How long does custom silicone and rubber parts take to manufacture and ship?

Confidence 4/5 Established practice

Lead time for custom silicone and rubber parts:

Sample after tooling: 7–12 days. Mass production: 10–18 days. Add 3–7 days air express or 22–35 days sea freight to the destination.

Silicone and rubber moulding process guidance — Industry practice; cross-checked against made-in-China supplier data
Rubber articles under HS 4016 — World Customs Organization HS nomenclature
Food-contact material compliance — US FDA 21 CFR 177.2600

What goes wrong with custom silicone and rubber parts

Suppliers quoting "food grade silicone" without a test report. Ask for the specific compliance document, not the phrase.
Silicone colour matching is done by adding pigment; a tight Pantone match can shift between batches. Approve a physical sample and a tolerance.
Hardness is specified in Shore A. Omitting it is the single most common cause of a part that feels wrong on arrival.
Platinum-cure and peroxide-cure silicone behave differently and are not interchangeable for food or medical use.

Send the requirement and any drawings. You get a supplier shortlist and one landed price, with the cost breakdown shown.