PVC vs Vinyl vs Resin vs ABS: Which Material for Your Figure?
7 min read · updated 2026-10-19
The four materials are not competitors — they solve different problems. PVC is for sharp detail at volume, soft vinyl for hollow lightweight toys, resin for low-volume high-detail pieces, and ABS for anything that needs to hold a joint or a hard edge.
Where each one belongs
| Material | Process | Best for | Typical MOQ | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PVC (solid) | Steel mould injection | Collectible figures, sharp multi-colour detail | 3,000 | Heavy; high tooling cost |
| Soft vinyl (sofubi) | Rotocast copper mould | Designer toys, hollow, squeezable | 500 | Limited fine detail; must be glued from parts |
| Resin / polystone | Silicone mould casting | Statues, low volume, maximum sculpt detail | 50–200 | Brittle; slow; not for children |
| ABS | Steel mould injection | Joints, structural parts, hard edges | 3,000 | Not the visible surface of most figures |
| Silicone | Compression mould | Skin contact, heat, stretch, soft toys | 100–500 | Softer detail; fewer colours |
Why resin has a low MOQ and a high unit price
Resin figures are cast in silicone moulds, not injected into steel. The mould costs a fraction of a steel tool, so 100 pieces is economic. But every piece is poured, demoulded and cleaned by hand, and the material is brittle — which is why resin is for statues and garage kits, not for anything a child will drop.
The ABS mistake
ABS is usually not the visible material. It sits inside as the joint, the frame or the base that has to hold a pose. Choosing ABS for a visible surface means you are paying injection tooling prices for something PVC would render better.
Where silicone fits
Silicone is the outsider in this list and the right answer in a specific case: when the figure will be chewed, left in a hot car, worn against skin, or squeezed. It gives up sharp edges and colour count in exchange for temperature range and softness.