1400 ml / 1600 ml / 2000 ml, double-wall vacuum 304 stainless. It is the one with a classic silhouette rather than a fashion-led one, stronger thermal performance than its siblings, a capacity aimed at a full adult portion. Custom logo from 500 pieces.
The vacuum layer is what makes this work: with almost nothing left to conduct heat away, hot food stays above serving temperature through a working day, and in the larger sizes you can pour in boiling water and raw rice in the morning and open cooked congee at lunch. The inner wall is 304 stainless throughout — the grade matters because lower grades pick up odours and pass them to whatever goes in next. The closure seals inverted, which is the only test that matters for something that travels in a bag.
Also on the buyer’s checklist here: classic, vacuum, heat retention, office use, cold retention.
Broken into the parts a buyer actually checks: The 304 liner throughout — the grade decides whether it holds odours, and lower grades do. Every internal surface is reachable, which decides whether it gets used daily or abandoned. A carry handle or cord, so it travels attached rather than loose. The closure seals under inversion rather than merely closing, which is the only test that matters for something carried in a bag. Thermal performance holds through a working day rather than fading after the first hour, because the vacuum is drawn properly rather than partially. The interior wipes clean without scrubbing, which matters more on a food container than on a drinks bottle.
Also on the buyer’s checklist here: heat retention, cold retention, sharp edges, food-grade materials, no flavour transfer.
What keeps this model on repeat order: complaints are rare enough that the buyer stops budgeting for replacements; mixed-colour containers let them test the range before committing capital to one colour; the entry quantity is low enough to trial without a warehouse full of stock; end-user repurchase is high enough that the retailer keeps the facing. Worth reading as a checklist rather than a boast — if those reasons do not apply to your channel, a different model in the range probably fits better.
Also cited on repeat orders: heat retention, office use, sharp edges, consistency.
Choosing between them
How TM-1003 compares with the rest of the range
Buyers rarely arrive knowing which model they want — they arrive knowing the brief. This table is the fastest way to check whether TM-1003 is the right answer or whether a sibling fits better. The row highlighted is the one you are looking at. Every model listed runs from 500 pieces per design.
plastic body rather than steel, which keeps the price down
50
Every model above ships from 500 pieces per design. Mixing several of them in one container is normal — a 20ft container holds roughly 26 m³ of cartons, so a mixed load is planned on carton volume rather than on piece count. Send the full list at enquiry rather than model by model.
Who is buying TM-1003, and what they do with it
A supermarket chain in Dubai takes this one for families. It also goes through a homeware retailer.
Also on the buyer’s checklist here: heat retention, minimum order, restock, retail, reorder.
What buyers tell us their customers do with it: a commute where there is no microwave at the other end; soup; camping and days out; staff welfare and corporate packs; desk use through a working day; canteen service; picnics. If your end use is not on that list, tell us anyway — it usually points at a different model in the range.
Also on the buyer’s checklist here: office workers, office use, outdoor use, camping.
Where this model has been pushed: A buyer in Saudi Arabia placed a large single order across mixed colours with their own logo printed timed to a seasonal peak. We ran the line on overtime and moved their batch up the queue, with tighter than usual inspection on the critical spec. They have reordered 3 times. The reason it is here rather than in a case-study page: this is the kind of run that tells you whether a supplier can handle your peak, not your average.
Also in play on that job: mixed loading, full container, custom decoration, vacuum, heat retention, expedited.
What TM-1003 means for each kind of buyer
Six kinds of buyer order this range, and each gets caught by something different. Below is what changes when the model is TM-1003; the questions that apply to every model are in the lunch boxes buyer guide.
Importers & wholesalers
This model packs 12 per carton (67cm×47.5cm×21cm for the base size — the full carton table is in the spec above), and that number decides how many pieces fit a 20ft container far more than the FOB price does.
Brand owners & private label
Stock colours are not fixed on TM-1003 — tell us the shade at enquiry and we will confirm what is on the shelf before you commit to a Pantone run at 1,000 pieces.
Retail chains
TM-1003 packs 12 per carton, so a 12-store drop lands on a clean carton multiple rather than a split case.
Promotional distributors
TM-1003 runs 3 capacities on one design, so a mixed-size order still moves as a single production run rather than 3 queued ones.
End users & institutions
On TM-1003 laser engraving is the safe call for daily institutional washing.
Failures we hear about from buyers who switch to us
When a buyer changes supplier on this product, it is usually one of the following. We list them because they are checkable before you commit, not after.
✓
A vacuum that fades
A weak draw passes a same-day test and disappoints two months later. We check vacuum integrity on 100 % of bodies as semi-finished parts — before assembly, before coating — because on a finished branded unit the flaw stays invisible until it becomes your customer’s problem.
✎
An inner wall that is not really 304
Lower grades rust and hold odours, and food picks that up immediately. Ours is 304 throughout, stated on the invoice.
