A wholesale knitwear programme from Turkey means you buy direct from a flat-knit factory — not a trading company, not a sourcing agent — on FOB terms with full traceability documentation. Our factory (22 Shima Seiki and Stoll flat-knit machines in Gaziantep) produces multi-style jumper and knitwear assortments for UK importers who need reliable, repeatable quality outside China, with the origin and compliance paperwork a UK import requires.

For UK wholesale buyers, the headline is the UK-Turkey Free Trade Agreement: most knitwear under HS Chapter 61 enters at 0% — but the preference is conditional. You only get it when the goods meet the rules of origin and travel with a valid EUR.1 movement certificate, otherwise the UK Global Tariff (commonly around 12% on knitwear) applies. We supply the origin documentation; your broker confirms it against the commodity code. The honest numbers are below. See our factory overview for the full capability picture.

The Wholesale Knitwear Programme — How It Works

01

Factory-Direct FOB

You buy direct from the production floor — no trading agent markup between you and the machines. FOB Mersin with a complete commercial invoice, packing list, export documentation and EUR.1 origin certificate. Your freight forwarder or ours handles the UK-bound leg.

02

Multi-Style Assortments

4–12 styles per programme is our standard wholesale pattern. Crew necks, cardigans, roll necks, tank tops — different gauges and fibre grades in a single order. One supplier, one shipment, one customs entry. Browse our OEM knitwear range.

03

MOQ 250 / Colourway

250 pieces per colourway — not per style total. A 6-style programme in 3 colourways each is 18 × 250 = 4,500 units. Size ratios and grading to your UK block, not a converted EU grade.

04

Repeat Programmes

Repeat orders run faster — we hold your approved yarn standards and construction specs, and bulk re-runs drop the sample stage. UK importers building seasonal programmes get predictable lead times order-on-order.

Landed Cost: Turkey vs China for UK Wholesale Importers

Unit cost is what factories compete on. Landed cost is what hits your P&L. A simplified comparison for a wholesale jumper programme (1,000 pcs merino crew neck, FOB pricing):

Cost BlockTurkey (1,000 pcs)China (1,000 pcs)
FOB unit price (12gg merino crew neck)~£18–22~£13–17
Sea freight to UK (Felixstowe, LCL)~£900–1,400~£1,400–2,200
UK import duty (knitwear, with valid EUR.1)£0 (FTA 0%)~£2,300–2,900 (UKGT ~12%)
UK import duty (no valid origin proof)~£2,300–2,900 (UKGT ~12%)~£2,300–2,900 (UKGT ~12%)
Sea transit time (FOB to UK port)~10–14 days~30–38 days
Estimated total landed (ex-customs broker fee)~£19,000–24,000~£17,000–24,000

Illustrative model. The UK-Turkey FTA 0% rate applies only where rules of origin are met and a valid EUR.1 certificate or origin declaration accompanies the goods — otherwise the UK Global Tariff applies. Confirm current rates against your specific commodity code with a licensed customs broker. Freight rates fluctuate. China's unit-price advantage narrows or disappears once the ~12% UKGT and longer transit are factored in. Full breakdown in our UK landed cost guide.

What UK Wholesale Importers Need — And What We Provide

Documentation & Compliance

  • Commercial invoice: Itemised by style, colourway, quantity, unit value, commodity code description, country of origin ("Made in Turkey")
  • Packing list: Carton count, net/gross weight, dimensions per carton — formatted for your customs broker
  • EUR.1 / origin declaration: Movement certificate proving Turkish origin for UK-Turkey FTA preference — passed directly to you and your broker for the 0% claim
  • Fibre content certificates: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 on request; supplier mill certificates for all yarn lots, supporting UK REACH chemical compliance
  • UK textile labelling: Fibre composition and care labelling applied to UK rules; your woven brand label sewn in-house
  • Modern Slavery Act support: Supplier traceability and audit references to support your due diligence statement

Programme Structure

  • Style range: Jumpers, cardigans, tank tops, dresses, roll necks — gauge range 3gg (chunky) to 14gg (fine)
  • Yarn options: Merino, lambswool, cashmere-blend, alpaca-blend, cotton, acrylic — OEKO-TEX certified on most grades
  • Tech pack or reference sample: Either accepted. We confirm feasibility and price within 48 hours of receipt
  • Labelling: Your woven brand label, care label and packaging applied in-house — goods ship retail-ready to your warehouse or direct to a UK 3PL
  • Payment: 30% deposit on pre-production approval, 70% against copy of bill of lading — standard TT wire transfer
  • Capacity: Substantial monthly capacity across 22 machines, including 15 Shima Seiki WHOLEGARMENT and 7 Stoll. Multi-season programmes welcome; we schedule capacity by season

Wholesale Lead Times — Plan Your UK Buying Calendar

For UK wholesale importers and distributors planning seasonal programmes:

