Buyer Guides
Guides for Home Textile Buyers
Everything a buyer has to decide before placing an order: how to specify cloth, what goes in a tech pack, how colour approval works, which incoterm to choose and what the timelines really are. Written by the people who make the goods, in Gurugram.
Latest
Trading House or Direct with the Mill: What Changes for the Buyer
How buying direct from a manufacturer differs from working through a trading house: what changes for price, control, lead time and risk.
Bed Linen Sizes by Market: UK, US, EU and Australia
How bed linen sizes differ across the UK, US, EU and Australia, and what a buyer must decide about sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases before ordering.
Cotton for Bed Linen: Staple Length and Why It Matters
Staple length is the single biggest driver of how a cotton sheet feels, wears and pills. Here is what the bands mean and when longer fibre is worth paying for.
FOB, CIF or EXW: Which Incoterm Should a First-Time Importer Choose?
FOB, CIF and EXW compared for a first-time home textile importer: who pays each freight leg, where risk passes, and which incoterm to choose.
How Colour Matching Works: Pantone TCX, Lab Dips and Approvals
Colour matching in textiles runs through Pantone TCX references, lab dips and strike-offs. Here is how the approval process works and what a buyer checks.
How Long Does It Take to Get Bed Linen Made? Sampling to Container
A stage by stage timeline for making bed linen, from first inquiry through sampling and approval to bulk production and the loaded container.
Sourcing
Trading House or Direct with the Mill: What Changes for the Buyer
How buying direct from a manufacturer differs from working through a trading house: what changes for price, control, lead time and risk.
Private Label, White Label and OEM in Home Textiles: What the Terms Actually Mean
A trade buyer's guide to private label, white label and OEM in home textiles, and how each term changes what you own, control and pay for.
Fabrics
Cotton for Bed Linen: Staple Length and Why It Matters
Staple length is the single biggest driver of how a cotton sheet feels, wears and pills. Here is what the bands mean and when longer fibre is worth paying for.
How to Choose Fabric for a Bedding Line: Linen, Cotton, Linen-Cotton and Tencel
Choosing fabric for a bedding line means weighing linen, cotton, linen-cotton and tencel against cost, handle, minimums and the market you sell into.
Linen-Cotton Blends: What Each Ratio Actually Changes
A linen-cotton blend ratio changes handle, crease, drape and cost. Here is what shifts as you move from mostly cotton to mostly linen in bedding.
Tencel and Lyocell for Bedding: What a Buyer Should Know
Tencel is a branded lyocell fibre prized for fluid drape and a cool, silky hand. Here is what a bedding buyer should confirm before specifying it.
Tencel-Linen Blends: Where the Combination Makes Sense
A tencel-linen blend pairs linen's structure with lyocell's fluid, soft hand. Here is where the combination earns its place in a bedding range.
Where Linen Yarn Comes From, and Why Origin Changes the Cloth
Linen yarn comes from flax, and where that flax is grown, often European flax from the north, shapes the fibre length and slub in the cloth.
Why Linen Costs More to Weave Than Cotton
Linen costs more to weave than cotton because flax is harder to spin, breaks more on the loom and runs slower, with a longer, more manual fibre chain.
Construction & Specification
How to Specify Bed Linen Cloth: GSM, Thread Count and Yarn Count
GSM, thread count and yarn count each measure something different in bed linen cloth. Here is what each tells a buyer and how to specify them well.
Knitted Throws: Constructions, Sizes and What to Specify
What to specify when ordering knitted throws: cable, fair isle and intarsia constructions, standard sizes, and the yarn and finish a manufacturer needs.
Loom Width and Why Seamless Wide Bedding Is Not Universal
Wide looms let bed linen be woven without a centre seam, but not every mill runs them. Here is which bedding needs a wide loom, and when a seam is fine.
Matelassé, Jacquard and Quilted: What Is the Difference?
Matelassé, jacquard and quilting build pattern and texture into cloth in three different ways. Here is what separates them and when to choose each.
Shipping & Terms
FOB, CIF or EXW: Which Incoterm Should a First-Time Importer Choose?
FOB, CIF and EXW compared for a first-time home textile importer: who pays each freight leg, where risk passes, and which incoterm to choose.
Product Development
Bed Linen Sizes by Market: UK, US, EU and Australia
How bed linen sizes differ across the UK, US, EU and Australia, and what a buyer must decide about sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases before ordering.
How Colour Matching Works: Pantone TCX, Lab Dips and Approvals
Colour matching in textiles runs through Pantone TCX references, lab dips and strike-offs. Here is how the approval process works and what a buyer checks.
How Long Does It Take to Get Bed Linen Made? Sampling to Container
A stage by stage timeline for making bed linen, from first inquiry through sampling and approval to bulk production and the loaded container.
How to Write a Tech Pack for Bed Linen
What a bed linen tech pack must contain, from measurements and tolerances to colour, construction and packing, so a supplier can sample it right first time.
Have a question these guides do not answer?
Send us the brief, the tech pack or the reference sample. We will come back to you within 1 to 2 business days.