Wholesale silk fabric from China: how a bulk order actually runs
Nine standing constructions from local mills in Yizhou, dyed to order on either a standard shade card or a custom match, shipped FOB or FCA with inspection records. This page sets out the seven steps from enquiry to container, and the terms we quote. It also covers the questions that decide whether two quotations are comparable.
Nine constructions
Raw silk yarn, greige, dupioni, satin, jacquard, georgette, habotai, stretch satin and silk blends — each with its own specification page.
Two colour routes
A standard shade card, or a custom match to your sample or reference. Greige is also supplied undyed for buyers with their own dyehouse.
FOB or FCA
Nansha, Yantian and Qinzhou for FOB; FCA Yizhou preferred, so the inland leg stays visible in your landed cost.
Four terms a bulk order turns on
MOQ is the minimum order quantity a mill will run for a given construction and colour. It changes with the dye route rather than staying fixed per fabric. Lab dip is the small dyed sample approved before bulk, and once signed it becomes the reference for inspection. FOB is Free On Board: the seller clears export and loads the goods, and risk passes at the ship’s rail (International Chamber of Commerce, 2020). FCA is Free Carrier, where the seller hands the goods to your forwarder earlier. That is why we prefer it for inland dispatch from Yizhou.
For example, two quotes for the same dupioni can differ by a wide margin. One is FOB Nansha and the other is FCA Yizhou, with the inland trucking excluded. Grade adds a second variable. A 5A bale and a 6A bale are graded on the yarn under GB/T 1797-2008, not on the finished cloth. The grade in a quotation therefore describes the raw material rather than the fabric you receive.
For example, a mill can hold 140 cm on one construction and only 114 cm on another. So a cutting marker planned on the wider figure will not fit the narrower roll. Confirm width and momme together in the written quotation.
What we supply wholesale
Nine categories, each with its own specification page. Colour is quoted per order. The table states the route rather than a price, because the same cloth has different economics depending on whether your colour is on the card.
| Product | Specification | Colour route |
|---|---|---|
| Mulberry raw silk yarn | 20/22D, dupion, luxury, GOTS organic; 4A–6A | Natural white, or dyed |
| Greige silk fabric | Undyed, momme follows the base weave | Greige — buyer finishes |
| Dupioni | 16 and 19 momme standard; up to 21–22 on request | Shade card or custom match |
| Satin | 10–30 momme | Shade card or custom match |
| Jacquard Luo | Motif woven in; custom pattern development | Yarn-dyed or piece-dyed |
| Georgette | 8–16 momme | Shade card or custom match |
| Habotai | 5–12 momme | Shade card or custom match |
| Silk stretch satin | 14–28 momme with elastane | Shade card or custom match |
| Silk blend | Silk–cotton, silk–linen | Shade card or custom match |
Seven steps from enquiry to container
01
Enquiry and specification
Send the garment or end use, the construction you have in mind, quantity, target market and any test requirements. If you only know the garment, say so — matching a construction to a silhouette is the part we are better at than a price list is.
02
Construction matching
We come back with the weave, the momme band measured on finished cloth, the width, and an honest note on what will not work at your quantity. This is where most orders are actually saved — a construction that cannot hold your seam is cheaper to reject now than after bulk.
03
Sampling
Mini fabric samples are supplied without a material charge once availability is confirmed; the buyer bears courier, customs and related international shipping costs. Full-size fabric and finished garments are chargeable. Any sample-fee credit against a later bulk order applies only when stated in the written quotation.
04
Quotation
The quotation states grade, momme measured on the finished side, width, colour route, quantity, unit price, lead-time estimate and the trade term. If any of those is missing, ask — a quotation without a width or a momme basis is not comparable to another supplier's.
05
Colour approval
Two routes: a standard shade from the colour card, or a custom match to a submitted sample or reference. Custom matching needs an approved lab dip before bulk. The approved dip is what QC checks against, not the original reference.
06
Bulk production and QC
15–25 working days is a planning estimate for eligible regular bulk orders, counted after sample, specification, deposit and material availability are confirmed. Inspection runs in four stages from raw material to pre-shipping final audit, with records prepared for buyer review.
07
Shipping and documents
FOB Nansha, Yantian or Qinzhou, or FCA Yizhou, which is our preferred term because it keeps the inland leg visible. Export documentation, packing list and inspection records travel with the shipment.
Certifications, and what we will not display
The certificates behind these claims are held by the local mills, not by us, so the verifiable artefact is the number — not a badge on a website. We provide numbers on quotation and you can check them with the issuing body.
| OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 (Class II) | Held by the local mill. Certificate number provided on quotation. |
|---|---|
| GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) | Held by the local mill. License number and validity provided on quotation. |
| GOTS-certified organic silk | Certified organic in full; license number and validity provided on quotation. |
| China Organic | Available for qualified buyer review within the document's listed scope. |
| Destination-market compliance | California Prop 65, EU textile-safety and other market requirements reviewed against product-specific test reports and confirmed in writing before order approval. |
Terms we quote
| Sample shipping | DHL worldwide or designated courier |
|---|---|
| Bulk shipping | FOB Nansha / FOB Yantian / FOB Qinzhou / FCA Yizhou (preferred) |
| Payment | T/T, 30 percent deposit, balance against B/L |
| Lead time | 15–25 working days planning estimate for eligible regular bulk orders, after sample, specification, deposit and material availability are confirmed. |
| Binding schedule | Stated in the signed order documents. |
Full terms, including inspection scope and claims handling, are on the trade terms page.
