How buttons are made
More than 60 percent of the world's buttons come from one town, Qiaotou in Yongjia County, China.
- stations
- 8
- things upstream
- 19
- raw sources
- 8
- steps from the ground
- 7
The short version
Liquid polyester with wax, dye and a catalyst is poured into a spinning drum, where it forms a soft sheet in about 20 minutes. The sheet is pulled out and punched into blanks. Blanks cure in water that starts at 110 °C and slowly cools, then machines cut the face and drill the holes. Drums tumble them shiny for about 24 hours.
-
Pour into a spinning drum
Polyester resin, wax, dye and a catalyst go into a cylinder 4 feet across turning at about 250 rotations per minute. Centrifugal force spreads the mix into an even sheet, and more resin gives thicker buttons.
Goes in -
Pull out the sheet
After about 20 minutes the resin has the texture of stale cheese, held between layers of wax that have risen and sunk to its faces. The drum stops and the sheet is cut free.
-
Punch the blanks
On a conveyor, circular steel dies descend on the still-soft sheet and punch out button-sized circles. It takes about 2 to 4 minutes per sheet.
-
Cure in hot water
The blanks would turn brittle if cooled in air. They sit in a tank of water heated to 110 °C, hardening as it slowly cools over 10 to 24 hours.
10 to 24 hours
Goes in -
Cut the face
A hopper feeds blanks into holders that clamp them against a spinning cutting tool, which forms the rim or the concave face.
-
Drill the holes
The clamped pieces move beneath a set of drills that make two or four holes, and a vacuum pulls them out into a box. Hundreds can pass through in a minute.
-
Tumble to a shine
Drums of water, abrasive and foaming agent spin for about 24 hours while the contents bounce themselves smooth. They are then washed and dried.
about 24 hours
Goes in -
Check and pack
Finished pieces are inspected for quality and packed for garment makers.
Worth repeating
- Buttons made from seashell were used by the Indus Valley Civilization for ornamentation by 2000 BC.
- In 1918 a US government survey of the international button market listed buttons made of vegetable ivory, galalith, silk, lead, rubber and many other materials.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and button starts as these 8 raw sources.
Where it comes from
- Qiaotou, Yongjia County, Chinaover 60 percent of the world's button supply
Today, as stated by Wikipedia; no year is given.
Where it goes next
Button feeds 4 lines directly.
Keep walking
Sources
Cite this page: "How buttons are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/button