Load-bearing wall caps use the three-line / tile-bed coping (三线板) instead.
Should these moulds be PP or ABS?
All Zhihua moulds are injection-moulded rigid plastic — PP or ABS; we do not make silicone, PU or rubber moulds. Standard blocks and ridges cast well in PP for 150+ pours. ABS is used for the long thin Paofang bands (e.g. 80×22×5, 60×8×6) and L-shaped/cover pieces, where a stiffer wall keeps the thin edge and fine line pattern straight over hundreds of casts. We recommend PP or ABS per piece based on size, pattern depth and your volume.
What is the MOQ, lead time and can patterns be customised?
Mixed-SKU orders are welcome with no strict MOQ on catalogue pieces. Custom regional styles, new patterns (ruyi, meander/fret, Wan lattice, Fu character) and combo sets are made to order, typically 15–30 days after drawing approval. These moulds are light and nest well for container loading; send drawings, quantities, style reference and destination port for an FOB Ningbo/Shanghai quote.
