PCB Lead Time & Delivery

HDI Lead Time

Layer Expedited Sample Ordinary Sample Mass Production
4-Layer 1-Stage HDI (1+2+1) 5 days 10 days 14-16 days
6-Layer 1-Stage HDI (1+4+1) 7 days 12 days 18-20 days
8-Layer 1-Stage HDI (1+6+1) 8 days 14 days 20-22 days
10-Layer 1-Stage HDI (1+8+1) 9 days 15 days 20-22 days
12-Layer 1-Stage HDI (1+10+1) 10 days 16 days 22-24 days
14-Layer 1-Stage HDI (1+12+1) 11 days 17 days 22-24 days
6-Layer 2-Stage HDI (2+2+2) 8 days 15 days 18-20 days
8-Layer 2-Stage HDI (2+4+2) 9 days 17 days 20-22 days
10-Layer 2-Stage HDI (2+6+2) 10 days 18 days 20-22 days
12-Layer 2-Stage HDI (2+8+2) 11 days 19 days 22-24 days
14-Layer 2-Stage HDI (2+10+2) 12 days 20 days 22-24 days
8-Layer 3-Stage HDI (3+2+3) 10 days 18 days 22-24 days
10-Layer 3-Stage HDI (3+4+3) 12 days 20 days 23-25 days
12-Layer 3-Stage HDI (3+6+3) 13 days 22 days 24-26 days
14-Layer 3-Stage HDI (3+8+3) 14 days 24 days 25-27 days

Multilayer PCB Lead Time

Layer Expedited Sample Ordinary Sample Mass Production
4-Layer 2 days 5 days 12-14 days
6-Layer 3 days 7 days 14-16 days
8-Layer 3 days 9 days 16-18 days
10-Layer 4 days 11 days 17-19 days
12-Layer 5 days 12 days 18-20 days
14-Layer 5 days 13 days 20-22 days
16-Layer 6 days 14 days 20-22 days
18-Layer 7 days 15 days 22-24 days
20-Layer 7 days 16 days 22-24 days
22-Layer 8 days 16 days 23-25 days
24-Layer 8 days 16 days 24-26 days
26-Layer 9 days 16 days 24-26 days
28-Layer 10 days 16 days 24-26 days
30-Layer 10 days 16 days 24-26 days
The delivery lead time for Season Multilayer Circuit is based on the following two conditions:
1. Availability of raw material inventory.
2. All engineering-related inquiries have been clarified and confirmed.

Season PCB quotes every order against a committed ship date rather than a best-case estimate. For standard multilayer work, prototype PCB lead time is 5-7 working days and volume production runs 14-20 working days; paid expedite programs shorten both by roughly 40-70%. The two tables above give the exact standard and expedited turnaround for every build, from a 4-layer board to a 30-layer stack, so you can size a schedule before you send files.

Prototype, Volume, and Assembly Timelines

Prototype Orders

Standard prototypes on conventional FR-4 laminate are delivered in 5-7 working days. HDI prototypes take longer, because every sequential lamination and laser-drilled microvia layer adds another pass through imaging, bonding, and plating: budget 10 working days for a 4-layer 1-stage build in the ordinary sample queue, and up to 24 working days for a 14-layer 3-stage stack in the same queue. Where a prototype has to land sooner, the expedited PCB lead time queue moves it to the front of the line and ships in 2-14 working days depending on layer count and stage.

Volume Production

Once material is released and tooling is confirmed, volume runs follow the multilayer and HDI tables above. A 4-layer board in repeat production ships in 12-14 working days and a 30-layer stack needs 24-26. HDI volumes add the sequential-lamination passes, so a 4-layer 1-stage order lands at 14-16 working days while a 14-layer 3-stage order needs 25-27. Repeat orders that keep the same stackup and material hold the same window on every release, and the standard layer range for each product family is listed under PCB products.

Turnkey PCBA

Turnkey assembly is two clocks running in parallel: component sourcing (5-10 working days for stocked parts, longer for allocated or long-lead devices) and bare-board fabrication. Assembly itself takes 3-7 working days including AOI and functional test. When parts are already in stock we schedule assembly against the board completion date, so the two halves overlap instead of stacking up.

What Extends PCB Lead Time

Six variables account for most of the spread between the fastest and slowest quote at any given layer count.

  • Layer count and stackup – each additional lamination cycle adds imaging, bonding, and drilling passes.
  • HDI stage – 1-stage through 5-stage constructions need laser drilling and sequential lamination, and every stage adds working days.
  • Surface finish – ENIG and hard gold take longer than HASL or OSP, and ENEPIG adds another process step.
  • Base material – standard FR-4 is stocked, while Rogers, Isola, and low-loss laminates are usually ordered in and add procurement time.
  • Copper weight – 2 oz and heavier inner layers need thicker plating and longer etching.
  • Panel utilization – designs that tile efficiently across the production panel are released sooner, while irregular outlines wait for a panel partner.
Automated PCB production lines at 998 PCB Group manufacturing park in Shenzhen
Six variables decide the queue, and all of them run under our own roof in Shenzhen – imaging, lamination, drilling, plating, surface finish, and electrical test never leave the plant.

Nothing on this page is a marketing estimate. The PCB lead time figures above are production commitments backed by ISO 9001 process control, and impedance-controlled designs are tested to the IPC-6012 Class 3 requirements our customers specify. Layer counts, finishes, and materials match the ranges published in our PCB manufacturing services overview and on our about Season PCB page.