Why a couture house quotes your fabric
Most wholesale silk is quoted by a trading desk that never cuts the cloth. We quote fabric we also cut in the atelier, which changes what gets flagged. A cloth that passes a test report can still photograph grey under flash. It can crease at the hip after twenty minutes of sitting, or lose its edge on a bias seam. Those are the failures that cost a production run. A clean inspection sheet does not capture any of them.
It also changes what we refuse. We will tell you when a construction your brief calls for cannot hold at your quantity. We would rather say so than let the sample stage discover the problem. That conversation is cheaper for both of us.
The supply base is a reeling district, not a trading platform. Yizhou reels 5,463 tonnes of raw silk a year. It has held first place among Chinese counties for sericulture scale for twenty consecutive years (Yizhou District Government, 2023). That is why a repeat order next season is a scheduling question rather than a sourcing one.
Wholesale questions
What is the minimum order for wholesale silk fabric?
There is no universal fixed minimum. Small trial rolls, custom widths and samples may be available subject to material, mill and schedule review. The final minimum depends on the construction, the width and whether the colour is a standard shade or a custom match. It is confirmed in the written quotation rather than published as a single number.
Do you supply free samples?
Mini fabric samples can be supplied without a material charge once availability is confirmed. The buyer bears all courier, customs and related international shipping costs, usually by DHL or a designated courier. Full-size silk fabrics and finished apparel are chargeable. Any sample fee credit against a later bulk order applies only when it is stated in the quotation or pro forma invoice.
Can you dye silk fabric to a custom colour?
Yes, on both tracks — standard shade card colours and custom matching to a submitted sample or specified reference. Custom work requires an approved lab dip before bulk, and the approved dip becomes the reference for inspection. Greige fabric is also supplied undyed for buyers running their own dyehouse. Colour is what we quote for; surface effects beyond dyeing are a separate conversation and we will say plainly whether they are available.
Are you a manufacturer or a trading company?
We work with local mills in Yizhou, and we are a couture house with its own design and production standard. In practice that means the cloth we quote is the cloth we cut. The specification is written by people who see it on a fitting model, not only on a test report. Our export and sourcing operations run through Beijing Qingshanyimu Trading Co., Ltd.
How long does bulk production take?
15–25 working days is a planning estimate for eligible regular bulk orders. The clock starts once the sample, specification, deposit and material availability are all confirmed — not at the date of enquiry. Custom weaving, custom colour matching and jacquard pattern development each add their own lead time. The binding schedule is the one in the signed order documents.
Do you supply OEKO-TEX or GOTS certified silk?
Yes, and the certificates are held by the local mill rather than issued to us. We provide the certificate number and validity on quotation so you can verify them with the issuing body. We do not display certificate numbers on this website, because a badge you cannot check is worse than no badge.
Can you develop a custom weave, width or pattern?
Custom width and custom pattern development are available where the weave allows. Jacquard pattern development is part of the jacquard programme. What we will not do is accept a spec the mill cannot hold at your quantity. Better to say so at the sampling stage than to ship a roll that fails your cutting room.
What are your shipping terms?
Bulk orders ship FOB Nansha, Yantian or Qinzhou, or FCA Yizhou, which is our preferred term. Payment is a 30 percent deposit by T/T, with the balance against the bill of lading. Samples usually move by DHL worldwide or a designated courier.
Continue through the sourcing guides
Silk fabric types
22 constructions, and which nine we hold as standing products.
Open guide →Yizhou raw silk
The origin behind the supply, with the official figures.
Open guide →The momme guide
Why a greige figure overstates the weight you receive.
Open guide →Price guide
Six factors that move the price per metre, and how to compare quotes.
Open guide →Start with the garment, not the price
Send the end use, quantity, destination market and any test requirements. You will get a specification, a sample list and a quotation that states its momme basis and width. That way it can be compared honestly against anyone else’s.
Sources and method
Methodology: incoterm definitions follow the ICC's published rules and are not reworded into something looser. Grade statements follow GB/T 1797-2008, which grades the yarn rather than the finished cloth. So a quotation that names a grade is describing the raw material. Colour routes, sample policy and payment terms are the atelier's own commercial terms and are stated as such. Where a figure would depend on a specific mill or season. The page says it is confirmed on the quotation instead of publishing a number.
- International Chamber of Commerce: Incoterms 2020 rules (2020). The definitions of FOB and FCA used on this page, and the point at which risk and cost transfer under each.
- Standardization Administration of China: GB/T 1797-2008 生丝 (Raw silk) (2008). The grading basis quoted when a bulk order specifies raw silk grade alongside fabric weight.
- Yizhou District Government: Yizhou district profile (2023). The reeling and processing base behind the local mills named on this page.
Reviewed by the Christopher Bu editorial team. Corrections and sourcing queries go to the B2B team, and the editorial standard is the same one used on the about page.