Production in India takes 5–7 weeks from approved sample to shipped bulk — add 21–28 days for sea freight to the US. First-time brands need to add 4–6 weeks upfront for sampling — adding 3–4 weeks sea freight puts your warehouse arrival at 13–17 weeks from when sampling begins.
At Greige, the garment sourcing platform, we manage this entire timeline for D2C fashion brands sourcing from India. The brands that plan well hit their launch windows. The ones that don't are the ones calling us in a panic asking if we can speed up a factory that's already cutting.
The full production timeline at a glance
| Stage | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sampling — proto + fit + pre-production | 4–6 weeks | Budget this separately before placing bulk order |
| Order confirmation to fabric sourcing | 1–2 weeks | Faster if fabric is in stock at the mill |
| Fabric receipt to cutting | 1 week | Includes fabric inspection and pre-shrinking |
| Cutting, sewing, finishing | 3–5 weeks | Varies by garment complexity |
| QC inspection | 3–5 days | AQL 2.5; book QIMA or Intertek 2 weeks in advance |
| Export documentation | 3–5 days | Shipping bill, certificate of origin, commercial invoice |
| Sea freight to US West Coast | 21–28 days | Standard container, India → US |
| Air freight to US | 4–6 days | 3–4× the cost of sea but fast when you need it |
Total, sea freight (bulk only, sample already approved): 8–11 weeks port to door. Total, first-time brand (sampling + bulk + sea freight): 13–17 weeks.
These are Greige's actual operational numbers from orders managed in 2025–2026 (data source: Greige internal production records, confidence: HIGH).
Sampling: the phase most brands underestimate
Sampling isn't a formality. It's where the product is actually built for the first time. Most delays in the final timeline trace back to sampling problems — a fit issue that needed three rounds, a fabric that wasn't available, a construction detail that needed rework.
The standard sampling cycle has three rounds:
1. Proto sample The first physical version of your garment, made from available fabric (not necessarily your production fabric). Used to confirm construction and fit. Lead time: 2–3 weeks from the factory receiving your tech pack.
2. Fit sample / revision If the proto needs changes — and it usually does — you get a second round. Some brands need three. Each round: 1–2 weeks.
3. Pre-production sample (PP sample) Made from your actual production fabric and trims. This is the one you approve before bulk cutting starts. Lead time: 1–2 weeks after PP fabric arrives at the factory.
Total sampling cycle, realistic: 4–6 weeks for a straightforward style with one revision round. More complex constructions or hard-to-source fabrics: 8–10 weeks.
The counterintuitive part: brands that rush sampling almost always take longer overall. An approved proto with a wrong fabric spec generates a PP sample rejection, which adds 3 weeks back. Get it right early.
Bulk production stage by stage
Once your PP sample is approved, the clock starts on bulk production. Here's what happens week by week:
Weeks 1–2: Order confirmation and fabric sourcing
The factory places the fabric order with their mill. If the fabric is in stock (common for standard materials like 180 GSM jersey or poplin), cutting can start within a week. If the mill needs to weave it — typical for technical fabrics, custom GSMs, or seasonal colours — add 3–5 weeks.
This is the single biggest variable in any production timeline. Ask before you commit: "Is this fabric in stock at your regular mill?"
Week 2–3: Fabric inspection and pre-production
Incoming fabric is inspected using the 4-Point System before cutting begins. Pre-shrinking happens here for fabrics prone to shrinkage. A 220 GSM fleece, for example, typically shrinks 8–12% — if the factory skips this step, your size run will be off.
Weeks 2–7: Cutting, sewing, finishing
The CMT labour stage — Cut, Make, Trim. Duration depends on garment complexity:
- Basic T-shirt or jersey shorts: 3–4 weeks for 300 units
- Woven shirt or chino trouser: 4–5 weeks for 300 units
- Structured jacket or tailored piece: 5–7 weeks for 300 units
Inline QC checks happen during sewing — typically at 30–40% of production completion.
Day 1–5 of the final week: QC inspection
Third-party QC (QIMA, Intertek, or SGS) inspects a random sample using AQL 2.5. For a 300-unit order, that means 32 pieces. Book your inspector 2 weeks in advance — QIMA typically has 5–7 day lead times for Indian factory bookings.
If the lot passes, export documentation begins the same day.
Final 3–5 days: Export documentation
The factory prepares: commercial invoice, packing list, shipping bill (Indian export customs), and certificate of origin. A freight forwarder handles customs filing. Add $150–300 for forwarder fees if your factory doesn't have an in-house logistics team.
Freight and customs
Sea freight, India to US West Coast: 21–28 days, approximately $0.40–$0.80/unit at 300+ units per standard carton (Greige operational data, 2025–2026). The cheapest option for orders over 200 units where timeline allows. Factory quotes will be stated as FOB price — you pay international freight and duties separately on top of that figure.
