VDI 3400: The Ultimate Guide to Texture Standards

In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about VDI 3400.

The VDI 3400 and SPI finish are the two most widely used mold textures. They consist of 90% of texture references on the market.

Compared with Mold Tech and Yick Sang‘s complex textures, VDI 3400 provides a fast and straightforward solution for mold plastic texturing.

VDI 3400 Texture

Content

1. What is VDI 3400?
2. How to make VDI 3400?
3. VDI 3400 Chart/ Table
4. VDI 3400 Card/ Book/ Gauge
5. VDI 3400 Draft Angle

6. VDI 3400 Comparion with other Textures
7. VDI 3400 and RA/ RZ
8. VDI 3400 to SPI
9. VDI 3400 to Mold tech
10. VDI 3400 to YS Texture

What is VDI 3400?

VDI 3400 is also known a “VDI 3400 Texture“ or “VDI Surface Finish” or “VDI 3400 Reference“.

The VDI 3400 refers to the German mold texture standard set by VDI (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure), the Society of German Engineers. The standard covers 45 grades of textures: from VDI 3400 #0 to #45 (RA 0.10 μm to RA 18.00 μm).

Although the Society of German Engineers set the standard of 3400, it is now widely used by mold makers, industrial designers, and marketers worldwide. That’s to say, it is not just a German standard but also a global mold texture standard.

*If you want to see what the physical plastic textures of VDI 3400 would look like, you may jump to VDI 3400 texture card.

Picture of VDI 3400

How to Make VDI 3400 for your Plastic Molds?

The 3400 textures are initially processed by Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) during the plastic mold making. So it is called EDM textures sometimes.

However, the roughness of the EDM process was determined by refining the adjusting of electricity. In this case, the texture surfaces finish may not rough enough or uniform as expected considering the size of texturing areas.

Process of EDM textures

In recent years, mold makers achieve VDI 3400 textures by chemical etching after mold polishing. It could get uniform textures surface as the VDI 3400 standard.

More importantly, it is a more low-cost and efficient way for big parts and large texture areas, for example, calculators, vacuum cleaners, and others.

Chemical Etching for Mold Texturing

VDI 3400 Chart/ Table

The complete VDI 3400 standard covers 45 grades from #0 to #45. At below VDI 3400 chart/ table/ scale, we use RA, N3-10, ISO130, and RMS as references to show each grade’s roughness.

If you want to check how the physical textures would look, the best way is to get our VDI 3400 texture card.

VDI 3400RA
/μm		RA
/μin		N3-N10ISO1302
/Rt µm		RMS
00.104.00N3 4.90
10.1124.48 5.50
20.1265.04 5.90
30.145.606.90
40.166.40 7.90
50.187.20N48.90
60.208.00 9.90
70.228.80 10.80
80.2510.00 12.30
90.2911.2013.80
100.3212.80 15.80
110.3514.00N5 17.20
120.4016.001.6 19.50
130.4518.00 22.00
140.5020.00 24.50
150.5622.403.2 27.00
160.6325.20 31.30
170.7028.00 35.20
180.8032.00N65.0 39.00
190.9036.00 44.40
201.0040.0049.30
211.1244.80 54.60
221.2650.4062.40
231.4056.0070.30
241.6064.0012 78.00
251.8072.00N7 88.20
262.0080.0098.90
272.2088.0016 109.20
282.50100.00123.90
292.80112.00138.50
303.20128.00N820 153.70
313.50
140.00175.50
324.00160.00197.50
334.50180.0025218.80
345.00200.00248.60
355.60224.00 277.90
366.30252.00N937 306.20
377.00280.00
388.00320.00
399.00360.0046
4010.00400.00
4111.20448.00
4212.60504.00N1060
4314.00560.00
4416.00640.00
4518.00720.0085

Plastopia™ VDI 3400 Texture Card

Plastopia provides a palm-sized VDI 3400 texture card to give you a useful reference or gauge for plastic mold textures.

Compared with traditional metal plaques, plastic cards give you a real hand touch or final visual texture of what you will mold your plastic parts

vdi 3400 texture card at hand

The Plastopia VDI 3400 texture card is available in 16+ different plastic materials, ranging from commodity plastics such as ABS and PP, to engineering plastics like HIPS and PA+GF30.

  • ABS (Black/ Grey/ Red/ Blue/ White)
  • ABS-PC (Black/ White)
  • PC (Black/ White/ Clear)
  • PMMA /Acrylic (Clear)
  • PP (Black)
  • HDPE (Black)
  • LDPE (Black)
  • HIPS (Black)
  • PBT (Grey)
  • TPE (Black)
  • PA+GF30 (Black)
  • Customization (If required)

The Plastopia VDI 3400 texture card is designed to smart phone size, with dimensions of 120×65×2 mm. You can bring it to any production site or even at a customer’s meeting. The card has two sides and comes with the 12 most common VDI 3400 plaques from VDI 12 to VDI 45. Contact us to get the card.

Here is the picture of Side A. From left to right: VDI 12, VDI 15, VDI 18, VDI 21, VDI 24, VDI 27. (Each plaque is at 40×20 mm.)

VDI 3400 Texture Card Side A Picture

And here is the picture of Side B. From left to right: VDI 30, VDI 33, VDI 36, VDI 39, VDI 42, VDI 45. (Each plaque is at 40×20 mm.)

VDI 3400 Texture Card Side B Picture

Plastopia’s VDI 3400 texture cards are trusted and widely used by leading brands such as Apple, Samsung, Canon, Huawei, Foxconn, and many more.