For a formal quote with a fixed ship date, send your Gerber files and stackup to our PCB manufacturer team: a free DFM review and a dated quotation come back within 24 hours. Product-level specifications for HDI PCB and 2-30 layer PCB designs are published on our product site.

From Order to Shipment: Where the Days Go

Every order passes through the same twelve stages, and each one has a realistic window. The times below are working days for a standard 6-layer multilayer board; HDI work adds sequential-lamination passes at the imaging and lamination stages, which is why HDI PCB lead time runs longer than the bare layer count suggests.

  1. DFM and engineering review – 1 day
  2. Material release and panel planning – 1-2 days
  3. Inner-layer imaging and etching – 1-2 days
  4. Inner-layer AOI and lamination – 1-2 days
  5. Drilling, including laser drilling for HDI – 1-3 days
  6. Copper plating and outer-layer imaging – 1-2 days
  7. Solder mask and legend – 1 day
  8. Surface finish – 1-2 days
  9. Electrical test, with TDR for impedance-controlled boards – 1 day
  10. Final inspection and first-article report – 1 day
  11. Packing and documentation – 1 day
  12. Carrier pickup and air transit – 1-3 days to the destination hub

Drilling capacity is the constraint most customers underestimate, which is why our factory and equipment overview lists the 6-axis CNC and laser drilling lines we run in house instead of outsourcing.

Automated optical inspection of a multilayer PCB during production
Drilling is only one of the gates: inner-layer AOI and final inspection each hold their own window, and catching a defect before lamination is what keeps a build from losing days to rework.

Expedited PCB Lead Time Options

A quick turn order is a scheduled commitment rather than a promise to squeeze a panel in wherever it fits. Expedite slots are a paid service, not a free upgrade, and the premium is quoted as a separate line item before the order is released, so nothing changes on the invoice afterwards. What the fee buys is a reserved slot on the lamination press, dedicated drilling time, and a shop-floor priority flag that moves the panel ahead of standard queue positions.

Expedited orders currently ship on time 95% of the time. When a date is at risk, usually because a specialty laminate arrives late or a stackup changes mid-build, the account engineer contacts you before the promised date slips rather than after it.

If a schedule is critical, send the Gerber package and stackup together with a target ship date. Our engineers confirm whether the date is achievable, which expedite tier it requires, and what the premium is before you commit. Boards that need tight impedance control are reviewed against our manufacturing capability limits at the same time, so a feasibility answer and a price arrive together.

Shipping and Delivery

Finished boards travel in vacuum-sealed moisture-barrier bags with desiccant, boxed with edge protection and a humidity indicator card. Impedance-controlled and fine-pitch assemblies ship in rigid trays.

Delivery runs on international express carriers – DHL, FedEx, and UPS – selected by destination and service level. Typical air transit is 3-7 working days to North America and Europe, 2-5 working days within Asia, and 5-10 working days to South America, Africa, and Oceania. Air transit is the one part of the delivery time we do not control, so we book the earliest confirmed carrier slot rather than the cheapest, and the tracking number and packing list are issued at pickup.

Terms are quoted FOB Shenzhen by default; EXW, CIF, and DDP can be quoted on request for volume programs.

Holiday Shutdowns and Planning

Chinese New Year is the one period when production genuinely stops. The factory closes for two weeks, and no shipments leave during the seven days before or the seven days after the holiday. Orders that need the line before the shutdown should be released at least three weeks ahead of the closure date, and volume orders using specialty laminates need four to five weeks.

The difference between an order that lands in February and one that slips to March is planning, not capacity. If your build window overlaps the holiday, tell us the target date when you request the quote and we reserve material before the cut-off, so the PCB lead time you were quoted still holds after the break.

Production also pauses for National Day in the first week of October and Labour Day in the first week of May. Both breaks are shorter than the Spring Festival shutdown, but each can still add three to five working days to a ship date.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the delivery clock start?

The clock starts when three things are in place: the DFM review is closed with no open engineering questions, payment or purchase order terms are confirmed, and the material is either in stock or released to the supplier. Every PCB lead time quoted on this page is counted from that point in working days, Monday to Friday, excluding Chinese public holidays.

Yes. A paid expedite tier is the only way to compress PCB lead time without changing the design or the stackup. Expedited work is quoted as a separate line item before production starts, so the premium is fixed rather than applied after the fact. The fee covers a reserved lamination press slot, dedicated drilling time, and priority queue positioning. Expedited orders ship on time 95% of the time.

A standard 4-layer multilayer prototype ships in 5-7 working days, and the expedited PCB lead time queue brings that down to 2 days. HDI prototypes start at 5 working days for a 4-layer 1-stage build and rise with each additional sequential lamination.

The rare delays come from a late specialty laminate or a mid-build design change. In both cases the account engineer contacts you as soon as the risk is visible and offers a revised PCB lead time with the cause attached, rather than letting the original date pass silently.

The factory closes for two weeks and no shipments leave during the seven days before or the seven days after the holiday. Release orders that need the line before the shutdown at least three weeks ahead of the closure date, and add another week or two for specialty laminates or heavy HDI stacks.

Send the Gerber package, stackup, layer count, surface finish, and quantity through the quote form. A free DFM review and a quotation with a fixed ship date are returned within 24 hours, and expedite tiers are priced in the same document if you need one.