Product guide

Sandal Manufacturer in China: Slides, Sport, EVA & Comfort

By DOING SHOES · Reviewed by Zhu Dangli, Technical Group Leader (20 years in footwear) · Last updated 2026-07-20 · 10 min read

How sandals are made in China — slides, sport, EVA, comfort-footbed and women’s sandals: moulding and tooling, straps, footbeds, MOQ and lead times.

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Sandals look simple and are not. A moulded EVA slide, a webbing sport sandal and a woven-strap women’s sandal are made with completely different tooling, materials and lines — and sandals are the category where China competes head-to-head with Vietnam and Thailand on price. Choosing the right sandal manufacturer in China is about tooling, footbed development and strap work, not just a catalogue. This guide explains how sandals are made so you can brief a factory and get the pair you designed.

It is written from inside a working factory. DOING has manufactured footwear since 2002, runs 4 production lines and a team of 589, produces 200,000+ pairs a month, and holds amfori BSCI and HBI (Hanesbrands) audit reports. Sandals, slides and slippers are a core category, and we develop moulds and tooling in-house.

What a sandal manufacturer does

A sandal manufacturer develops the footbed and last for fit, builds or sources the mould for moulded styles, engineers the straps and fastenings, matches an outsole for grip and wear, then samples, produces and inspects. For sandals the make-or-break steps are tooling (the mould that shapes an EVA footbed or sole) and strap construction (comfort, durability and how it is attached). A factory that develops moulds in-house can bring a new shape to life; one that only buys stock soles cannot.

Types of sandals we manufacture

• Slides — single-band moulded or strap slides; the fastest-growing casual category.
• Sport & outdoor sandals — webbing straps, adjustable buckles or hook-and-loop, EVA or rubber outsoles for grip.
• Comfort & footbed sandals — contoured EVA, PU or cork-look footbeds with arch support.
• Women’s fashion sandals — flat, heeled and woven-strap styles, in PU, leather or textile.
• Kids’ sandals — closed-toe and adjustable styles built for safety and durability.
• EVA sandals & clogs — lightweight, waterproof, moulded; tooling-driven.
• Leather sandals and flip-flops round out most ranges.

Each maps to a specific buyer search — “slide manufacturer”, “sport sandal factory”, “kids sandal OEM”, “EVA sandal manufacturer” — and each is a real capability.

Materials and construction

Element	Common options	Note
Footbed	Moulded EVA, PU, cork-look, contoured	Comfort and fit live here; often needs a mould
Outsole	EVA, TPR, rubber	Grip and wear; can be moulded as one piece with the footbed
Straps	PU, PVC, leather, woven textile, webbing	Comfort, durability and skin feel
Fastenings	Buckles, hook-and-loop, elastic, rivets	Adjustability and strength
Construction	Injection/moulded, strap-anchored, cemented, stitched	Drives cost, look and tooling

The two decisions that dominate a sandal quote are whether it needs a mould and how the straps are anchored. Get those right in your tech pack — our guide to choosing shoe materials shows how to specify them.

Tooling: the real cost driver in EVA sandals

Moulded EVA sandals, slides and clogs are made in a mould, so every new footbed or sole shape carries a one-time tooling cost before the first pair exists. That is why picking a manufacturer that develops moulds in-house matters: it controls cost, timing and how faithfully the mould matches your design. DOING developed the mould and full EVA clog range for a Middle East fashion retail chain’s private label — for a client with no prior footwear experience — see the EVA clog development case. Once tooling exists, the per-pair cost is low and consistent.

OEM, ODM and private label sandals

• OEM — you own the design and tech pack; the factory manufactures to spec, including cutting a new mould where needed.
• ODM — you adapt an existing development, avoiding new tooling; the fastest, lowest-risk route.
• Private label — a finished sandal under your brand and packaging, ideal for retailers new to footwear.

Our OEM vs ODM vs private label guide covers how to choose, and the OEM/ODM service page shows how development works at DOING.

MOQ, samples, tooling and lead time

Real numbers you can plan around at DOING:

• MOQ — around 1,000 pairs per style, roughly 300–600 pairs per colour, with flexible MOQ on selected lines.
• Tooling — a one-time mould cost for new moulded EVA styles; none for strap-anchored or stock-sole styles.
• Samples — 2–4 weeks once design and materials are confirmed (plus mould time for new moulded styles).
• Production — 30–60 days depending on construction and quantity, from 200,000+ pairs a month of capacity.

How to choose a sandal manufacturer

1. Ask about moulds. Confirm the factory develops tooling in-house if your style is moulded EVA.
2. Check strap and footbed quality. Order a paid sample and wear it — comfort and strap durability only show on foot.
3. Compare against Vietnam/Thailand on total value. China wins on tooling, development and supply chain depth, not just unit price — we replaced a Thai supplier for a Spanish sandals brand.
4. See the line and QC. Request factory, line and QC photos or a live video call.
5. Start protected. Agree specs, AQL and timeline in writing, use staged payments, and book a pre-shipment inspection.

Our deeper guide on how to find a reliable shoe manufacturer in China expands each step.

Why brands develop sandals with DOING

DOING is a trading-and-manufacturing partner: factory pricing with in-house development, QC and export. We develop slides, sport, comfort, women’s, kids’, EVA and leather sandals; we cut moulds and tooling in-house; and we back it with 4 own production lines, 589 people, 200,000+ pairs a month and amfori BSCI & HBI audits. We have brought a private-label EVA clog range to market for a Middle East retailer new to footwear, and replaced a Thai supplier with woven-strap sandals for a Spanish brand.

Ready to develop a sandal — or want a factory to quote tooling and a footbed properly? Send us your design or a reference sample and we will come back with construction, materials, tooling, MOQ and a quote. You can also see our sandal manufacturing service and the factory.

Part of our footwear manufacturing guides by product type.