Medal materials: die-cast metal, acrylic, sublimated
Three medal materials we regularly supply through our iTrophy KL studio (showroom + project management; production via long-time Malaysian partners).
Die-cast metal medals — the traditional heavyweight format. Metal alloy medal with antique gold, silver, or bronze plating, paired with a printed neck ribbon. What serious tournaments expect. Survives being passed around for years afterwards.
Acrylic medals — CNC-cut from cast acrylic and full-colour UV-printed. Significantly lighter, more design-flexible. Right pick for events with younger participants or fun-runs where finishers wear them home.
Sublimated medals — sublimated metal blanks with a printed face insert. Sit between the two on price. Well-suited to high-volume sponsor-branded events where print quality matters more than medal weight.
As a medal supplier Malaysia we also produce hybrid pieces — die-cast metal frames with full-colour acrylic or printed inserts. For organisers who want both the substantial feel of metal and the print fidelity of acrylic on the same award.
How heavy should a finisher medal feel?
Marathon and half-marathon finishers expect a medal that feels substantial in the hand.
Sweet spot for marathon finishers:
- Diameter: 70-80mm
- Thickness: 8-10mm
- Weight: 130-160g
Below that, the medal reads as a fun-run participation token rather than a finisher award. Above 200g and the ribbon feels unbalanced when worn.
For shorter charity runs and primary school sports days: 60mm medal at ~60-80g. Light enough for kids to wear comfortably for the duration of the event.
When does acrylic make more sense than metal?
Acrylic wins on three fronts:
- Cost-per-piece at high volumes: RM 10-22 vs RM 18-35 for die-cast
- Design flexibility: any custom shape via CNC at low extra cost
- Print fidelity: full-colour UV print reproduces sponsor logos exactly
Pick acrylic for: fun-runs, primary school sports days, charity events with sponsor branding, and any event where the medal is part of the brand experience rather than a tournament trophy.
Pick metal when: the audience is competitive adults and the weight itself is part of the recognition.
Die-cast carries weight; acrylic carries the brand. Pick the one that matches your audience, not the one that wins on paper.
Stock-round vs custom-shape — when each route makes sense
Stock medal designs (round, with generic sport icons or a generic-victor face, RM 12-25 each at 100+) cover most weekend tournaments and school sports days at the lowest per-piece cost.
Custom-shaped medals — your event logo cut into the metal or acrylic outline — make a much bigger visual impact. Right call for events where the medal is part of the brand experience:
- Marathon finishers who post the medal on Instagram
- Themed Halloween runs
- Signature corporate events
Custom acrylic shapes: routine. Add only RM 2-5 per piece above stock shapes.
Custom die-cast metal medals: one-time mould fee RM 1,500-3,500 depending on relief complexity. Pays back at around 200 units:
- Mould adds RM 7.50-17.50 per medal at 200 units
- Drops to RM 1.50-3.50 per medal at 1,000 units
After the first run, repeat orders move faster (2-3 weeks instead of 4-6) because the mould stays on file at the partner workshop.
Practical pattern for recurring annual marathons: invest in the mould year one, recoup over years two through five.
Ribbon options — colours, single/double-sided print, Pantone matching
Standard ribbon colours stocked at iTrophy: red, blue, green, yellow, and black. Included free with every medal at standard production. The four house colours (Merah, Biru, Hijau, Kuning) double as ready-to-ship sports day stock.
Custom-printed ribbons with your event name, year, and sponsor logos are available on orders of 100 medals and above:
- Single-colour print: standard, no extra cost
- Full-colour: available on premium orders, extra RM 2-4 per piece
- Double-sided print: for events with multiple sponsors (front: title sponsor, back: supporting sponsors)
Standard ribbon widths:
- 22mm for school sports days
- 25mm for marathons and corporate events
Custom Pantone colour matching available on bulk orders 500+ where the ribbon needs to match a specific event brand colour exactly. Adds 3-5 days to lead time for ribbon dyeing.
Practical tip: dark ribbons (navy, maroon, forest green) hide medal-strap wear better than light ribbons over the course of a long event day.
Packaging — bulk carton vs individual poly-bag vs presentation box
Medal packaging affects per-piece cost and on-site distribution workflow.
Standard bulk packaging — medals stacked in a master carton with ribbons separated. No premium. Right call for school sports days where teachers distribute medals from the field side.
Individual poly-bagging — each medal sealed in its own clear bag with ribbon attached, ready to drape. Adds RM 0.50-1.20 per piece but speeds up medal handout at marathons and large fun-runs.
Real numbers at a 1,500-finisher marathon: individual poly-bagging cuts handout time from roughly 90 minutes to 45 minutes. Volunteers don't need to pair ribbons or untangle.