⚑
Leaks
This is the failure buyers describe when they explain why they changed supplier.
Where TM-1003 is actually made
Eight workshops in Yongkang, Zhejiang, running since 1998 — mould development, vacuum welding, injection moulding, spray painting, laser marking, printing, assembly, inspection and packing, all in one building. For TM-1003 the stage worth watching is compartment moulding and lid tooling.
Lunch boxes live or die on the lid. The body is straightforward — 304 liner, or food-grade PP on the vented models — but the lid carries the gasket, the latch and, on tiered models, the weight of everything above it. Injection moulding and gasket fitting run in the same building as assembly, so a lid problem is caught on the line rather than in a container. On the three vacuum models the liner is drawn and vacuum-tested as a semi-finished part, same as our flasks. On the compartment models the check is different: fill, close, invert, and watch the seams between compartments — a box that leaks soup into the rice reads as a defect even though nothing left the box.
We inspect 8% of every batch rather than a fixed sample per shipment. Buyers are welcome on site — eight workshops in Yongkang, Zhejiang, running since 1998, about three hours by road from Ningbo port and two from Hangzhou airport, which makes a factory visit a realistic side trip rather than a separate journey. Ask to see that bench specifically; it is where the difference shows — we check vacuum integrity on 100% of bodies at the semi-finished stage, before assembly and coating, because a micro-leak is undetectable once the jar is built.
Is TM-1003 the right one for your programme?
Importers & wholesalers — A good fit — this one already ships in mixed-colour containers for buyers testing which colours move. Stock colours are as listed in the spec table, and 500 pieces per design gets you started rather than 5,000.
Brand owners & private label — Yes. Three separate lines to budget: the logo sits in the unit price, a matched Pantone is its own run at 1,000 pieces, and packaging is third — this model ships in a printed colour box as standard, and anything else is a separate tooling and proofing round.
Retail chains — Currently on shelves through buyers in this channel. Retail-ready colour boxes, printed UPC or EAN, and we scan-test the barcode before the carton is sealed.
End users & institutions — Suited to canteens and site catering, offices. For institutional buying, specify laser engraving rather than print — a printed logo on a coated body typically fades within one season of daily commercial dishwashing, while an engraved mark is cut into the 304 steel and does not.
FAQ
Ordering TM-1003 — common questions
Why TM-1003 rather than another model in this range?▾
This one runs 1400 ml / 1600 ml / 2000 ml, and it is the one with a classic silhouette rather than a fashion-led one, stronger thermal performance than its siblings, a capacity aimed at a full adult portion. End users are office workers carrying a hot lunch, outdoor and camping use, camping, desk and office use, site and factory canteens. Where it stops making sense: any programme where the end user needs something this model was not shaped for. Tell us the use case and we will say so plainly.
How long does TM-1003 keep food hot?▾
At 1400 ml / 1600 ml / 2000 ml, expect around 12 hours with a full fill, less if it is opened repeatedly or only half filled. The double-wall 304 stainless body is the reason: with the air drawn out between the walls there is almost nothing left to conduct heat away. Two habits worth printing on your packaging — rinse with boiling water before filling, and fill it as close to the top as practical.
Can TM-1003 be made in our brand colour?▾
Yes. This model ships in its standard finish from 500 pieces; a matched Pantone means a dedicated run and starts at 1,000. Send the Pantone reference with your enquiry — we match against an approved physical sample rather than against a screen, because screens drift and a sprayed body in your hand does not.
How do we brand TM-1003?▾
Silk screen for one to three flats onto a sprayed body, UV digital for full colour, laser for a permanent single-tone mark. If the end user runs it through a commercial dishwasher every evening, engraving is the only method that still looks right after a season.
What is the MOQ, lead time and carton spec for TM-1003?▾
500 pieces gets you started on stock colours. Budget 1,000 if the brand colour has to be exact. Production runs 30 days after deposit and artwork approval, sample in 7–10 days. Packing is 12 pcs per carton at 1400ml: 67cm × 47.5cm × 21cm; 1600ml: 67cm × 47.5cm × 24.5cm; 2000ml: 76.5cm × 54cm × 26cm. Shipping terms: EXW Yongkang, FOB from Ningbo or Shanghai, or DDP straight to your warehouse.
Is this the same thing as a "lunch box with thermos"?▾
It is the same job done in one piece. When buyers search for a lunch box with thermos they usually mean a metal lunch box packed alongside a separate vacuum flask — the format most of us grew up with. TM-1003 puts the vacuum into the box itself: the classic body is double-wall 304 with the air drawn out between the walls, so the food stays hot for hours without a second container to carry, wash and lose. If your programme really does need the two-piece set, we make matching vacuum food jars and can quote the pair as one line and pack them in one colour box — tell us at enquiry, because it changes the carton plan.
Get a quote on TM-1003
Tell us the quantity, colours and how you want the logo applied — we reply within 24 hours, Monday to Saturday.
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