"How long will it take?" is one of the first questions every fabric buyer asks. The honest answer depends on which of three routes your order follows: stock colours, custom dyeing or new development. Each has a very different timeline. This guide explains the three routes using our own standard lead times, and shows how to plan backwards from your garment delivery date.
Three routes, three timelines
| Route | What it means | Fabric lead time | MOQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock colours | Fabric already woven and dyed, held in our warehouse | Ships in 3–5 days after payment | 1 roll per colour (approximately 50 m) |
| Custom dyeing | An existing quality dyed to your colour | 15–20 days (Lyocell Linen 133 GSM: 18–22 days) | 800 m per colour |
| New development | A new construction, weight or finish | 30–40 days after sample approval | 2,000 m per quality |
Lead times count from payment or approval to fabric being ready to ship. Transit time is separate and depends on destination and shipping method.
Stock colours: the fastest route
If one of our stock colours works for your design, this is by far the quickest option. We keep 100% linen and lyocell-linen greige year-round, and each quality is held in 8–16 stock colours with 300–1,000 m per colour. Stock fabric is ideal for first orders, small capsule collections and urgent repeats. For a full comparison of stock and custom orders, see stock vs custom linen fabric orders.
Custom dyeing: add time for colour approval
Custom dyeing starts with a lab dip. We produce lab dips from your swatch or Pantone reference in 5–7 days. Once you approve the shade, bulk dyeing takes 15–20 days (18–22 days for Lyocell Linen 133 GSM). In practice, allow for at least one round of lab dip approval before the bulk clock starts. Courier time for sending lab dips to you also adds to the schedule.
New development: the longest route
New development covers changes to construction, weight or finish. We can adjust fabric weight within ±15% and offer finishes such as enzyme wash, silicone softening, anti-wrinkle finishing and printing. Bulk production takes 30–40 days after sample approval, and the sampling stage itself comes before that, so start development conversations well ahead of your season.
Peak season: March to May
March to May is the busiest period for linen mills, as brands produce for summer. During these months, please allow an extra 5–7 days on top of the standard lead times.
Plan backwards from your delivery date
A simple way to set your fabric order date:
- Start from the date your garment factory needs the fabric.
- Subtract transit time (confirmed with your quotation for your destination).
- Subtract the fabric lead time for your route.
- For custom dyeing, subtract lab dip time (5–7 days) plus courier and your approval time.
- From March to May, subtract another 5–7 days.
Before confirming bulk, run through our sample-to-bulk approval checklist.
Fabrics to start with
- Pure Linen 148 GSM: our core pure linen for shirts and dresses.
- Lyocell Linen 133 GSM: 16 stock colours, with Ecru, Oatmeal, Mist Blue and Olive available year-round.