How to Order Custom Upholstery Fabric from China
A first custom upholstery order from China should start as a complete RFQ packet, not a one-line request for factory price. Write the end use, target composition, GSM, width, backing, finish, and color method before you ask for a quote. Then open Haida's custom warp-knit page and send those fields through Request With WhatsApp.
How should a first custom fabric inquiry be written?
Importers lose weeks when the first message names only a fabric family. Velvet, chenille, and jacquard are starting labels, not a build sheet. A sofa factory in another country still has to cut, sew, and warranty the cover, so the mill needs the same facts the factory will later print on a purchase order.
Put the application in the first sentence: residential sofa, hospitality seating, outdoor cushion, or a mixed program. Then add the construction targets you already know. If a target is unknown, say so instead of guessing a number. Unknown GSM is easier to resolve on a sample than a guessed GSM that fails handfeel later.
| RFQ field | Why the mill needs it | Safe first input |
|---|---|---|
| Application | Sets abrasion, stain, and backing questions | Sofa, chair, cushion, or outdoor seat |
| Composition target | Locks yarn family before dyeing or coating | Known blend or ask for a mill proposal |
| GSM and width | Controls handfeel and cutting yield | Range plus usable-width note |
| Backing or coat | Changes sewability and stain behavior | None, fleece, or PE coat if already specified |
| Color method | Decides lab dip versus bulk lot risk | Pantone, existing swatch, or photo with a disclaimer |
| Sample quantity | Sets courier and cutting effort | Swatch, hanger, or one-seat trial |
Which Haida page should own the custom order?
The commercial owner for custom warp-knit work is the custom capability page, not this article and not the educational warp-knit guide. Use custom warp-knit fabric for OEM scope and request quote when you want the RFQ form language. If the program is a velvet sofa cover, also name the velvet upholstery collection so the reply can stay inside a real product family.
Do not title the inquiry as a search for a generic manufacturer ranking. That head term belongs on factory or home surfaces. This guide only prepares the packet that a custom page can answer. If you still need construction literacy, read the existing warp-knit explainer after the RFQ fields are listed, not before.
What happens after Request With WhatsApp?
The approved next step is Request With WhatsApp. Paste the checklist, attach a photo or swatch reference, and state whether you need a hanger sample or a one-seat trial. Haida can then confirm which items are in range and which items need merchant confirmation, such as category MOQ or a certificate number.
Expect a scoping reply, not an instant bulk price. Public pages do not publish a universal MOQ or lead time, and this article will not invent one. If your buying committee requires a number before sampling, ask for that number on the same WhatsApp thread and treat the answer as category-specific until it is written on a quotation.
Color is the usual second loop. A photo is a direction, not a lab dip. If the sofa collection has a locked brand color, say that a lab dip is required. If the collection is still exploring, ask for nearest running colors first so you do not pay for a dip you will abandon.
When is a custom order the wrong first move?
Custom development is a poor first move when you only need a quick look at handfeel. In that case ask for a running-quality swatch from a close collection, then decide whether a custom GSM or backing is worth a development path. Custom is the right first move when the sofa line needs a locked width, a private color, or a backing that retail leftovers cannot provide.
Hospitality and outdoor programs should say so early. Those uses change the questions around stain, wet abrasion, and sunlight, and they should not hide inside a residential sofa label. The mill can still support mixed brands, but the sample plan changes.
Keep one owner for the commercial next step. If two people on the buying side send two different WhatsApp threads, the mill will answer two incomplete packets. Name one contact, one application, and one sample quantity. If a designer and a purchaser both need copies, let them share the same thread rather than opening a second story.
Send the packet through Request With WhatsApp when the six RFQ fields are filled or honestly marked unknown. That is the conversion close for this guide: a complete first message, not a finished purchase order.
