Garment production in India commonly takes 60 to 90 days from approval of the pre-production sample to goods leaving the factory, and the single biggest variable is whether the fabric is already in hand or still to be made. With stock fabric and standard trims, a straightforward style can ship at the short end of that range. With custom fabric from a mill, add a fabric lead time of 30 to 60 days in front, which is why many buyers plan a season around four to five months from order to vessel.
The factory counts its lead time from the pre-production sample, not from your purchase order. Everything before that point is sampling, and the pace of sampling is set as much by the buyer's approvals as by the factory.
The sampling stages before bulk
- Proto sample. Made from available fabric to check the design and construction. Usually one to two weeks, longer if the pattern is complex.
- Fit sample. Made in the correct fabric or a close substitute to confirm measurements against the tech pack. Each round of comments adds a week or more.
- Size set. One garment per size to confirm the grading. Often combined with the fit sample on simple styles.
- Pre-production sample. Made in bulk fabric with bulk trims, washed and finished as the bulk will be. Approval of this sample is the point from which the factory counts its lead time.
Bulk production, stage by stage
- Fabric and trims in-house. Fabric is inspected on arrival and relaxed before cutting, and trims are checked against the approved trim card. Waiting for a late trim is a common reason for a line standing idle.
- Cutting. A few days for a typical order once markers are approved and the fabric has been shade sorted.
- Sewing. The longest stage. Output depends on the number of lines allocated and the complexity of the style, and a plain shirt moves faster than a lined jacket.
- Washing and embellishment. Garment wash, embroidery or printing are usually sent out and add one to two weeks, including transport to and from the job-work house.
- Finishing and packing. Trimming, pressing, tagging and poly-bagging, followed by a packing list checked against the ratio.
- Inspection. An inline inspection during sewing and a final inspection to an agreed AQL once most of the order is packed. Allow a few days for corrections if the final inspection fails.
- Shipment. Container booking and export documentation, then road transit to Mundra, Pipavav, Hazira or Kandla (Deendayal).
What moves the date
Fabric is the first and largest factor. A factory in Ahmedabad working with its own composite mill controls both stages, while a factory in Surat buying fabric from a printer must wait for that printer's queue. Approval speed is second, because every day a fit comment or lab dip sits unanswered pushes the pre-production sample, and therefore the whole plan.
Capacity is third. Factories fill their lines months ahead for peak delivery windows, and an order placed late will be slotted after existing commitments. The Diwali holiday period in October or November also takes a week or more out of most factories' calendars in Gujarat, so orders due in that window need to be planned early.
How we help
We track garment orders stage by stage, from fabric in-house to final inspection, and send a weekly update so a slipping date shows up early rather than at the booking deadline. We sit in on inline and final inspections and supervise container loading. Where the schedule matters we qualify one approved factory plus one backup, and we offer a free 20-minute sourcing review to map your calendar before you place the order.