Yarn quotes from Indian spinners can only be compared when they are put on the same basis, which means the same count, process, quality grade, weight basis, packing, Incoterm, payment terms, delivery period and test allowances. A quote that looks cheaper is often cheaper because one of these differs, and the gap closes or reverses once the difference is priced. The reliable method is to send every mill an identical specification sheet and then normalise the replies to a landed cost per kilogram of conditioned weight at your warehouse.
Mills in Gujarat and elsewhere in India quote in different formats and with different assumptions, and most of them will quote quickly if you ask. The buyer's job is to make the comparison fair, which takes a little more work at the start but avoids disputes and quality surprises later.
Specification items that move the price
- Count and twist: the yarn count in Ne or tex, the twist level and direction, and whether the yarn is single or plied.
- Process: carded, combed or compact spun, and ring or open-end. Combed and compact yarns cost more to make and are not interchangeable with carded for most fabrics.
- Quality grade: the Uster statistics percentile the mill is committing to for evenness, imperfections and hairiness, and the strength and elongation figures.
- Cotton origin and staple: the growing region and whether a specific variety or a contamination-sorted mixing is required.
- Certification: organic, Better Cotton or recycled content, each of which changes the fibre cost and the paperwork.
Commercial terms that move the price
- Weight basis: conditioned weight at the standard regain for cotton, not gross or net scale weight.
- Packing: cone weight, cartons or pallets, and the number of cones per carton, since packing affects both the mill's cost and your container payload.
- Incoterm: ex-works, FOB at an Indian port or CIF at your port changes who pays inland freight, port charges, ocean freight and insurance.
- Payment terms: advance payment, a letter of credit or open account after shipment, each of which carries a cost the mill builds into the price.
- Delivery period: a mill quoting for shipment next month and one quoting for shipment in three months are not quoting for the same thing when the cotton price is moving.
- Test allowances: the tolerance on count, strength and weight before a claim is accepted, and whose laboratory is final.
Putting the quotes side by side
Build a simple sheet with one column per mill and one row per item above, and ask each mill to confirm anything it left out of its quote. Add inland freight, port charges, ocean freight, insurance and duty in your market to reach a landed cost per kilogram, and note the delivery date next to it. Then look at the non-price items: the mill's test reports from recent lots, its willingness to send a sealed sample from a running lot, and how it answered questions about moisture and contamination.
A mill that is a little more expensive but offers a tighter Uster grade, a firm delivery date and a clean set of test reports is usually the better buy for anything other than commodity counts. Keep a second mill qualified as a backup so you are not dependent on one supplier's prices.
How Creston & Co helps
We prepare the specification sheet, collect and normalise quotes from a shortlist of Indian spinners, and visit the mills so you know which quotes are backed by real capacity. We send sealed samples to an NABL-accredited lab, recommend one approved supplier and one backup, and keep you updated weekly. If you have quotes in hand that you want checked, our free 20-minute sourcing review is a good place to start.