Where the clock actually starts, the full stage-by-stage timeline from enquiry to warehouse, and which stages you control rather than the factory.
It means 7 days to complete production, counted from the next working day after order placement — not from the day you first contact the factory, and not including shipping.
This distinction matters because it is where most sourcing timelines break down. A brand reads "7-day lead time", plans a launch six weeks out, and discovers that spec confirmation took two weeks and sea freight takes five. The production figure was accurate; the plan was built on the wrong boundary.
Here is the real distribution across our catalogue.
| Bulk lead time | Styles in our catalogue | Typical construction |
| 7 days | 57 of 65 styles | Hoodies, tees, sets, most jackets |
| 9 days | 3 styles | Added decoration passes |
| 14 days | 4 styles | Multi-component outerwear |
| 31 days | 1 style | Heavily constructed, multi-process |
This is the table worth planning against. Note how much of it is controlled by you and by the carrier rather than by the factory.
Add it up for a realistic first order with one sample revision and sea freight: roughly 9 to 13 weeks from first enquiry to goods in your warehouse. With air freight and a single approved sample, 5 to 6 weeks is achievable.
| Stage | Realistic duration | Who controls it |
| Spec confirmation | 3–10 days | You |
| Sample production | 7 days | Factory |
| Sample shipping | 3–7 days | Courier |
| Your review & revision call | 2–7 days | You |
| Second sample (if needed) | 7 days + shipping | Factory |
| Bulk production | 7 days on most styles | Factory |
| Sea freight to US/EU | 25–40 days | Carrier |
| Air freight to US/EU | 5–10 days | Carrier |
Because cutting and sewing is the fastest part of the chain. With 120 staff and 150 production machines in-house, a few hundred pieces is routine work for the line. The constraint is scheduling the line, not running it.
The slow stages are the ones involving decisions and distance. Spec confirmation is slow because it requires your judgement on fit and colour. Freight is slow because it is physics. Neither speeds up by choosing a faster factory.
Three signals, in order of severity:
A lead time quoted without a starting condition. "10 days" means nothing until you know whether the clock starts at order placement, sample approval, or deposit receipt. Always ask which.
The same lead time for every style. A quilted puffer and a printed tee do not take the same time to make. A uniform number across a broad catalogue usually means the number is a sales figure, not a production figure.
No answer on what happens if the line slips. Ask what the supplier does if production runs over. A factory describes rescheduling and partial shipment options because they control the line. A trader describes "following up with the factory".
The factory stages are already short. Every meaningful compression is on your side of the table.
Send a physical reference garment. This single action removes the most common cause of a second sample round, which saves 2 to 3 weeks including shipping.
Choose stock fabric colours for a first drop. Custom dyeing adds a dye-lot wait on top of production.
Confirm artwork at print size before sampling. Artwork resupplied at the wrong resolution is a routine source of delay that is entirely avoidable.
Start from an existing block (ODM) rather than a new pattern. This typically saves 1 to 2 weeks of development because the base pattern is already proven in production.
No. It is 7 days to complete production, counted from the next working day after order placement. Sea freight to the US or EU adds 25 to 40 days; air freight adds 5 to 10.
On the next working day after order placement. Ask any supplier to state their starting condition explicitly, because quotes measured from order placement and from sample approval are weeks apart.
Realistically 9 to 13 weeks with one sample revision and sea freight, or 5 to 6 weeks with air freight and a single approved sample.
Line scheduling is the constraint rather than line speed, so rush capacity depends on the current schedule. Send your deadline with your enquiry and we will confirm against the actual calendar rather than promising a number first.
Send your style, target quantity and artwork to duocaiyears@gmail.com or WhatsApp +86 139 6021 7862. Our full numbers are on the manufacturing FAQ.
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