Greige is fabric as it comes off the loom, unbleached and still carrying size and natural wax. RFD, or ready for dyeing, is greige that has been desized, scoured and bleached so it takes dye evenly, and finished fabric has been dyed or printed and given its final finish, ready to cut. Each stage is a different product with a different seller, a different price basis and a different set of tests. A buyer who knows which stage to buy at can save money or avoid risk.
In India the stages are often split between companies. Weavers in Saurashtra and parts of Surat sell greige. Processing houses in Ahmedabad and Surat buy greige, process it and sell RFD or finished cloth. A composite mill does all three under one roof.
What each stage is
- Greige (loomstate). Woven but unprocessed. Yellowish or off-white, stiff from the sizing on the warp, and wider and heavier than the finished cloth because it has not yet shrunk in wet processing. Sold by weavers and traders, usually by the metre at a stated construction and greige width.
- RFD (ready for dyeing). Greige that has been desized, scoured and bleached, and often mercerised. White, clean and absorbent. Sold by processing houses and composite mills to dyers, printers and garment makers who colour their own cloth, and used as the base for white goods.
- Finished. RFD that has been dyed or printed, then finished on a stenter with softeners, resins or other treatments, and often sanforised to control shrinkage. Sold by processing houses, composite mills and converters, ready for cutting.
Who holds stock and where the risk sits
Greige is the most liquid stage. Weavers and traders hold stock of standard constructions, so a buyer who processes elsewhere can usually buy greige faster than finished cloth and can choose the processor. The risk is that greige quality decides most of finished quality, and greige faults are hard to see until after bleaching.
RFD stock is held by processing houses and some larger traders in standard constructions. It is the right stage for a buyer who prints or dyes in their own country, or who wants to keep shade decisions late. Finished fabric is normally made to order, with lead times typically 45 to 75 days from approved lab dip, and stock is limited to a mill's own running lines. Buying finished puts the whole chain on one supplier, which simplifies claims but reduces control.
What you can test at each stage
At greige you can test construction (ends and picks), yarn count, greige weight and width, tensile strength and visible weaving defects. You cannot test shade, finished shrinkage or colourfastness. Greige inspection under the four-point system is worthwhile because weaving faults carry through to every later stage.
At RFD you can test whiteness, absorbency, residual starch, pH and any damage from over-bleaching, as well as construction after wet processing. At finished you test everything in the spec: GSM, finished width, shrinkage, colourfastness, shade against the standard, skew and the defect count. A sample from each stage, sealed and sent to an NABL-accredited lab, tells you where a problem entered the chain.
Choosing the stage to buy at
Buy greige when you have your own processing, or a processor you trust, and want control over shade and finish. Buy RFD when you dye or print yourself and want to skip the weaving risk. Buy finished when you want one supplier responsible for the whole result and have a spec and an inspection plan to hold them to it. The processing charge between greige and finished is usually a larger share of the total than buyers expect, so ask for the price at each stage before deciding.
We buy at whichever stage suits your plan and inspect at the handover between stages, where faults are usually introduced. Sealed samples from greige, RFD and finished go to an NABL-accredited lab so a claim can be placed with the right party. If you are deciding which stage to buy at, we offer a free 20-minute sourcing review.