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.

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.

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.

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.

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 3400	RA /μm	RA /μin	N3-N10	ISO1302 /Rt µm	RMS
0	0.10	4.00	N3		4.90
1	0.112	4.48			5.50
2	0.126	5.04			5.90
3	0.14	5.60			6.90
4	0.16	6.40			7.90
5	0.18	7.20	N4		8.90
6	0.20	8.00			9.90
7	0.22	8.80			10.80
8	0.25	10.00			12.30
9	0.29	11.20			13.80
10	0.32	12.80			15.80
11	0.35	14.00	N5		17.20
12	0.40	16.00		1.6	19.50
13	0.45	18.00			22.00
14	0.50	20.00			24.50
15	0.56	22.40		3.2	27.00
16	0.63	25.20			31.30
17	0.70	28.00			35.20
18	0.80	32.00	N6	5.0	39.00
19	0.90	36.00			44.40
20	1.00	40.00			49.30
21	1.12	44.80			54.60
22	1.26	50.40			62.40
23	1.40	56.00			70.30
24	1.60	64.00		12	78.00
25	1.80	72.00	N7		88.20
26	2.00	80.00			98.90
27	2.20	88.00		16	109.20
28	2.50	100.00			123.90
29	2.80	112.00			138.50
30	3.20	128.00	N8	20	153.70
31	3.50	140.00			175.50
32	4.00	160.00			197.50
33	4.50	180.00		25	218.80
34	5.00	200.00			248.60
35	5.60	224.00			277.90
36	6.30	252.00	N9	37	306.20
37	7.00	280.00
38	8.00	320.00
39	9.00	360.00		46
40	10.00	400.00
41	11.20	448.00
42	12.60	504.00	N10	60
43	14.00	560.00
44	16.00	640.00
45	18.00	720.00		85

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

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 160×65×2 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.)

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.)

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.

VDI	Draft for ABS	Draft for PC	Draft for PA
12	0.5	1.0	0
15	0.5	1.0	0.5
18	0.5	1.0	0.5
21	0.5	1.0	0.5
24	1.0	1.5	0.5
27	1.5	2.0	1.0
30	2.0	2.0	1.5
33	2.5	3.0	2.0
36	3.0	4.0	2.5
39	4.0	5.0	3.0
42	5.0	6.0	4.0
45	6.0	7.0	5.0

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 3400	RA	RZ
12	0.40	1.5
15	0.56	2.4
18	0.80	3.3
21	1.12	4.7
24	1.60	6.5
27	2.24	10.5
30	3.15	12.5
33	4.50	17.5
36	6.30	24.0
39	9.00	34.0
42	12.50	48.0
45	18.00	69.0

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 Standard	SPI Standard	Roughness (RA/μm)	Typical Finishes
Not Available	SPI A1	0.012 to 0.025	Lens / Mirror
Not Available	SPI A2	0.025 to 0.05	High Polish
VDI #0 ~ #5	SPI A3	0.05 to 0.10	High Polish
VDI #6	SPI B1	0.05 to 0.10	Medium Polish
VDI #7 ~ #8	SPI B2	0.10 to 0.15	Medium Polish
VDI #9 ~ #10	SPI B3	0.28 to 0.32	Medium- Low Polish
VDI #11 ~ #12	SPI C1	0.35 to 0.40	Low Polish
VDI #13 ~ #15	SPI C2	0.45 to 0.55	Low Polish
VDI #16 ~ #17	SPI C3	0.63 to 0.70	Low Polish
VDI #18 ~ #19	SPI D1	0.80 to 1.00	Satin Finish
VDI #20 ~ #29	SPI D2	1.00 to 2.80	Dull Finish
VDI #30 ~ #45	SPI D3	3.20 to 18.0	Dull 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 3400	Mold Tech Texture
18	K 9000G
21	K 9070G
24	K 7000G
27	K 7050G
30	K 5000G
33	K 2400G
36	MT 2260
39	MT 1055
42	MT 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 3400	YS Textures (Version 2019)	YS Textures (Version Classic)
0	YS 20037	Not Available
3	YS 20037	Not Available
6	YS 20037	Not Available
9	YS 20037	Not Available
12	YS 20037	Not Available
15	YS 20037	Not Available
18	YS 20039	Not Available
21	YS 20040	YS 1282
24	YS 20002	YS 1283
27	YS 20002	YS 1284
30	YS 20046	YS 1285
33	YS 20007	YS 1286
36	YS 20070	YS 1287
39	YS 20069	Not Available
42	YS 20028	Not Available
45	Not Available	Not Available

Order Your VDI 3400 Texture Card