The cost of a cushion cover or a tablecloth is driven mostly by the fabric, which is in turn set by fibre, weight and construction, and by how much work is added to that fabric through printing, embroidery and trims. Order size, packing and the time of year you buy cotton move the figure further. Once you know which of these you control, it becomes easier to compare quotes from different units and to see where a quote is padded.
Fabric is the largest share
Fabric usually accounts for the biggest part of the cost, so fabric weight in grams per square metre and the construction, meaning thread count and weave, matter more than anything else. A heavy slub cotton or a jacquard weave costs more to produce than plain-weave sheeting, and a yarn-dyed check costs more than a piece-dyed solid because the yarn is dyed before weaving.
Fibre choice sits on top of that. Pure linen and linen-cotton blends are typically dearer than cotton, and organic or recycled cotton carries a premium for certification and segregation. Cotton itself is a seasonal commodity, and a quote taken soon after the Indian harvest can differ from one taken late in the season when stocks are lower. Mills around Ahmedabad and Surat will usually tell you which way the market is moving if you ask.
Decoration, construction and packing
- Print method and number of colours: each additional colour in screen printing means another screen and another pass, and hand-block printing is costed by the complexity of the design and the number of blocks.
- Embroidery: machine embroidery is costed by stitch count, while hand embroidery from regions such as Kutch is costed by the hours involved.
- Size: a 60 by 60 centimetre cover uses noticeably more fabric and print area than a 45 by 45, and large table runners and cloths carry more hemming per piece.
- Trims: zips, piping, tassels, buttons and pom-poms each add material and a stitching operation, and a concealed zip costs more to insert than an exposed one.
- Construction details: French seams, mitred corners, double hems and envelope backs take more time than a plain overlocked seam.
- Packing: individual polybags, printed inserts, swing tags and retail boxes add to the price and to the volume in the container.
Order size and what the buyer controls
Order quantity affects the price through fabric minimums, screen set-up and the cost of sampling spread across the run. Below a mill's minimum dye lot, the unit may have to buy from stock or dye a small lot at a higher rate per metre. Consolidating colourways onto a shared base fabric, keeping the number of print colours down and standardising sizes across a range all help.
Ask the unit for a cost breakdown by fabric, decoration, making, trims and packing, because a single figure hides where the money goes. A unit that will not break the price down is usually buying the fabric from a trader and does not know the figures itself. Compare the breakdown across two units rather than the total, since one may be cheap on fabric and expensive on making.
How we help with costing
We visit the stitching units and the mills that supply them, so we can check that the fabric quoted is the fabric used. We ask for the cost breakdown on your behalf and compare it across one approved unit and one backup, and we send weekly updates while sampling is under way. If you want help reading a quote, we offer a free 20-minute sourcing review.