A boutique owner in Portland emails us: "I want my own branded mahjong sets. What is the process?" That question comes up almost every week. And the honest answer is: it depends on what you want. But the general flow is more predictable than most buyers expect.
This article walks through the real timeline of a custom American mahjong order, from first inquiry to sets arriving at your door. Not a theoretical process. This is exactly how it works when you order from us, based on actual buyer experiences over the past nine years.
Day 1 to 3 The Inquiry And Feasibility Check
Everything starts with a conversation. You tell us what you have in mind: tile count, material, colors, artwork, packaging, quantity, and when you need it.
Some buyers arrive with a complete design package — vector files, tile maps, Pantone colors, packaging dielines. Others have a Pinterest board and a rough idea. Both are fine. We have worked with both ends of that spectrum.
What we do in this phase is run a feasibility check. Can your design be produced in acrylic? Does your tile face layout meet NMJL readability standards? Is your color achievable with UV printing or does it require engraving with paint fill? Are there any artwork elements that will not reproduce clearly at actual tile size?
This check typically takes 1 to 2 days. We come back to you with a clear answer: yes this works as-is, yes with these adjustments, or in rare cases, this particular element is not achievable in the material you chose and here is why.
We also give you a quote at this stage. The quote covers tile production, accessories (racks, pushers, dice, bags), packaging, and shipping. If something is unclear, we flag it rather than guessing and surprising you later.
A recent buyer, Catherine, came to us asking "What is the process?" with no artwork prepared. We sent her a custom artwork checklist, she gathered her files in three days, and we moved straight to the next step. Total time from first email to quote: 4 days.
Day 3 to 5 Material Swatches
If you are choosing between materials or colors, we send physical material swatches. These are small tile-shaped pieces in acrylic and melamine so you can feel the weight, see the color under your own lighting, and compare options side by side.
This step is optional. If you already know you want acrylic in our standard white with black engraving, we skip it. But for private label brands where the tile material and color are part of the brand identity, we strongly recommend it.
Swatches ship via express courier and typically arrive in 2 to 3 days to US addresses. There is no charge for swatches on qualified projects.
Day 5 to 15 Sample Production
This is the most critical step in the entire process, and the one we will never skip.
Once artwork is finalized and material is confirmed, we produce a physical sample set. This is not a digital rendering or a 3D mockup. It is an actual set of tiles with your artwork, in your chosen material, produced using the same method we will use for bulk production.
Sample production takes 7 to 10 days depending on complexity. A straightforward logo placement on existing tile faces is faster. Fully custom joker designs, unique tile backs, and special color matching take the full 10 days.
When the sample is ready, we photograph it from every angle and send you detailed images. For US buyers who want to see and feel the sample in person before committing, we can ship the physical sample via express courier.
We had a buyer last year who almost skipped the sample step to save time. We convinced them to wait. When the sample arrived, they realized their joker artwork had a line that was too thin — it looked sharp on screen but was nearly invisible on the actual 25mm tile face. They redesigned the joker, we produced a revised sample, and the final bulk order was perfect. That one sample saved them from shipping 300 sets with unreadable jokers.
Sample approval is the point where you say "this is exactly what I want" or "adjust this one thing." We do not proceed to bulk production until you approve.
Day 15 to 40 Bulk Production
After sample approval, bulk production begins.
Our standard bulk lead time is 15 to 25 days after approval. Here is what happens during those weeks inside our Shenzhen facility.
Week 1: Raw material procurement and incoming QC. We order the specific material batch for your project, test it for color consistency and density, and prepare the molds.
Week 2: Tile molding, surface processing, engraving or UV printing. This is the main production run. Every tile goes through molding, cooling, grinding, polishing, and face marking — the full process we described in our factory tour article. Quality checks happen at each stage.
Week 3: Assembly, final QC, and packaging. Tiles are sorted into complete sets, paired with accessories, inspected for defects, and packed into your chosen packaging format. For retail-ready orders, this includes branded boxes, custom inserts, and protective wrapping.
If your order is large (500+ sets), production may run across multiple weeks with staggered QC batches. If your order is smaller (50 to 100 sets), it typically fits within a single production cycle.
Throughout production, we send progress updates with photos. You are not in the dark wondering what is happening. You see your tiles being made.
Day 35 to 55 Shipping To The US
After production, your order ships from Shenzhen to your destination.
For orders under 200 sets, LCL (less than container load) ocean freight is typical. Transit time to US ports is 20 to 30 days depending on destination. For larger orders, FCL (full container load) is more cost-effective and sometimes faster.
Air freight is available for rush orders. It costs significantly more but can reduce transit time to 5 to 7 days.
We handle export documentation, customs declaration, and coordinate with freight forwarders who specialize in US-bound shipments. You handle import clearance on your end (or your customs broker does).
The Full Timeline At A Glance
For a typical custom order of 100 sets with moderate customization, here is the realistic end-to-end timeline:
Inquiry and feasibility check: 1 to 3 days
Material swatches (optional): 2 to 3 days
Sample production: 7 to 10 days
Sample review and approval: 2 to 5 days
Bulk production: 15 to 25 days
Ocean shipping to US: 20 to 30 days
Total from first email to sets at your door: approximately 7 to 11 weeks
Rush orders with pre-approved artwork and air freight can compress this to 4 to 5 weeks. But for planning purposes, 8 to 10 weeks is a safe bet.
What Can Go Wrong And How We Prevent It
Every buyer worries about the same things. Here is what we have learned from nine years of custom orders.
Artwork issues are the number one cause of delays. Files that look perfect on a monitor may not translate to tile-size printing. Thin lines, tiny text, and subtle color gradients are the most common problems. Our pre-production artwork review catches most of these before sampling.
Color matching between screen and physical tile is the second most common issue. Acrylic, melamine, UV ink, and engraving paint all render color differently. Physical swatches and sample approval solve this.
Shipping delays happen. Weather, port congestion, customs inspection — these are outside our control. What is within our control is finishing production on schedule so your order is ready to ship when the freight window opens.
Miscommunication about scope is preventable but common. "I thought pushers were included" or "I expected retail boxes, not export cartons." We prevent this by including a detailed scope document with every quote so there are zero surprises.
The Most Common Question We Get
"How many sets do I have to order?"
Our MOQ starts at 50 sets for qualifying wholesale and OEM projects. We set it there intentionally because we remember being a small buyer. Fifty sets is low enough for a boutique to test the market without a massive inventory commitment, but high enough to make production efficient.
If you are thinking about a custom mahjong project, the best first step is simple: send us an email at hello@lukmaj.com or message us on WhatsApp. Tell us what you have in mind. We will give you an honest feasibility answer and a quote within 48 hours. No pressure, no minimum commitment at the inquiry stage.
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