Guangdong
Secondary hubShantou
More than 13,000 toy factories sit in one district of one city. That district is Chenghai, in Shantou on Guangdong's eastern coast, and it is the largest toy production cluster anywhere, making nearly half of all toys produced in China: budget plastic figurines, licensed character toys, building blocks, remote-control vehicles, plush, educational and outdoor lines.
The cluster's power is vertical completeness. Mould-making shops, plastic raw material suppliers, decoration and printing houses, electronics modules for remote-control and sound toys and packaging printers all operate inside it, so a toy can go from concept to shipped product without leaving Chenghai. That density supports large factories serving global retail brands and small workshops running short, cheap batches alike, which is why the buyer range runs from low-MOQ e-commerce sellers to chain-store buyers placing seasonal programmes.
Shantou belongs to Chaoshan, eastern Guangdong's distinct commercial culture, with its own dialect and famously tight business networks. Neighbouring Chaozhou, an hour away, is China's largest ceramic tableware exporter, and some buyers cover toys and ceramics in one trip. Shantou has its own port, with Shenzhen's Yantian available for consolidated shipments. The practical takeaway: Chenghai is where you start, but with this many factories, supplier selection is the real work. A compliant, well-run factory and a workshop cutting corners on materials look identical in a product photo.
Factory base
13,000+ toy factories
Nearest port
Shantou Port (local), Shenzhen Yantian (4 hours)
Airport
Shantou Jieyang International (SWA)
Logistics advantage
Concentration of toy supply chain — molds, materials, decoration, packaging all locally available
Best for
Toy importers at any volume. Low-MOQ e-commerce sellers find workshops running small batches; retail chains and brands find factories experienced with licensed product and Western compliance regimes. Chenghai is strongest in injection-moulded plastic toys, decoration, remote-control and electronic toys, building blocks and seasonal lines, and worth a look for gift and novelty items that use the same production techniques.
Manufacturing specialisations
- Toys (every conceivable category)
- Educational toys
- Plastic toys and figurines
- Remote control toys
- Plush toys
- Building blocks (LEGO-compatible and original)
- Outdoor toys
- Holiday and seasonal toys
Notable markets & industrial clusters
Chenghai International Toy & Gift City
Massive multi-building toy wholesale market
China Toy & Gift Trading Center
Specialized toy trading
Watch-outs
Compliance is the big one. Management at smaller Chenghai factories is variable, so independent CPSIA and EN 71 testing on every order is essential rather than optional — the retailer and customs consequences of failed toys are severe. Knockoffs of Disney, Marvel and other licensed characters are widespread, and even incidental IP infringement can trigger customs seizures, so keep strict separation between your product and anything copycat. Factory-versus-trader verification matters here as everywhere, and small workshops may quietly substitute cheaper plastics between the approved sample and production.
Categories sourced from Shantou
Baby Products
Nothing in this catalogue carries a lower margin for error than baby products, and the regulatory framework reflects that — CPSIA, EN 71 and AS/NZS compliance aren't formalities here, they're seriously enforced, and a failure isn't just a fine, it's the kind of recall that can end a brand. Manufacturing runs across Yiwu, Shantou's Chenghai district, Ningbo and Quanzhou, with pricing spanning $0.80 for basic accessories to $180 for more complex items, and lead times of 30 to 75 days reflecting the added testing burden. The single most useful piece of advice for a first-time buyer here is to know which sub-categories to avoid entirely. Car seats and other juvenile restraint products carry regulatory requirements (FMVSS 213 in the US) that make them economically unviable for a small or new brand, and drug-bearing or medical-claim products need a completely different compliance pathway. Everything else — toys, clothing, feeding, bath and sleep accessories — is genuinely well served by Chinese manufacturing, provided testing budget is planned in from the start rather than treated as an afterthought once a design is finished.
Sourcing guide →Toys
Shantou's Chenghai district — home to more than 13,000 toy factories — builds an enormous share of the world's toys, and the compliance bar for anything sold internationally is the strictest in this whole catalogue. ASTM F963, EN 71 and CPSIA aren't optional extras here; getting them wrong doesn't just risk a bad review, it risks a recall, and our own compliance work has seen those run from $500,000 to well over $50 million depending on scope. Dongguan and Yiwu round out the manufacturing base, the former stronger on compliance-heavy and electronic toy programmes, the latter better for stock items and fast, low-MOQ custom runs. Pricing spans $0.40 for simple items to $65 for more complex electronic or wooden toys. The risks that actually cause recalls tend to be quieter than the regulations suggest: lead in paint, phthalates in soft plastics, small parts that only appear after a stress or drop test breaks a component that passed inspection intact, magnets strong enough to cause real harm if more than one is swallowed. None of this is something a factory volunteers — it's something a buyer has to test for, or pay someone to test for, before mass production starts. The other quiet risk is factory-initiated substitution: a supplier swapping to a cheaper component mid-run without telling you, which is why re-testing after any bill-of-materials change matters as much as the initial testing did.
Sourcing guide →
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