China is the default source. China supplied 42.2% of world textile exports in 2025 (WTO), though India led US yarn and fabric imports that year at 16.5% to China's 12.3%.
Is China still the default source for textiles?
Yes for the world, and no longer automatically for US fabric buyers. Textile manufacturing is the production of yarn and fabric (a sheet material made by weaving, knitting or bonding fibers or yarns) and of the finished, non-garment textile goods made from it, and China is by far its largest exporter: China shipped $142.4 billion of textiles in 2025, or 42.2% of world textile exports, according to the WTO's World Trade Statistics (Table 21). That share has risen steadily, from 10.3% in 2000 to 20.2% in 2005 and 30.9% in 2010. In 2025 the European Union was second at 20.7%, a figure that includes trade between EU members. India followed at 5.6%, Vietnam at 4.0% and Türkiye at 3.9%.
The US picture is different, and the verdict on this page is split for that reason. In UN Comtrade data on US imports of HS chapters 50–60 (silk, wool, cotton, man-made fibers, nonwovens, carpets, special and coated fabrics, and knit fabric), China's share fell from 27.7% in 2018 to 15.3% in 2024 and 12.3% in 2025. India led in 2025 with 16.5% of a $15.48 billion total, ahead of Türkiye (9.0%), Mexico (7.1%), Vietnam (6.4%) and South Korea (6.0%).
Made-up textiles tell a third story. In HS chapter 63, which covers bed linen, towels, curtains, blankets, sacks and rags, China supplied 43.6% of US imports in 2025, down from 55.6% in 2018 and 51.8% in 2024, but still more than India (18.9%) and Pakistan (10.0%) combined.
| US imports (UN Comtrade) | 2018 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| HS 50–60 yarn and fabric, China's share | 27.7% | 15.3% | 12.3% |
| HS 50–60, India's share | 11.2% | 16.7% | 16.5% |
| HS 63 made-ups, China's share | 55.6% | 51.8% | 43.6% |
For a brand sourcing finished home textiles, or a garment program sewn in Asia, Chinese fabric remains the default input. For a US manufacturer buying fabric to sew in the United States, China is one option among several, and its tariff and forced-labor exposure weighs against it.
Chinese fabric inside other countries' garments
A garment labeled "Made in Vietnam" or "Made in Bangladesh" is often made of Chinese fabric. The WTO's 2025 importer table ranks Vietnam the world's third-largest textile importer at 5.4% ($20.2 billion), Bangladesh fifth at 3.6% ($13.5 billion, a WTO Secretariat estimate) and Cambodia tenth at 1.8%.
The US International Trade Commission quantifies the dependence. According to USITC Publication 5543, China supplied nearly three-quarters of Bangladesh's $8 billion in fabric imports in 2023 and almost two-thirds (about $9.6 billion) of Vietnam's. Yarns and fabrics made up 99.8% of Cambodia's apparel-input imports from China that year. The same report puts China at roughly 50% of world textile production capacity, citing a 2022 USDA Economic Research Service study.
Moving sewing out of China therefore does not remove China from the supply chain. Forced-labor screening still reaches the fabric, and garments made from Chinese fabric may fail free-trade agreements' yarn-forward rules of origin (which require the yarn and fabric to be made within the agreement's territory).
Where textiles and fabrics are made in China
The following clusters are commonly cited in trade sources. None was confirmed against an official Chinese government or academic document for this page, and no cluster output or turnover figure is given for that reason.
- Keqiao District, Shaoxing (Zhejiang): home of the China Textile City fabric market and a dense base of dyeing and printing plants.
- Wujiang and Shengze (Suzhou, Jiangsu): silk and synthetic filament weaving.
- Xiqiao (Foshan) and the Zhongda Fabric Market (Guangzhou): fabric trading that serves South China's garment makers.
- Nantong (Jiangsu): home textiles such as bedding.
- Haining (Zhejiang): warp-knit fabric and home textiles.
- Shandong: cotton spinning.
The large fabric markets in Keqiao and Guangzhou are mainly trading floors. A buyer who meets a supplier there is usually dealing with a trader or converter, and the mill and dyehouse behind the sample may change from one order to the next.
How fabric production is organized
Fabric is made in a chain: fiber is spun into yarn, yarn is formed into fabric by weaving or knitting, and the fabric then goes through wet processing (dyeing, printing and finishing). Each stage can sit in a different company.
