Carriers, bowls and litter boxes are the everyday hardware of a pet range. They are bought again and again, they sell on function rather than fashion, and each one hides a question that a quick quotation does not answer: will the carrier door hold, what is the bowl made of, and will the litter box survive being scrubbed every week?

This guide is for pet product brands, retailers and online sellers sourcing these items from factories in Asia. It covers what to specify for each product group, the food-contact question for bowls, the claims to avoid, and how to keep freight and inspection under control.

💬 Sourcing carriers, bowls or litter products? Send us the items, materials and markets you have in mind, and we will look for factories in Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia that already make them. Tell us what you need.

Three product groups, three kinds of factory

Carriers are sewn or moulded, bowls are pressed, moulded or fired, and litter products are mostly injection-moulded plastic, so each group is quoted with a different factory.

Few factories make all of these well. Matching the product to the process saves rounds of samples.

ProductCommon materialsProcessFactory type to look for
Soft carriers and pet backpacksPolyester or nylon fabric, mesh, foam panels, zips, webbingCutting and sewingBag and luggage factories
Hard carriers and cratesPolypropylene or other plastics, metal wire doorsInjection moulding, wire formingPlastic moulding factories with metal suppliers
BowlsStainless steel, ceramic, melamine, plastics, siliconePressing, firing, mouldingKitchenware or tableware factories
Litter boxes and scoopsPolypropylene and other plasticsInjection mouldingHousehold plastics factories
Litter matsRubber, PVC, EVA or fabricMoulding, coating or sewingMat or flooring factories

Factories that make kitchenware for people are a natural fit for pet bowls, and household plastics factories already make the shapes a litter box needs. Our guide to finding factories beyond Vietnam explains how to check a factory’s registration and visit it before you order.

Carriers: the door, the frame and the claims

A carrier is judged on whether the pet stays inside and comfortable, so specify the closures, the base and the ventilation in detail, and do not print airline approval claims you cannot support.

For a soft carrier or pet backpack, the points that fail first are the zips, the stitching where the strap meets the body, and the base panel that sags under weight. For a hard carrier, it is the door latch, the clips or bolts that join the two halves, and the handle.

Specify:

  • the maximum pet weight you will print, and a test on samples with a load above that weight
  • zip size and type, with a locking slider or a clip that stops a pet nosing the zip open
  • the base insert material and whether it can be removed and washed
  • mesh type and how it is bound at the edges, because claws catch on raw edges
  • for hard carriers, the latch design, the fixings between the halves and the plastic grade

”Airline approved” is not a factory’s claim to make

Each airline sets its own rules for pets in the cabin, including the size of the carrier it accepts. For pets carried as cargo, IATA describes its Live Animals Regulations as the worldwide standard for transporting live animals by commercial airlines, and expects its members to follow them; governments set and enforce the rules on live animal transport. A carrier can be designed with those rules in mind, but a label saying it is “approved” for an airline is a claim you should only print if you can support it. Give dimensions and let the owner check with the airline.

Bowls: material first, then the food-contact question

Pick the bowl material for durability and cleaning, then ask whether the market you sell into treats a pet bowl as a food-contact article, because the answer differs.

MaterialStrengthsWhat to check on samples
Stainless steelDurable, easy to cleanSteel grade as stated by the factory, finish on the rim, rubber base attachment
CeramicHeavy, stableGlaze quality, chipping, whether the glaze has been tested for metal release
MelamineLight, can be printedBehaviour with hot water and dishwashers, wear on printed areas
Polypropylene and other plasticsLight, low costPlastic grade, scratching, odour
Silicone (collapsible bowls)Folds for travelGrade, odour, the rigid rim and its bond to the silicone

How the food-contact rules treat pet bowls

The rules on materials that touch food were written mainly with human food in mind, and the definition of “food” decides whether a pet bowl falls inside them.

  • European Union. Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 applies to materials and articles intended to be brought into contact with food, or that can reasonably be expected to be. Article 2 adopts the definitions in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, which defines food as substances “intended to be, or reasonably expected to be ingested by humans”. A bowl made and sold only for pet food is therefore, on the face of the texts, outside that definition. A bowl that could reasonably be used for people’s food, for example one sold as a general-purpose bowl, is a different case.
  • United States. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act defines food as “articles used for food or drink for man or other animals”, and defines a food contact substance as a substance used in materials for “manufacturing, packing, packaging, transporting, or holding food”. Read together, these definitions are broad enough that a pet bowl material can raise food-contact questions. Confirm with counsel how the rules apply to your product before you rely on any answer.
  • Japan. The Pet Food Safety Act covers food for pet dogs and cats (things used for their nutrition, under Article 2 of the Act and Article 1 of its Cabinet Order). A bowl is not pet food. For other rules that may apply to the bowl, confirm the current rule in Japan.

