Most damascus returns start on the care card, not the blade. The customer who soaked the knife overnight and lost the pattern blames the steel. Fix the card before you argue about price.
Will the blade rust? The 67-layer 8-inch chef's knife carries a 9Cr18MoV stainless core, but the folded layers and the etched face are what the customer actually touches. Card rule: wash, dry with a cloth, put it away dry. No soaking.
Dishwasher or not? Not. Detergent, heat and basket contact dull the edge and flatten the etch. Put that in line one, in the language of the market you sell into.
What six lines belong on the card? Hand wash only. Dry immediately. No soaking. No frozen food, no bone, no twisting through the cut. Hone instead of sharpening on a stone. Store dry. Add one line for resin handles: no hot oil, no standing water.
What actually causes claims? Chipping from frozen product and edge twisting. Both are cutting habits, both are avoidable with one sentence. Pattern fading from washing is the third — tell the customer the etch is a surface finish, not a coating that wears off.
What goes on the label? "67-layer damascus, 9Cr18MoV core" answers the first question a retail buyer asks. Match label, card and box; three different steel descriptions in one package reads like a sourcing mistake.
What do I write into the OEM order? Card copy, card language, whether the card ships inside the box, and the handle material. The 7-piece set with 67-layer blades and resin handles runs 500 sets at 20–25 days. The 8-inch chef's knife runs 300 pieces at 20 days. Order a sample first; three-day free sampling covers it.
How do I verify the etch before shipment? Zenttop runs three production lines in Yangjiang and inspects the pattern at final inspection, one of six QC steps behind a defect rate under 0.3%. Write "etch and handle finish checked at final inspection" into the PO rather than assuming it.
Should I warranty the pattern? Cover delamination and handle failure. Exclude pattern fading and edge damage from frozen food, and print both exclusions on the card, not in fine print at the bottom of the website.
Draft the card in your market's language and send it with the sample request. The sample comes back packed the way your customer will open it, card included, so you can test the wording before the first 300 pieces ship.