moulé

Moulé is a French term meaning shaped or formed by molding. It is the past participle of the verb mouler and is used as an adjective to describe objects or forms created through a molding process. In French, related nouns include moulage (the process of molding) and moule (mold or mold cavity). In English-language technical writing, moulé appears mainly in bilingual or specialized contexts to denote pieces produced by molding rather than by carving or machining.

A molded object is typically produced by introducing a liquid or malleable material into a mold, or by pressing a material into a shaped cavity, allowing it to set or cure to the mold’s geometry. The approach enables the production of complex geometries and, often, multiple identical copies from a single mold. Materials used in molding range from metals and ceramics to polymers, plaster, and concrete, and methods include casting, injection molding, and compression molding.

In practice, mouled items are contrasted with parts produced by subtraction (such as carving or milling) or by direct machining. The term is common in art, sculpture, architecture, design, and manufacturing, where it signals that the form originated from a mold rather than being shaped by removal or direct shaping. The gender and number of the French adjective agree with the noun it modifies (un objet moulé, une sculpture moulée, des objets moulés).