Guides
One question per guide, answered from the mill floor rather than from a textbook.
How to choose fabric weight (GSM) for your product
What 140, 180 and 240 gsm actually feel like, which weight suits which garment, and the tolerance your supplier should quote.
Knit vs woven: what changes for your product
The structural difference between knit and woven, how it affects stretch, drape, shrinkage and cost, and which one your garment needs.
Linen vs cotton: which one for your summer range
How linen and cotton differ in hand feel, shrinkage, cost and care — and when a linen-cotton blend is the better answer.
Combed vs carded cotton: what you actually pay for
What combing removes, why it raises the price, and how to tell combed from carded cotton without a lab.
Fabric MOQ: why it exists and how to work with it
Why mills set minimums per colour, what the real numbers look like for woven and knit, and the legitimate ways to order less.
How to request fabric samples
Swatches, headers, lab dips and sample yardage — what to ask for, what it costs, and what to check when the parcel arrives.
The 4-point fabric inspection system
How fabric defects are scored, what AQL 2.5 means in practice, and how to write an acceptance threshold you can enforce.
What a lab dip is and why it takes a week
The small piece of dyed fabric that decides your bulk colour — how approval works, what can go wrong, and how to speed it up.
How to verify a Chinese fabric supplier
Five checks that separate a real mill from a trading company with a website: business licence, factory address, references, sample behaviour and payment terms.
Shipping fabric from China: courier, air, LCL or FCL
How to choose between express, air freight, LCL and FCL for fabric, what each costs in time and money, and the packing details that decide the freight bill.
Incoterms for fabric buyers: FOB, CIF, DDP
What each Incoterm actually transfers, where the hidden charges sit, and which one to use for a first fabric order.
Common fabric defects and which ones you can live with
The defects that show up most often in Chinese fabric, how they are caused, and which ones are cuttable versus which ones ruin a roll.
AQL sampling for fabric: how many rolls to inspect
What AQL 2.5 actually means, how to size a sample from a lot, and why the inspection level matters more than the number.
OEKO-TEX, GRS, GOTS: which certificate do you need
What each textile certification covers, who it applies to, and how to check a certificate instead of trusting a logo on a website.
Fabric width and why it changes your cost per garment
Usable width, shrinkage and marker efficiency — how a 10 cm difference in fabric width changes what you actually pay per piece.
Cotton count explained: 20s, 30s, 40s and 60s
What the number after the fibre actually measures, why higher counts cost more, and why thread count is a different number.
Reactive vs pigment dye: colour, fastness and cost
How the two main cotton dye classes differ in brightness, rubbing fastness and hand feel, and which one suits a garment-dyed look.
Mercerized cotton: what the treatment actually does
Why caustic treatment changes lustre, strength and dye uptake, what it costs, and how to check the claim.
Pilling: why it happens and how to test for it
Fibre length, twist and structure decide whether a knit pills. What the test ratings mean and what to put in the spec.
Fabric shrinkage: what causes it and how to control it
Relaxation, swelling and felting explained, with the test methods and the number to put in your purchase order.
The four Chinese fabric markets that matter
Keqiao, Zhongda, Dieshiqiao and Shengze — what each is known for, what you can buy there, and how to visit without wasting a week.
How to compare fabric quotes properly
Unit, width, weight basis, incoterm and what is excluded — the five things that make two quotes incomparable.
Fabric printing methods: screen, rotary, digital and sublimation
How each printing method works, where the setup cost sits, and which one makes sense at your order size.
Colour fastness: the four tests that matter and what the numbers mean
Washing, rubbing, light and perspiration fastness explained, with the ratings to put in a purchase order.
How to read a fabric inspection report
The fields that decide whether a report means anything, and the ones suppliers leave blank.
OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100: what it certifies and what it does not
Product classes, what gets tested, how certificates expire, and how to verify a certificate number properly.
What actually makes up the price of a metre of fabric
Fibre, yarn, weaving, dyeing, finishing and margin — the rough split, and which parts you can negotiate.
From enquiry to bulk: the real timeline of a fabric order
Every stage from quote to loading, with realistic durations and the two steps that cause most delays.
Poplin vs oxford: which shirting fabric to use
Weave, weight, formality and how each behaves after washing — a practical comparison for shirt programmes.
Jersey vs interlock: choosing a knit structure
Stretch, curling, weight and print behaviour — how the two basic knit structures differ for t-shirts and polos.
GRS certification: what it proves and how to check it
Recycled content, chain of custody and transaction certificates — how GRS works and where the claims break down.
GOTS and organic cotton: what the label really means
Organic fibre thresholds, processing criteria and the difference between “organic” and “made with organic”.
EU REACH for textiles: what importers are responsible for
Restricted substances, the SVHC list and the test reports you need before shipping apparel into the EU.
US CPSIA for children’s apparel: the tests you cannot skip
Lead, phthalates, tracking labels and third-party testing for children’s clothing sold in the United States.
Care and fibre labels: what each market requires
EU, US and UK labelling rules for fibre content, origin and care — what must be on the label and what is voluntary.
Viscose vs modal vs lyocell: what changes in the fabric
Three regenerated cellulose fibres compared on strength, shrinkage, hand feel and cost — and why they are not interchangeable.
Recycled polyester: what rPET actually changes
Bottle-to-fibre versus textile-to-textile, quality differences, certification and the claims you can defend.
Twill vs plain weave: strength, drape and print
How the two most common weaves differ in density, surface and cost — and which garments each suits.
Fleece vs French terry: choosing a sweatshirt fabric
Brushed versus looped back, warmth, weight and pilling — how to choose the right structure for hoodies and sweatshirts.
Fabric finishing: what each finish does to the hand and the price
Enzyme wash, peaching, calendering, water repellency and anti-pilling — what they change and what they cost.
Fabric tolerances: how much variation is normal
Weight, width, length and shade tolerances — what to accept, how to measure, and what to write in the PO.
How to judge linen quality beyond the price
Fibre length, spinning, slubs and finishing — what separates a good linen from a cheap one in the hand and after washing.
How fabric agent fees work and what is fair
Commission, markup and retainer models compared, what a good agent includes, and how to spot double-dipping.
Payment terms for fabric orders: T/T, L/C and escrow
How each payment method shifts risk, what it costs, and what to use for a first order versus a repeat.
When bulk fabric fails: how to raise a quality claim
Evidence to collect, timelines to respect, and the remedies that actually get paid.
Private label versus stock fabric: the real trade-offs
Speed, minimums, exclusivity and cash — what you give up when you choose stock instead of a custom quality.
How to negotiate a fabric price without breaking the mill
The levers that actually move a quote, and the ones that only move the quality.
The fabric sourcing calendar: when to order for each season
Spring/summer and autumn/winter production windows, Chinese New Year, and the weeks that decide whether you ship on time.
Sourcing linen shirts from China: what to specify
Weight, washing, shrinkage and MOQ for a linen shirt programme, and the failures that show up after the first wash.
Sourcing hoodies: fabric, weight and print decisions
Fleece weight, rib quality, shrinkage and print method — the four choices that decide whether a hoodie feels premium.