Something that has to happen this month
- A metre to test before you commit to a minimum
- A top-up when a shipment has come up short on one colour
- A small run for a sample range or a local customer
- A colour you can take as it stands on the roll
Spot and small lots
A supplementary channel, not a catalogue
Spot exists for three jobs: a trial before you commit, an urgent top-up when a line is short, and a small run that does not justify a custom minimum. It is not the main offer, and it is not a stock list.
The honest position
What spot is, and what it is not
Read these four lines before you ask. They decide whether spot can help you at all.
- From 1 metre per colour
- Spot is cut from what is already in the warehouse, so you can take a single metre of a colour to test, or a small run to top up a line.
- Subject to stock at the time of inquiry
- Availability is confirmed against the actual rolls when you ask; we do not reserve against a list. Stock is held in three forms and we tell you which one a colour is: regular stock lines, limited batch stock from an earlier run, and clearance lots, which are marked as such.
- Price basis
- Spot usually carries the cost of small handling and of holding the cloth, so it is normally priced above custom production. The figure is quoted per article against the roll actually available — it is not a blanket rule, and it is not a cheaper route to the same fabric.
- What it is for
- Sampling, trials, an urgent top-up and short add-on runs. Spot is a supplementary channel, not the main offer.
- Not a long-term supply
- Spot is not a commitment of continuous availability. If an article has to run for a season, it belongs on a custom order, where stock, colours, minimum, price and replenishment are confirmed per article.
We do not publish a spot stock list, because it would be out of date the week it was written. We also do not publish article codes for stock we are not holding. Tell us what you need and we check the warehouse.
Availability, minimum and lead time for any spot requirement are confirmed per order, subject to confirmation at the time of inquiry.
When to use which
When spot makes sense, and when custom does
The deciding question is not price. It is whether the fabric has to exist again in the same form.
Something that has to repeat
- A shade that must match your card or your buyer’s standard
- A programme that will run again next season
- A quantity where the unit price decides the order
- An article that has to be documented to the buyer’s certification requirement
Side by side
Spot against custom production
The same five questions, answered twice. Numbers are usual values and are confirmed per order, subject to confirmation.
| Question | Spot and small lots | Custom production |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | From 1 m per colour, subject to stock | Yarn-dyed woven usually 2,000–3,000 m; TR usually 2,000 m; knit usually 500 kg |
| Price basis | Quoted on the roll actually available; normally above custom production price | Quoted on the article, quantity and finish for your order |
| Colour choice | Whatever is left on the roll, subject to stock | Colour developed to your card through lab dip or handloom |
| Lead time | Cutting usually 5 working days, then shipment | Production and shipment stated per order |
| Best use | Trials, urgent top-ups, small runs and short add-on orders | Regular programmes, private-label ranges and anything that has to repeat |
Every minimum, lead time and availability figure above is a usual value and is confirmed per order, subject to confirmation.
If spot does not fit
When to open a custom order instead
Part of the job is telling you that spot is the wrong route for what you have described.
- A named colour
- If the shade has to match your card or your buyer’s standard, it is developed for you. Spot cannot be matched on request.
- A repeating programme
- If the same article has to arrive again next season, put it on a custom order so the construction and the finish stay where they are.
- A better unit price
- Volume on a custom order carries a price that spot small handling cannot reach.
- A certification requirement
- Where the buyer needs the article documented to their standard, the order is placed as a custom run. Certification is completed to your buyer’s requirement.
Next step
If it has to repeat, it belongs on a custom order
Tell us the article, the quantity and the colour. We will say plainly whether spot can carry it or whether a custom run is the right route.
Spot availability, minimums and lead times are confirmed per order.