Premium individual presentation boxes (RM 5-12 per piece, hard cardboard with foam insert) available for tournament podium medals and signature corporate events where each medal is handed over personally on stage.
Pre-sorting by category (sport, age group, position):
- Small charge for orders 200+
- Free at 500+
Bulk-friendly pricing brackets: 50, 100, 500, 1000+
Per-medal pricing scales by quantity in clear brackets:
- Below 50 units: small-order territory, usually RM 25-50 each depending on material.
- 50-99 units: bulk pricing begins, often RM 18-30 each for stock or semi-custom medals.
- 100-499 units: most school sports days and weekend tournaments land here, roughly RM 10-28 each depending on acrylic, sublimated, or die-cast metal.
- 500-999 units: charity run and corporate fun-run territory, often RM 12-25 each with stronger freight efficiency.
- 1000+ units: major marathon territory, usually RM 10-22 each; full custom die-cast mould investment usually pays back.
WhatsApp your target quantity and event date and we will tailor a quote to your exact mix.
For very large recurring events (annual marathons, multi-year league play), we can lock pricing for the next 12 months at sign-off so your event budget is predictable across the year.
Marathon medal special considerations
Marathon and large fun-run medals carry different requirements to tournament podium medals.
Key spec differences:
- Size and weight matter. Finishers want a medal that feels substantial. Ideally 70-80mm diameter and 8-10mm thick for full-marathon and half-marathon finishers.
- Sponsor branding is part of the deal. Full-colour print or sublimation across the medal face rather than simple etched design.
- Volumes are high (500-5000 finishers depending on the event). Individual poly-bagging is worth the small per-piece premium for fast handout at the finish line.
- Lead time matters. Confirm the order at least six weeks before the event date for a fully custom marathon medal run.
Tournament medals: gold, silver, bronze conventions
Tournament medals follow long-established conventions organisers and participants both understand.
Standard podium plating:
- Gold: first place
- Silver: second
- Bronze: third
All three usually identical in design except for the plating finish. Custom designs typically still respect the gold/silver/bronze plating distinction even on fully bespoke shapes.
Engraved back plates with recipient name and event year add a premium feel for top-three medals. Particularly common at corporate sports days and university tournament finals.
For weekend league play with ongoing podiums each round, we set up a standing brief and despatch each round on a fixed schedule.
School sports day medals — the highest-volume use case in MY
School sports day is the highest-volume medal use case in Malaysia.
A typical primary school sports day runs three events per standard (Tahun 1-6) with gold, silver, and bronze medals plus overall victor ludorum (Olahragawan / Olahragawati) awards. Easily pushes past 250 medals for a single morning.
Material picks:
- Acrylic medals (RM 10-18 each at 100+ units) — cost-effective choice with stock house-colour ribbons (Merah, Biru, Hijau, Kuning) included
- Die-cast metal medals (RM 18-30 at same volumes) — for SMK and MARA Junior Science Colleges that prefer the more substantial format competitive teenagers respond to
Practical sports-day budget for a 600-pupil SK:
- 250 acrylic medals at RM 15 each: RM 3,750
- 4 house-runner-up plaques: RM 600
- 1 overall house champion cup: RM 450
- Total: ~RM 4,800 SST included
We've shipped sports-day medal orders to SK, SMK, MRSM, sekolah agama, and international schools across Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan KL, Penang, Johor, Sabah, and Sarawak.
Lead time and last-minute rush capability
Lead times by medal type:
- Stock-design medals (round metal or acrylic, stock ribbon colours): 5-7 working days from artwork sign-off, ribbon assembly included
- Custom-printed ribbons: add 2-3 days to lead time
- Fully custom die-cast metal medals: 4-6 weeks for the first run
- Repeat runs from existing mould: 2-3 weeks
Same-day or next-day rush is possible on small quantities of stock acrylic medals if you WhatsApp early in the morning.
Fully custom die-cast first runs cannot be rushed. No realistic option for a brand-new mould. As a medal supplier Malaysia we flag honest lead times before any quote is signed off.
If your event date is too tight for a fully custom run, we recommend a stock medal with a custom ribbon as the practical alternative.
For repeat events (annual marathons, multi-year league play), the second run is faster than the first. The mould, print files, and ribbon spec stay on file with us.
Medal examples before you brief a supplier
If your committee is still comparing formats, use the Bahasa Malaysia contoh medal sukan planner before asking for a quote. It compares school sports day, club, marathon and tournament medal examples by material, diameter, finish, ribbon colour, quantity buffer, engraving and spreadsheet workflow.
