Reference photo. The factory sample can differ by color, material, and specification.

Tools · Hand tools

Folding hex key set

A folding fan of hex keys whose value depends on the smallest key staying hard and true to size.

Last updated: September 2026

Source This Product

What this product is

A folding hex key set is only as honest as the smallest key in the fan. Soft tips and skinny flats are the factory risk, because a key that rounds inside a socket ruins the fastener and the tool together. Typical alloy-steel fans open in an estimated band of about 1.6 to 3.8 dollars at a 500-piece start, with an indicative retail span of 12 to 22 dollars. Potential mix-ups include a metric key substituted into an inch set, or a hardness that differs from the approved sample. Ask for a hardness reading on the smallest and largest keys, and try each one in a real socket before the lot is packed. Plating thickness also varies enough to change rust behavior in a damp kit. Customization is usually laser-marked sizes, a handle color, and a retail sleeve. A private steel spec is a different quote from a color change.

Indicative sourcing numbers

These are desk estimates for a conversation, not a factory invoice and not a retail offer from this website.

Indicative China sourcing price: $1.60 to $3.80
Suggested retail range: $12 to $22
Estimated gross margin: 40% to 58%

Indicative estimates only. Actual margins vary by supplier, quantity, specifications, shipping, duties, taxes, marketplace fees, advertising and destination market.

Why it is interesting

The fan is a running hand-tool platform, so the buyer is choosing steel and the size card rather than a new mechanism.
A sleeve and marked sizes carry most of the brand without a fresh mold.

What to specify

Form: Folding fan on a shared pivot
Sizes: Metric or inch mix; confirm every key against the list
Ends: Plain or ball end, stated per key
Material: Alloy steel; hardness checked on small and large keys
Finish: Black oxide, nickel, or zinc, agreed on the sample

Customization and private label

Laser-marked sizes, handle color, and a retail sleeve are common; a private alloy or a new size mix is requoted.

Some customization is realistic on this kind of product. Private label packaging is often possible once artwork is approved. Read how private label manufacturing in China is handled, and when a new product needs the OEM/ODM path.

How the desk would source it

Note 1. Gauge every flat, especially the smallest key, and reject a fan that mixes metric and inch pieces.
Note 2. Cycle the pivot until the fan stays open at a working angle without dropping keys.

The usual path is the same as other China factory sourcing: confirm the spec, compare factories, sample, then inspect before shipment. China supplier verification and China quality inspection are available. Goods can be received at the Xiamen warehouse and moved through China warehouse consolidation or sea, air, and express freight.