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Candy Q & A

Custom Chocolate Candy Mold

I need some advice about a custom chocolate candy mold.

I want to make many chocolate blank rounds with a shiny smooth surface and straight edges at the rims (not tapered). The dimensions I need are 1.5" diameter by .2" thick. I haven't found this exact size in the commercial molds sold, after numerous internet searches, so I'm looking to make a custom mold.

After looking at many options, like vacuum forming food grade plastics, thermoforming plastic, molding food grade silicone, and reading about some of the hazards of plastics used with food, we were wondering whether there is a good method to do this using a metal mold.

This size chocolate round seems to be commercially made all over the world for foil wrapped chocolate coins, and it appears that these are made by large automated machines, using molds of polished metal.

How would one modify the large scale automated production to a home scale for making these chocolate blank rounds with a metal mold?

What is the best type of metal that would easily release the molded chocolate?

It sounds like in the 1800's, cast iron was used. Stainless steel, tin-plated steel, or cast iron? Would I need to obtain a sheet of food grade metal and machine the disc cavities into it? It sounds like silicone would be easier to make and demould, but again, the health and safety of these materials, is questionable, although approved by the FDA.

Do you have a website or reference that can inform on the best way to make a chocolate blank rounds of those dimensions with a custom metal mold, without spending too much?



Boy, that's a tough one. I honestly don't know the answer regarding making a custom metal mold. I'd be inclined to check at local machinist or metal worker shops and talk to the guys there and see what they would recommend.

Really though, I would probably go with the plastic molds myself if the metal ones just aren't feasible or in your price range.

I know that Candyland Crafts will design a mold to your specification if you ask. Their chocolate molds are pretty inexpensive, so I don't think it would be too dear to have them make it up for you. If you aren't sure what they can do, give them a ring at 1-877-487-4289 and speak to them in person. Tell them you asked me and I suggested you contact them about it.

I know you are concerned about the health risks. I don't blame you, I suppose. It seems just about everything is a health risk these days.

Realistically, though, how many of these chocolates is one person going to eat? In the grand scheme of things, unless you are going to make it a regular part of your diet (wouldn't I love to) you probably don't have to be overly concerned. Something else will get you if this doesn't. :-)

The melting point of chocolate is much lower than a boiled candy, so the temperatures aren't very high. Also, the chocolate will only be in contact with the plastic for a very short amount of time. It may not pose too great a threat. Hmmm, just thinking out loud.

Well, if any other visitors have a suggestion for this custom chocolate mold dilemma, please chime in.

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Custom Chocolate Candy Mold

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by: Joe Hussar

From your comments, although you plan to make "many" chocolate blanks - mold cost is still a concern - so my guess is the quantities you intend to make are in fact "somewhat" limited. (since the per unit cost of the chocolate blanks will decrease in direct proportion to the production quantity planned - given a high enough quantity of production mold cost becomes almost inconsequential).

So I agree with the original comment that getting plastic molds would probably be the lowest cost approach.

At Candyland Crafts you could get a custom mold made for what you are after - at a cost of around $450 (assuming 12 individual cavities). This includes the cost of 11 individual plastic molds (made from the custom mold), so that would set you up with the capacity of producing "132 chocolate pieces/batch" (11 molds, 12 cavities each).

Molds can be reused and reused, so it would be probably be conservative to say you could get 6000 pieces or more. You could also purchase as many additional plastic molds as you wanted from the custom mold (which you paid for and own), at a cost of $2.50 per mold.

The only other comment I would make is for you to take a close look at what's actually available because there are a a lot of "mint" molds available and some of them may in fact be close to what you'd like. You might find that by adjusting the physical size requirement just a little you can be in business quickly and at the lowest cost.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Custom Chocolate Mold Help
by: Angie

Joe,
Thanks for adding that additional and specific information. I know that sometimes nothing will do but to have a custom chocolate mold designed to specifications.

I'm more than happy with the wide variety you all carry, but others may need something specific. I know one person I ran into was looking for an exact size so that it would fit into a coin operated machine. If the measurements weren't exact, the chocolates wouldn't fit and drop as they needed to.

It would be interesting to know what this particular visitor has in mind for his 'chocolate rounds.'

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