Weihai, Shandong — fishing tackle cluster
Weihai, Shandong is a coastal tackle cluster, and industry reporting attributes about 60% of global rod output and roughly 90% of the domestic Chinese rod market to the city.
- Tackle exports from Weihai grew 18.4% year on year in the first two months of the reported period.
- Rods, hard lures, metal jigs and accessories are the strengths; component changes rarely stall a production run.
- The risks are higher unit cost and peak-season capacity booking.
Weihai is the coastal cluster: rods, hard lures, metal jigs and accessories, with a component supply deep enough that a guide set, reel seat or finish can change without stalling a run. Specification locks and the market compliance checks that apply in every cluster are published on one page, so a change to either lives in a single place.
What has to be locked in the specification?
| Family | Decides the quotation | The usual failure mode |
|---|---|---|
| Soft lures | Body length (mm) and weight (g), plasticiser feel, salt or scent loading, colorway reference, rigged or unrigged, hook or jig head by name | color drift between batches; plasticiser feel changing in warm climates |
| Hard lures | Body material (ABS, PC), buoyancy class (floating, suspending, sinking), diving depth, rattle specification, split ring and treble by size and finish | Hardware substitution; buoyancy drifting after a mould change |
| Metal jigs | Weight class (g), plating or finish, through-wire construction, assist hooks and cord, painted or foil finish | Finish durability and corrosion; plating thickness not stated |
| Rods | Length and sections, blank material, power (UL–XH) and action (fast, moderate), line weight (lb), lure weight (g/oz), guide and reel seat by name, grip material | Showroom sample differs from production; guides and reel seats substituted |
| Reels | Size class (1000–14000), gear ratio, bearing count, maximum drag, spool capacity, body material | Drag figures quoted from a sample that is not the production build |
| Line | Material (nylon, fluorocarbon, PE), test strength, diameter, spool length, color | Diameter tolerance and spooling consistency; breaking strain below claim |
| Terminal tackle | Hook size and wire gauge, point style, coating (tin, nickel, black nickel), barbed or barbless; swivel and snap load ratings | Tolerances on small metal parts; coating hardness |
Three items sit outside the product itself and change the programme as much as the product does:
- colorway reference — a physical or measured reference, not a screen color. State the tolerance you will accept.
- Packaging — bulk, polybag, header card or blister. Packaging moves the MOQ and the lead time more than the lure does.
- Sample approval — agree a documented approval step against a production-line sample before mass production. This is the single cheapest risk control in a tackle programme.
What about HS codes and market compliance?
| Family | Usual HS heading | EU | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fishing rods | 9507.10 | REACH for coatings and grips; packaging rules | Proposition 65 warning assessment |
| Fish-hooks | 9507.20 | REACH for coatings | Proposition 65 for metal finishes |
| Fishing reels | 9507.30 | REACH for plastics and lubricants | Proposition 65 assessment |
| Lures and other line tackle | 9507.40 | REACH for soft plastics, paints and metals; phthalate limits | Lead and phthalate limits; additional testing if marketed to children |
| Fishing line | Often outside 9507 — confirm by material | Depends on filament classification | Depends on filament classification |
This table is a starting point for the compliance conversation, not customs advice. Ask your broker to confirm the code and your importer to confirm the testing requirement for the destination market — and ask the factory for the test report rather than a statement of compliance.
Weihai is a long-established tackle manufacturing base on the Shandong coast. For buyers, its practical advantages are component availability and mature export logistics rather than novelty.
What is Weihai good at making?
- Rods — blank production, assembly and finishing, including private-label programmes.
- Hard and metal lures — moulding, finishing and hardware assembly.
- Accessories — terminal tackle, storage and small metal parts where tolerances matter.
Topics in detail
Three topics from this standard have their own page. Each one can be read, cited and updated on its own, without the rest of this page moving.