Guide · grades
You don't need to remember a spec number to buy the right mould. You do need to know what a grade does. This guide walks through the ideas without the acronyms.
The guide
General-purpose silicone rubber and food-contact silicone rubber are different formulations, made to different specifications. A general-purpose silicone might be perfectly safe to touch — but it isn't certified for food contact and shouldn't be used on a food mould. If you order a food mould, the base material should be food-contact grade from the raw stock.
There isn't one food-contact silicone; there's a family. They differ on temperature tolerance, chemical resistance, hardness, and cure system (platinum or peroxide). We spec platinum-cure food-contact silicones as standard because they're cleaner-curing and better-behaved in most food applications.
A grade that's comfortable at chiller temperatures may soften under a caustic wash. A grade that's comfortable at bake temperatures may over-cure and go brittle if it's parked next to a burner. The peak temperature the mould will see, and how long it sits there, both matter. We ask about both.
For a lot of producers, the cleaning cycle punishes the mould more than the food does. Caustic detergents, sanitisers, chlorine — each attacks silicone differently. Grade selection is often driven by wash, not by fill.
Coloured silicone has a pigment. Pigment has to be food-contact too. If you want a specific colour, we'll match it — but colour requests sometimes narrow the sensible grade list, so tell us early rather than at sign-off.
Every food-contact silicone we buy comes with a supplier declaration of what it is. We keep that on file against your order. When you reorder or get audited, the paperwork is there.
Need advice on your specific job?
You're not obliged to order anything. If we don't think we're the right supplier for your job, we'll say so.
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No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Culinary, you speak to the team who design, build and check your mould.
Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
Jim AndertonProduction Manager
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