Apparel & clothing sourcing — find a verified clothing manufacturer in China
From blank tees to technical outerwear, we source apparel from verified factories, run independent AQL 2.5 inspections, and show you the true FOB price — no hidden trading-company markup.
To source apparel from a clothing manufacturer in China, work with a managed sourcing agent that verifies real factories, negotiates the true FOB price, and inspects to AQL 2.5 — instead of a trading company that hides the factory behind a markup. Expect per-style MOQs from a few hundred pieces (higher for custom fabric), roughly 45–75 days to produce, and 18–40 days sea freight. Trade Entrust sources across 500+ verified factories with a transparent commission and live tracking in our ImportOS.ai portal.
Apparel categories we regularly source
Blank, printed, embroidered, or full custom OEM/ODM — across the categories buyers ask for most.
Knitwear & jersey basics
T-shirts, polos, hoodies, sweatshirts in cotton, cotton/poly blends, and combed ring-spun jersey.
Woven tops & shirts
Button-downs, blouses, and workwear shirts in poplin, twill, oxford, and flannel.
Outerwear & jackets
Padded, softshell, and windbreaker styles with taped seams and coated shells.
Activewear & athleisure
Leggings, joggers, and performance tops in recycled poly, spandex blends, and moisture-wicking knits.
Denim & bottoms
Jeans, chinos, and shorts with washing, distressing, and hardware.
Knits & sweaters
Flat-knit and jacquard sweaters in acrylic, cotton, and wool blends.
Kidswear & baby
Age-graded apparel where fibre content, small parts, and drawcord safety are checked closely.
Accessories & headwear
Caps, beanies, socks, and tote bags to round out an apparel program.
Apparel is one of 12+ industries we cover. See the full range on our industries overview, or read how we run OEM manufacturing in China.
The certs and materials that actually matter
What you specify here decides both your compliance and your true cost. We're straight about what's verifiable and what isn't.
Certifications to consider
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100 for restricted substances
- Fibre-content and care-labelling compliance for your market
- Flammability standards for sleepwear and children's wear
- Small-parts, drawcord, and choking-hazard safety for kidswear
- Third-party lab testing where a retailer or regulator requires it
We coordinate accredited labs and flag honestly when a supplied certificate can't be verified.
Materials that drive cost & quality
- Fibre content and GSM — heavier knits and combed cotton cost more
- Fabric type: stock mill fabric vs dyed-to-match custom runs
- Trims and hardware: zippers, buttons, drawcords, woven labels
- Decoration: screen print, DTG, embroidery, sublimation
- Finishing: garment wash, enzyme wash, and distressing
Custom fabric unlocks better quality but raises MOQ and lead time — we'll tell you when stock fabric is the smarter call.
QC, MOQ, lead time & freight
Real ranges, hedged honestly — your actual numbers depend on style, fabric, and season.
Quality control
Independent inspection to AQL 2.5 for majors: measurements, stitching, shade consistency, print/embroidery placement, labelling, and packing — with pre-production and inline samples.
MOQ
Per-style MOQs from ~300–500 pieces on simple knits, rising to 1,000–3,000+ for custom fabric. Our engagement minimum is $10,000 FOB, which you can split across styles.
Lead time
Roughly 45–75 days from approved sample to goods ready — 7–15 days sampling plus 30–45 days bulk, longer for made-to-order fabric or around Chinese New Year.
Freight
Sea freight ~18–30 days to US west coast and ~30–40 days to Europe or US east coast; air freight lands in days at higher cost. We help you weigh speed against margin.
Apparel sourcing from China — FAQ
Source your apparel from a verified factory
Send us your tech pack or a reference sample and target quantity. We'll match verified factories, quote the true FOB price and our transparent commission, and build in AQL 2.5 QC — usually within 24 hours.
Get a sourcing quote