How should blank material and grade be written on a purchase order?
Short answer
Not as the word carbon. Trade explainers note that carbon or graphite alone says very little, and that makers now describe blanks by modulus and tonnage, such as 30-ton and 40-ton, while the older IM6 and IM8 names came from one supplier's proprietary graphite.
In detail
For an order, put the grade figure the factory actually uses, the tolerance around it, and the finished blank weight you will accept at sample. Where a rod blends more than one modulus, ask which grade sits in the tip and which in the butt, because that is where feel and cost both change.
The numbers behind this answer
| Blank statement | What the published source says | What to write on the order |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy grade names such as IM6 or IM8 | The same explainer states IM6 and IM8 were a proprietary graphite material from one supplier, rolled by each maker with its own resins and finishes (Wired2Fish) | If you inherit an old grade name, ask for its current equivalent and re-approve the sample instead of assuming the blank is unchanged |
| Blank statement | What the published source says | What to write on the order |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon or graphite, unqualified | Our Weihai cluster page states that blank material and action determine the rod's real-world feel and that carbon alone means very little (internal cluster page) | A named material class plus the finished blank weight you will accept, with the sample as the reference rather than the word |
Where this answer comes from
Part of the product record Private-label value rod programmes from Weihai (Fishing Rod). The record carries the tables this answer is drawn from, the fields a factory needs before quoting, and an explicit list of what has not been verified.
Products that solve this
Sampled listings from the same product family (Fishing Rod). Reference price per unit with the MOQ stated; a quotation against your specification governs a transaction.
All fishing rod listings · factory identity is released after a trade account is approved.
Read next
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- Send a specification and get a quotation in one business day
Other questions in this record
- What is a private-label rod programme and what does it commit the buyer to?
- Why are guides and reel seats the biggest repeat-order risk?
- What is the difference between rod action and rod power, and why does the label matter?
- Which grip and handle specification should a value programme use?
- How does a travel format change the rod a factory has to build?
- What do private-label rods cost from a Chinese factory?
- What belongs in the sample approval and compliance pack?
Related questions
- How should sink rate be specified on a purchase order? - Glide baits for pike, musky and striped bass
- What pack counts should a value-tier order use? - Fork-tail soft plastics: the multi-pack value tier
- When should an order be placed for the season? - Mid-strolling minnows for suspended bass
Still unsure?
Send the product, the quantity and the destination market, and you get an answer against verified factory records within one business day. If the question is useful to other buyers we publish it as a page like this one.
Sources
- Fishing Rods Explained - Action, Power and More, Wired2Fish - rod action and power scales, blank material grades, guide and grip options
- Power Vs. Action: Decoding Fishing Rod Terminology, Game & Fish - action as deflection, power as cast weight, from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources
- Fuji K-Series Guides Now Available to All Rod Builders, Wired2Fish - ring material tiers, FazLite position and corrosion control frames
- Travel Fishing Rods Today: Multi-Piece Models That Fish Like One-Piece Rods, Game & Fish - ferrule types, blank tonnage and guide and grip specifications on travel models
- Fishing rod component giant hails ICAST as 'huge success', Angling International - private label rod programme entry points and customisation levels
- Weihai cluster page and our own sampled Fishing Rod listings at /products/ - cluster output share, component supply, and quoted price and MOQ basis (internal)
Need a specification matched, not a list browsed?
Send the format, quantity, material and destination market. We answer against verified records — and tell you when the data is not good enough to answer with.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-18 · build 2026-09-18-sz27n