- Mills sell greige fabric, meaning unfinished cloth straight off the loom or knitting machine.
- Converters and traders buy greige fabric and commission dyeing and printing. Many "fabric suppliers" in Chinese markets are converters or traders, not mills.
- Stock fabric (ready goods) is sold by the meter, and small cuts are possible.
- Custom fabric in a buyer's own color or construction carries minimums set by the mill and dyehouse.
No authoritative published benchmark exists for fabric minimum order quantities (MOQs, the smallest order a supplier will accept), so none is given here. Structurally, minimums are driven by dye-lot size (the capacity of the dyeing machine), warp setup for weaving, knitting-machine changeover, and the minimum run for print screens or rollers. Digital printing lowers print minimums.
Lead time follows the same chain. A custom order typically runs through lab dips (small dyed swatches submitted for color approval) and strike-offs (printed samples), then greige availability, then dyeing and finishing, then testing. No official China lead-time figure exists, and quoted durations vary by mill and season.
US labeling, flammability and forced-labor rules
- Fiber labeling. Textile products and piece goods sold to consumers must carry fiber content, country of origin and dealer identity under the Federal Trade Commission's rules at 16 CFR Part 303; the origin rule is at 16 CFR 303.33. Certain piece goods also need care instructions under 16 CFR Part 423. Fabric sold business-to-business for further manufacture is treated differently, but the exemption text was not re-read for this page, so a buyer should confirm it.
- Flammability. Clothing textiles fall under 16 CFR Part 1610. Carpets and rugs fall under 16 CFR Parts 1630 and 1631, and mattresses under 16 CFR Parts 1632 and 1633.
- Forced labor. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA, Pub. L. 117-78) presumes goods made wholly or partly in Xinjiang are barred from entry. Cotton yarn and fabric are the highest-risk inputs: USITC reports that about 85% of China's cotton comes from Xinjiang. Viscose and polyester chains also face scrutiny. CBP data cited by USITC show China and Vietnam were the top origins of detained apparel, footwear and textile cargo from June 2022 to June 2024 (data through June 2024 only). Importers need documents that trace fiber to its origin. Industry uses cotton isotope and DNA testing, but CBP's position on those tests was not confirmed for this page.
- PFAS. State restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in textiles, such as California AB 1817, affect water- and stain-repellent finishes. Thresholds and dates were not verified here.
Tariff exposure as of October 2026
Chinese fabric pays more Section 301 duty than the garments made from it. That is the single most important tariff fact in this category. Section 301 duties are the China-specific tariffs imposed from 2018 after a USTR investigation; they were assigned by product lists. List 3 adds 25% (heading 9903.88.03). List 4A adds 7.5% (heading 9903.88.15).
| Layer, as of October 2026 | Yarn and fabric (HS 50–60) | Made-ups (HS 63) |
|---|---|---|
| MFN (normal) duty | By HTS line | By HTS line |
| 2018 Section 301 lists | 920 subheadings on List 3 (+25%); 9 on List 4A | 74 subheadings on List 4A (+7.5%); none on List 3 |
| Forced-labor Section 301, from 24 Jul 2026 | +12.5% for China | +12.5% for China |
| IEEPA tariffs | Ended 20 Feb 2026 | Ended 20 Feb 2026 |
The list counts come from a count of U.S. Note 20 in Chapter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (2026 Revision 22). Coverage is near-complete in the main fabric chapters: 230 of 233 eight-digit cotton subheadings (chapter 52), 129 of 131 in chapter 54, 131 of 133 in chapter 55 and 55 of 60 knit-fabric subheadings (chapter 60) are on List 3. By contrast, 209 of 252 knit-apparel subheadings (chapter 61) and 359 of 395 woven-apparel subheadings (chapter 62) are on List 4A. Exclusions were not netted out, and each eight-digit line should be checked. Textile face masks are carved out at higher rates under the 2024 four-year-review changes (heading 9903.91.04).
The forced-labor action took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on 24 July 2026, under the USTR notice in dockets USTR-2026-0265 and -0266. It sets 12.5% for China and Vietnam and 10% for Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and several other economies, with exceptions in annexes that were not reviewed line by line. It also provides for a textile tariff-rate-quota mechanism for Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Sources differ on how it stacks: the dossier reading of the USTR notice found that it does not state stacking with the 2018 China duties, while HTSUS Chapter 99 U.S. note 52(a) provides that goods under the new headings remain subject to any other additional duty in that subchapter, which makes it cumulative.