Order Your VDI 3400 Texture Card Today

VDI 3400 Draft Angle

Here is what draft angles are required for VDI 3400. At Plastopia, we use plastic materials of ABS, PC, and PA as examples.

However, draft angles will still vary depending on materials and texturing areas. You would need to consult with your mold-making experts for specific drafts required.

VDIDraft for ABSDraft for PCDraft for PA
120.51.00
150.51.00.5
180.51.00.5
210.51.00.5
241.01.50.5
271.52.01.0
302.02.01.5
332.53.02.0
363.04.02.5
394.05.03.0
425.06.04.0
456.07.05.0

VDI 3400 vs Yick Sang vs. Mold Tech

How do VDI 3400 Texture Standards compare to other industry standards like Mold Tech and Yick Sang Texture? In this section, we’ll explore the key differences and similarities to help you choose the right texture standards for your needs.

  • Mold Tech Texture Book
  • 80+
    Plaques
  • More Texture Pattens included:
    Geometric pattern
    Sci &Tech pattern
    Spray pattern
    Leather pattern
  • Origin of USA
  • High Budget Consideration
  • Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Medical Devices Application
  • Widely used in industries
    Worldwide
  • Buy Now
  • VDI 3400 Texture Book
  • 12+
    Plaques
  • No Texture Pattens included:
    Simple textures like
    VDI 27
    VDI 32
    VDI 45
  • Origin of Germany
  • Low Budget Consideration
  • Industrial Design, Manufacturing and others
  • Widely recognized standard in
    Europe
  • Buy Now
  • Yick Sang Texture Book
  • 240+
    Plaques
  • Most Texture Pattens included:
    Geometric pattern
    Sci &Tech pattern
    Spray pattern
    Leather pattern
  • Origin of China
  • Middle Budget Consideration
  • Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Medical Devices Application
  • Popular in
    China and other Asian countries
  • Buy Now

Remember, the right texture standards for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Whether you choose Yick Sang, Mold Tech, or VDI, our guide can help you understand and apply these standards effectively.

VDI 3400 and RA/RZ

Here are the conversions from VDI 3400 to RA/ RZ grades.

  • RA= Roughness, average in micro-meters
  • RZ=Rz is calculated by measuring the vertical distance from the highest peak to the lowest valley within five sampling lengths, then averaging these distances.

At Plastopia VDI 3400 texture card, we include both RA and RZ grades on each plastic plaque. Click here to learn more.

VDI 3400RARZ
120.401.5
150.562.4
180.803.3
211.124.7
241.606.5
272.2410.5
303.1512.5
334.5017.5
366.3024.0
399.0034.0
4212.5048.0
4518.0069.0

VDI 3400 to SPI

SPI (SPI Finish) is the US polish standard for mold polish (focus on “SMOOTH”). VDI 3400 standard is mainly a reference for surface roughness (focus on “ROUGH”).

Although they are made for different surface finishes, they still share some close finishes based on varied grades. Below is the form of VDI 3400 to SPI if you need a rough match.

If you want to check the difference in physical plastic parts, we provide both the VDI 3400 card and SPI finish card in 11 types of plastics. You may compare and decide what surface finish you need. Check here.

VDI 3400 StandardSPI StandardRoughness
(RA/μm)		Typical Finishes
Not AvailableSPI A10.012 to 0.025Lens / Mirror
Not AvailableSPI A20.025 to 0.05High Polish
VDI #0 ~ #5SPI A30.05 to 0.10High Polish
VDI #6SPI B10.05 to 0.10Medium Polish
VDI #7 ~ #8SPI B20.10 to 0.15Medium Polish
VDI #9 ~ #10SPI B30.28 to 0.32Medium- Low Polish
VDI #11 ~ #12SPI C10.35 to 0.40Low Polish
VDI #13 ~ #15SPI C20.45 to 0.55Low Polish
VDI #16 ~ #17SPI C30.63 to 0.70Low Polish
VDI #18 ~ #19SPI D10.80 to 1.00Satin Finish
VDI #20 ~ #29SPI D21.00 to 2.80Dull Finish
VDI #30 ~ #45SPI D33.20 to 18.0Dull Finish

VDI 3400 to Mold Tech

Mold Tech is an American company providing custom texturing services. They provide textures from simple to complex. Not like the VDI 3400, the mold tech textures are more limited on the USA market.

Here is the conversion from VDI 3400 textures to Mold Tech textures if you need a rough match or look for mold tech vdi equivalent.

VDI 3400Mold Tech Texture
18K 9000G
21K 9070G
24K 7000G
27K 7050G
30K 5000G
33K 2400G
36MT 2260
39MT 1055
42MT 1013

VDI 3400 to YS Texture

Yick Sang Texture (YS Textures) is a China company providing custom texturing services. They provide textures from simple to complex.

If you are interested to know detailed textures from Yick Sang, Plastopia provides YS Texture Book with 240 plaques or 120 plaques. Check here to learn more.

Here is the conversion form from VDI 3400 textures to YS textures if you need a rough match.

VDI 3400YS Textures
(Version 2019)		YS Textures
(Version Classic)
0YS 20037Not Available
3YS 20037Not Available
6YS 20037Not Available
9YS 20037Not Available
12YS 20037Not Available
15YS 20037Not Available
18YS 20039Not Available
21YS 20040YS 1282
24YS 20002YS 1283
27YS 20002YS 1284
30YS 20046YS 1285
33YS 20007YS 1286
36YS 20070YS 1287
39YS 20069Not Available
42YS 20028Not Available
45Not AvailableNot Available
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