Commercial Orders
I frequently get inquiries from printing companies and marketing firms regarding custom match striker sizes for their clients' custom matchboxes.
The 8 guidelines below will answer most questions, but of course, feel free to contact me directly.
1. I import the match strike paper from matchstick manufacturers in China. They are sheets of actual match strike paper used on matchboxes everywhere. The material is not sandpaper, and it is not waterproof. They are about 8.5" x 11" and all have adhesive backing. It is a standard product that is shipped worldwide and is not custom made for us.
2. The adhesive backing sticks best to paper surfaces. Customers tend to get mixed results when sticking it onto glass, metal, wood, or other non-paper surfaces, and sometimes additional adhesive is required, like craft glue (any brand), glue dots, or double-sided tape. I'm glad to send you some free samples so you can test out the adhesiveness yourself. Further, I generally vet a new supplier each year, so I tend to have stock from multiple vendors on hand. If the initial samples don't adhere well, I can send you more from another vendor. They all use similar adhesive; it's not necessarily that one is stronger than the other, but I have had customers where Vendor A's material didn't stick but Vendor B's material worked just fine.
3. I divide sheets into 3 categories based on appearance. The names Basic, Plus, and Premium are my own category titles; it's not an industry standard or anything like that. All sheets have some natural blemishes in varying degrees. About 15% of the sheets are near perfect (Premium) with very few blemishes, if any. Another 20% look very good (Plus), with some blemishes that can be ignored or cut around. The remaining sheets look average (Basic) and have many imperfections, but they still work just fine. When I cut match striker shapes, I use a combination of the Premium and Plus sheets because they look the best. Otherwise, if function is more important than aesthetic, I cut them from the Basic sheets.
4. I generally have about 800 Basic sheets in dark gray and honeycomb pattern in stock for most of the year, with higher numbers when inventory first arrives (usually April and November). Brown sheets sell the least, so I have fewer of them on hand.
5. For quantities up to 5,000 striker shapes that are around 1/2" x 2" (just as an example), they fit about 80 per sheet, so that's about 63 sheets of inventory. I can manage a job like that in 1-2 weeks, depending on the season and whether I've got other commercial orders in my queue. Further, holiday season is my busiest, so it's best to order as far in advance as possible. To get a sense of bulk pricing for up to 500 pieces, please see this Etsy listing.
6. If you need more than 5,000 striker shapes, you may have to wait until I receive new inventory or contact a matchstick company yourself. I'm glad to refer you to my contacts.
7. If you just need the sheets and will ultimately cut the shapes yourself, I can usually ship out up to 100 Basic sheets the next business day, though I tend to have fewer brown sheets compared to dark gray and honeycomb pattern. If you need a lot of the better looking sheets (Plus or Premium), unfortunately, I'm at the mercy of my vendors in terms of quality, so I may not be able to fulfill a large order of those.
8. If you need more than 200 sheets, especially Plus or Premium, you'd need to contact a matchstick company yourself since I'm not set up for the kind of wholesale distribution. I'm glad to refer you to my contacts.