Why the first quote surprises people
A buyer asks for 300 hijabs and expects that to clear any minimum. Then the quote comes back counting minimums per color, and the plan of twelve colors at 25 pieces each does not work. This is the most common surprise in hijab sourcing, and it is not a negotiation tactic. It reflects how the work is done on the workshop floor.
In this category, minimums attach to the smallest unit the workshop can run efficiently: a color in a fabric, a design in a print method, a style in a size. The total order matters less than how it is divided.
Where minimums come from
Three steps in the process set most minimums. Dyeing happens in lots, and a dye vat or machine run uses a quantity of fabric whether you need all of it or not. Printing has a setup cost per design: a digital print needs a file prepared and color-managed for the fabric, while a screen print needs a screen made for every color in the design. Cutting and sewing run in batches, and switching a line between styles takes time. Each of these setup costs is spread across the pieces in the run. Below a certain quantity, the setup outweighs the goods.
Stock colors are different. When a workshop already holds dyed fabric in a common shade, there is no dye lot to start, and the minimum is set mainly by cutting and finishing. That is why stock minimums are lower. It is also why stock shades vary between workshops: one may hold a deep range of neutrals in jersey, another in chiffon, and the desk matches your palette to what each already runs.
Reference ranges by type of order
These are typical reference ranges seen across the Yiwu cluster. They are a planning tool, not a promise; every figure is confirmed in writing for each program.
| Order type | Typical reference range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Stock colors, standard hijab styles | Typically from about 50-100 pcs per color and style | Whether the workshop holds that shade in that fabric; some list lower for stock |
| Custom color dyed to a reference | Typically higher than stock, often set by the dye lot | Fabric type, dye method, how many colors share a lot |
| Custom print, digital or screen | Typically from about 100 pcs per design | Fabric, print method, number of colors in a screen design |
| Sewn styles (instant, caps, khimars) | Confirmed per style and size | Pattern complexity, trims, size spread |
Dye lots, explained plainly
A dye lot is a quantity of fabric dyed together in one run. Fabric from one lot matches itself closely. Fabric from two different lots, dyed to the same reference, can differ slightly in shade, enough to see when two hijabs sit side by side on a shelf. This has two consequences for buyers.
First, a custom color usually has a minimum tied to the size of a lot for that fabric. Second, a reorder of the same color is a new lot, and a small shade difference between orders is normal within an agreed tolerance. If your customers buy matching sets, or your store displays old and new stock together, say so in the brief. We note the tolerance on the spec sheet and keep the approved lab dip as the reference. The color matching guide covers shade tolerance in more detail.
Print minimums: digital versus screen
Digital printing suits small runs and many colors, because the setup per design is a file rather than a screen. Screen printing suits larger runs of a design with fewer colors, because each color needs its own screen but the run itself is efficient. A design with a dozen colors and a run of a few hundred pieces almost always belongs on digital. A two-color logo repeat on several thousand pieces may belong on screen. See digital vs screen printed hijabs and custom printed hijabs.
How to plan a range around minimums
- Count units, not totals. List every color per fabric and every design per print method. Each is a line with its own minimum.
- Start with stock colors. Core neutrals often exist as stock in common fabrics, with lower minimums and faster samples.
- Concentrate custom colors. Choose a few signature shades and buy them deeper, rather than many shades shallow.
- Use one fabric per palette where you can. Two colors in one fabric are easier to run than one color in two fabrics.
- Put prints on the fabric that carries them. Modal and voile take prints well; a print range in one base fabric keeps setup simple.
- Ask what the reorder minimum is. It can differ from the first order, especially for custom colors.
A worked example
Consider a new online store planning its first range. The first draft is ten colors of jersey rectangles, six colors of chiffon rectangles and four printed modal designs, about 30 pieces each. Every line is under the typical reference range, and several colors are custom. The revised plan keeps six jersey colors, all from stock shades, at reference depth; drops chiffon to three neutrals worn over a matching underscarf; and keeps two modal prints at the print reference minimum. The total quantity is similar, the minimums are met, and the store has deeper stock in the colors that are most likely to reorder. This is an illustrative example; your figures are confirmed in writing for your program.
What to put in writing
- Minimum per color, per design and per style, for the first order and for reorders.
- Whether a color is stock or custom, and the lot it is dyed in.
- Shade tolerance between lots, with the approved lab dip as reference.
- Print method per design and any change to minimums if the method changes.
- Over- and under-shipment allowance per line.
The MOQ and lead time page sets out the reference ranges in one place, and wholesale hijabs lists the styles that usually run from stock. When you have a draft range, send it through the sample request form and we will mark which lines meet minimums and which need adjusting.