What you are really asking is, “what is the expected production life of my rubber mold?”.

First, we need to distinguish between the “production life” and “library life” of a rubber mold.

Library Life refers to how long a rubber mold will last in your “mold library”, just sitting on a shelf and not being used. Some mold rubbers last longer than others. Below is a chart giving you an idea of the library life you can expect from various mold rubbers:

Mold Rubber Approx. Library Life

Urethane (polyether based) ReoFlex, VytaFlex, Some PMCs – 25+ Years

Urethane (polyester based) PMC-724, PMC-726 – 1-7 Years (Moisture Exposure Dependent)

Silicone – Economy (tin cat) OOMOO Silicones – 1 Year

Silicone – Library Life (tin cat) Mold Max Series – 5-7 Years

Silicone – Platinum Catalyst Smooth-Sil, Dragon Skin – 30+ Years

Polysulfide FMC Series – 40+ Years

Latex – 10+ (With Proper Care)

Vinyl – 5+ (With Proper Care)