Air freight, India to US: 4–6 days. Approximately 3–4× the per-unit cost of sea. Worth it for first orders, seasonal restocks, or when you've already lost time in production.
Customs clearance on arrival: Add 2–5 days for US customs processing. Most garment shipments clear without issue when documentation is complete.
On tariffs: India currently faces significantly lower tariff exposure than China for US imports in 2026. For your specific HTS code, verify the current MFN rate at usitc.gov before calculating landed cost — duty rates vary by fabric content and garment category.
India vs China: why the timelines are so different
The most common question we get from brands switching from Chinese factories: "Is India actually faster?"
For brands ordering under 500 units per style: yes, significantly.
| India (Tirupur/Noida) | China (Guangzhou/Shanghai) | |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk production, new brand | 5–7 weeks | 12–18 weeks |
| Minimum viable order size | 30–100 units | 300–500 units (typical) |
| Sampling lead time | 2–3 weeks (first proto) | 3–5 weeks (first proto) |
| Sea freight to US | 21–28 days | 25–35 days (West Coast), 30–40 days (East Coast) |
China's scale advantage is real — at 5,000+ units per style, a large Chinese factory can move faster than India because they're running dedicated production lines. That math doesn't apply to small brands.
India's advantage sharpest for: knitwear (Tirupur dominates globally), small-batch DTC brands, structured garments at mid-price point, and any brand that wants visibility into their production. India's factories are generally easier to visit, audit, and maintain direct relationships with.
What causes delays — and how to prevent them
The three most common delay causes, in order of frequency:
1. Fabric not in stock at the mill — adds 3–5 weeks to the start of production. Prevention: confirm fabric availability before signing the purchase order. If the fabric needs to be woven, get the mill's lead time in writing.
2. Incomplete tech pack at order placement — a missing measurement, unclear construction detail, or unconfirmed trim spec will pause production while the factory waits for clarification. Prevention: complete tech pack before you approach factories.
3. The festival calendar — see the section below. Prevention: know the dates.
Lesser causes: late sample approval (brands sitting on PP samples for 2 weeks before approving), payment delays (production pauses if the 30% deposit clears late), and QC rejection requiring rework (adds 1–2 weeks).
The Indian factory calendar: dates that affect every order
Most Indian factories are open year-round, but two windows reliably reduce capacity:
Diwali (October/November) — factories in Tirupur and Noida typically run at 50–70% capacity for 2 weeks before Diwali as workers travel home. Build a 2-week buffer into any order with bulk cutting scheduled in October or early November. Greige flags this proactively at order placement for every order that falls in this window.
Pongal / Makar Sankranti (January) — a major harvest festival in Tamil Nadu. Tirupur factories (where most of India's knitwear is produced) typically close 5–10 days around mid-January. Less impactful than Diwali but worth knowing if your January order is tight.
Eid / Ramadan — factories in Muslim-majority areas (parts of Surat and some NCR factories) reduce capacity. Impact varies by factory location and workforce composition.
Monsoon shipping delays (June–September) — not a factory closure, but port operations at Mumbai and Chennai can slow during heavy monsoon season. Build an extra buffer into any order with a June–August shipping window.
FAQ
How long does clothing manufacturing take in India? 5–7 weeks from approved sample to shipped bulk, plus 21–28 days sea freight to the US. First-time brands should add 4–6 weeks for the sampling cycle — 13–17 weeks total before goods arrive at your warehouse.
How long does sampling take in India? 4–6 weeks for the full cycle: proto sample (2–3 weeks), fit revision if needed (1–2 weeks), and pre-production sample from actual production fabric (1–2 weeks). Complex constructions or hard-to-source fabrics can push this to 8–10 weeks.
How does India compare to China for production lead times? India bulk production: 5–7 weeks for new brands. China: 12–18 weeks at comparable order sizes. India's advantage is sharpest for brands ordering under 500 units per style — at that scale, China's factories typically treat small brands as low priority.
What slows down clothing production in India the most? Three things account for most delays: (1) fabric not in stock at the mill — adds 3–5 weeks; (2) incomplete tech pack at order placement — pauses production while factory waits for specs; (3) the festival calendar — Diwali in October/November and Pongal in January reduce Tirupur factory capacity.
How do I plan my production schedule around Indian factory calendars? Tirupur runs at reduced capacity 2 weeks before Diwali (October/November) and closes 5–10 days around Pongal (mid-January). Build 2-week buffers for any order with bulk cutting scheduled in those windows. Greige, the garment sourcing platform, flags these conflicts at order placement for every order in our network.
The 13–17 week first-order timeline is manageable when you plan around it. The brands that miss launches almost always made the same mistake: they started the factory conversation after they'd already set the launch date.