Clear Choice: Sourcing Glassware

Phase 2 (Area C). Fragile but profitable.

1. Key Categories

• Soda-Lime Glass: Standard tumblers, beer mugs.
• Borosilicate: Double-wall coffee cups, Pyrex-style baking dishes (Heat resistant).
• Crystal (Lead-Free): High-end wine stems.

2. Production Hubs

• Shanxi (Qi County): Hand-blown glass capital. High quality.
• Anhui (Bengbu): Machine-made, massive volume glass.
• Shandong (Zibo): Jars and bottles.

3. Machine-Made vs. Hand-Blown

• Machine: There is a seam line on the glass. Cheap.
• Hand-Blown: Seamless. Expensive.
• Tip: For wine glasses, "Pulled Stem" is the middle ground (Machine made but looks like one piece).

4. Annealing (The Stress Test)

• If glass isn't cooled slowly (annealed), it explodes spontaneously.
• Polariscope Test: Quality inspectors use this to see internal stress.

Summary

Packaging is 50% of the cost. A brown box is cheap. A color gift box with EPE foam is expensive but saves you from 20% e-commerce returns due to breakage.