Whatever the market, you can ask for the bowl material to be tested as if it were a food-contact material for people: the pet eats from it every day, and the test methods already exist. If you do, write the test and the laboratory into the purchase order. Our market-by-market article on pet product materials and labelling sets out the wider rules on restricted substances.

Avoid putting health claims on bowls. Slow-feeder and raised bowls are popular, but describe the design (“raised stand”, “maze pattern”) rather than an effect on the animal’s health, and confirm the current rule in the market where you sell before you use any claim of that kind.

💬 Want the bowl material tested before you approve production? We arrange third-party laboratory tests on pre-production samples and add the results to the order file. Send us your bowl designs.

Litter boxes, scoops and mats

Litter products are plastic mouldings that must survive weekly scrubbing, so specify the plastic, the wall thickness and the fit of every lid and tray.

Litter boxes are simple shapes, but owners notice quickly when a rim cracks, a hood does not sit square or a sifting tray jams. Points to fix:

  • Plastic grade and wall thickness as the factory specifies them, plus whether recycled material is used. If you plan to say “made with recycled plastic”, ask for the evidence behind the claim; environmental claims need support in many markets.
  • Fit of moving parts. Hoods, doors, flaps, drawers and sifting trays must fit across the whole batch, not just on the sample. Check them at inspection.
  • Surface finish. A smooth, glossy inner surface is easier to clean; textured surfaces hold dirt.
  • Scoops. The slot width decides which litter types the scoop works with. Test with the litter you recommend.
  • Mats. Ask what a rubber or PVC mat is made of; plasticised PVC brings it into the EU phthalate restriction described in our market-by-market article.

Litter boxes with motors, sensors or self-cleaning functions are electrical products and bring the electrical safety, radio and battery rules of each market. Treat them as a separate project and confirm those rules before you order.

The litter itself (clay, silica, plant-based or paper) is a bulk material with its own import questions. Plant-based litters can raise plant health questions at the border. Confirm the current rule in the market where you sell before you add litter to the range.

Freight, packing and inspection

Bowls and litter boxes ship a lot of air unless they nest, so design for nesting and agree the packing method with the factory before you approve the sample.

Hard carriers, litter boxes and bowls are bulky for their value. Ways to reduce freight volume:

  • design litter boxes and bowls to nest, with the hood or stand packed flat
  • ship hard carriers in two halves with the door and fixings packed inside
  • protect ceramic bowls with inner dividers and drop-test the carton

When you compare factories in different countries, compare the cost delivered to your warehouse, not the unit price alone; our guide to comparing Asian suppliers on landed cost shows how. Before shipment, inspect against the approved sample for dimensions, fit of moving parts, finish, labels and packing, using the method in our pre-shipment inspection guide.

If these items are part of a wider range, see our guides to pet beds and cushions, pet toys and safety testing and launching a private-label pet products brand.

Frequently asked questions

1. Is a pet bowl a food-contact material?
It depends on the market. In the EU the definition of food refers to food for humans, while the US definition of food includes food for animals. Confirm the rule in your market and consider testing the material anyway.

2. Can I label my carrier as airline approved?
Only if you can support the claim for the airline concerned. Each airline sets its own cabin rules. Give the carrier’s dimensions and maximum pet weight, and let owners check with their airline.

3. Which bowl material is best for a private-label range?
Stainless steel and ceramic are common for durability, melamine and plastics for printed designs and light weight. Choose by your customers’ use and test each material on samples.

4. Can litter boxes be made from recycled plastic?
Often, yes. Ask the factory for the recycled content and the evidence behind it before you print any environmental claim, and check how the recycled material affects strength and colour.

5. Can one factory supply carriers, bowls and litter boxes together?
Usually these come from different factories. We source each item from a suitable factory and can consolidate them into one shipment under one set of documents.

Summary

Carriers, bowls and litter products each need a factory that already works with the right process, a specification that fixes the weak points, and care with claims. Bowls deserve one extra question: whether the market you sell into treats them as food-contact articles.

Sunsho Trade is a trading company, not a factory. We find and vet the factory for each item, collect quotations on identical terms, arrange samples and laboratory tests, inspect before shipment and consolidate shipments.

💬 Ready to source pet carriers, bowls or litter products? See our pet products OEM service, or send us your product list and we will come back with factory options.

Sources

Checked on 26 October 2026.