The IEEPA tariffs ended when the Supreme Court decided Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump on 20 February 2026, and the 10% Section 122 surcharge that followed ran until late July 2026. A secondary source reports that the 2018 China Section 301 actions were continued on 7 October 2026 (91 FR 64212). A licensed customs broker should confirm the classification and stack for a specific fabric.
Common mistakes and how to evaluate a textile supplier
- Assuming fabric carries the apparel rate. Most fabric lines are on List 3 at 25%, not List 4A at 7.5%, so a landed-cost model built on garment rates understates fabric duty.
- Assuming a non-China garment origin removes Chinese-fabric exposure. UFLPA follows inputs, and yarn-forward rules of origin can be failed by Chinese fabric.
- Skipping lab dips and strike-offs. Dye-lot variation between sample and bulk is a common dispute, and an approved physical standard is the buyer's reference point.
The core question for any fabric supplier is who actually makes and dyes the cloth. A supplier that owns looms but outsources dyeing controls construction, not color; a converter controls neither directly but may offer a wider range of greige goods. In evaluating one, identify the mill and dyehouse for each quality and whether they will stay the same on reorders; request fiber-origin documents that trace cotton, viscose or polyester back through spinning, as a UFLPA review would require; keep a retained sample of the approved bulk lot; and test fiber content, colorfastness and, where it applies, flammability from production rather than from the sample.
Frequently asked questions
What share of the world's textiles does China export?
China exported 42.2% of the world's textiles in 2025, worth $142.4 billion, according to WTO World Trade Statistics Table 21. That is more than double the European Union's 20.7%, which includes trade between EU members, and more than seven times India's 5.6%. China's share has risen from 10.3% in 2000 and 30.9% in 2010.
Is China the largest fabric supplier to the US?
No. India led US imports of yarn and fabric (HS chapters 50–60) in 2025 with 16.5%, ahead of China at 12.3%, according to UN Comtrade data. China's share was 27.7% in 2018. China still leads US imports of made-up textiles such as bed linen and towels (HS 63), with 43.6% in 2025.
What Section 301 tariff applies to Chinese fabric?
Most Chinese yarn and fabric lines in HS chapters 50–60 are on Section 301 List 3, which adds 25%. Made-up home textiles in HS 63 are on List 4A at 7.5%. Since 24 July 2026 a separate forced-labor Section 301 duty adds 12.5% on Chinese goods, subject to annex exceptions. Check each eight-digit HTS line before quoting a landed cost.
Why do Vietnamese and Bangladeshi garments still depend on China?
Their garment industries import most of their fabric from China. USITC Publication 5543 reports that in 2023 China supplied almost two-thirds of Vietnam's fabric imports, about $9.6 billion, and nearly three-quarters of Bangladesh's $8 billion in fabric imports. Moving sewing out of China therefore rarely removes Chinese fabric from the supply chain.
Does Chinese cotton fabric create UFLPA risk?
Yes. USITC reports that about 85% of China's cotton comes from Xinjiang, and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act presumes goods made wholly or partly there are barred from US entry. Importers of Chinese cotton yarn or fabric, or of garments made from it in other countries, need documents that trace the fiber to its origin.
Where is China's biggest fabric market?
Keqiao District in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, home of the China Textile City market, is the most commonly cited. Official turnover figures for the market were not confirmed for this page. Like the Zhongda market in Guangzhou, it is largely a trading floor, so buyers there usually deal with traders and converters rather than mills.
Sources
- World Trade Organization — World Trade Statistics, Table 22: Top 10 exporters and importers of clothing, 2025
- U.S. International Trade Commission — USITC Pub. 5543, Cambodia profile, n. 672 (citing Government of Cambodia, Industrial Transformation Map, March…
- U.S. International Trade Commission — Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Revision 22 (2026), Chapter 99, Subchapter III, U.S. Note 20
- Office of the U.S. Trade Representative — Notice of Actions in Section 301 Investigations of Acts, Policies, and Practices of Various Economies Rela…
- comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=842&period=2025&cmd…
- ecfr.gov/current/title-16/section-303.33
- ecfr.gov/current/title-16/section-1610.1
- hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2026/02/supreme-court-strikes-down-ieepa-…