1
Tech pack / style brief submission → 48h: Feasibility confirmation, indicative FOB pricing, yarn options and sample timeline from our technical team.
2
Proto samples → 10–14 days: First garments in your spec'd yarn and gauge, shipped to your UK office (£60–140 per sample style). Your team evaluates construction, handle and fit.
3
Counter-sample / fit corrections → 7–10 days: UK size grading to your block. One revision round included; subsequent rounds as needed.
4
Pre-production approval → 5–7 days: Final sample in bulk yarn, with your labels applied — signed off before we start the production run.
5
Bulk production → 45–60 days: In-line and outgoing QC. Top-of-production sample sent for your review before shipment.
6
UK delivery → ~10–14 days (sea via Felixstowe, FOB Mersin): Full export documentation package with EUR.1 ready at loading. Your customs broker handles entry and the FTA 0% claim. Road freight is an option for faster turnaround.

Total new-style lead time: Plan 85–105 days from tech pack submission to UK delivery. Repeat programmes (re-run of approved styles): 60–75 days. Autumn/Winter programmes: submit tech packs by March–April. Spring/Summer programmes: submit by October–November. Detailed calendar: UK Knitwear Sourcing Calendar 2026.

Wholesale Knitwear Product Range

Our in-house flat-knit range covers the core of a wholesale jumper programme:

01

Jumpers & Pullovers

Crew neck, V-neck, mock neck, roll neck — 3gg (chunky) to 12gg (fine). Merino, lambswool, cotton, cashmere-merino blend. The UK wholesale staple — see our cotton jumper programme.

02

Cardigans

Button-front, open-front, longline, cropped — 5gg to 12gg. Intarsia stripe and jacquard options at no additional MOQ uplift (colour count adds complexity, not MOQ). See our merino cardigan range.

03

Chunky Knit & Dresses

Heavy-gauge chunky knit jumpers and cardigans, knit tank tops, knit midi and maxi dresses. WHOLEGARMENT seamless option on 5gg–12gg pieces.

04

Technical & Performance

WHOLEGARMENT seamless merino baselayers, performance quarter-zips, outdoor knit mid-layers. OEKO-TEX certified yarns. For UK outdoor, performance and active wholesale buyers.

Wholesale Knitwear FAQ — UK Importers

What is your minimum order quantity for wholesale knitwear?

250 pieces per colourway, per style. Multi-style programmes (4–12 styles, 2–4 colourways each) are standard for our wholesale customers. No minimum on the number of styles per order — only the per-colourway MOQ applies.

Do you offer FOB pricing for UK wholesale buyers?

Yes — FOB is common for UK wholesale. We quote FOB Mersin or FOB Istanbul with full export documentation and EUR.1 origin certificate. DDP (delivered duty paid, all-in including UK customs) available on request.

Does the UK-Turkey FTA make knitwear duty-free?

Most knitwear under HS Chapter 61 enters the UK at 0% under the UK-Turkey FTA — but only with valid rules-of-origin proof (EUR.1 movement certificate or origin declaration). Without it, the UK Global Tariff applies (commonly around 12% on knitwear). We provide the origin documentation; your broker confirms the rate against the commodity code. More detail in our UK-Turkey FTA guide.

What lead times should a UK wholesale importer plan for?

First sample: 10–14 days. Bulk: 45–60 days from approved pre-production sample. Sea to UK via Felixstowe: ~10–14 days from Mersin (road is faster). Total first-order-to-UK delivery: 85–105 days. Repeat programmes: 60–75 days.

Can you supply a multi-style wholesale programme?

Yes — 4–12 styles across different gauges and fibre types routinely. Single commercial invoice and packing list, simplifying your customs entry. Each style is sampled and approved individually before bulk is confirmed.

How do you support UK REACH and Modern Slavery Act compliance?

For UK REACH, we use OEKO-TEX certified yarns where required and pass supplier mill certificates confirming restricted-substance compliance. For the Modern Slavery Act, we provide supplier traceability and audit references to support your due diligence statement — production is in our own Gaziantep factory, not subcontracted out blind.

Send us your wholesale programme brief

A style list, reference samples or a line sheet is enough to start. We respond within one UK business day with a capacity check, FOB indicative pricing, FTA origin guidance and a sample timeline — so you can run it against your current landed cost before committing anything.

Wholesale Sourcing Guides

Costs

The True Landed Cost of UK Knitwear

Unit price vs landed cost — the model UK importers use to compare suppliers fairly.

Read guide →

Logistics

CMT, FOB & DDP Pricing for UK Knitwear

Which pricing model protects a UK wholesale importer — and what each means for your customs entry.

Read guide →

Compliance

Rules of Origin & EUR.1 for UK Knitwear

How the EUR.1 certificate unlocks the FTA 0% rate — and what disqualifies a shipment.

Read guide →

Planning

UK Knitwear Sourcing Calendar 2026

Month-by-month ordering timeline for UK importers — when to sample, commit bulk, and ship for each season.

Read guide →

Tariffs

UK-Turkey FTA: Knitwear Duty-Free?

The 0% preference UK wholesale importers can claim — and the origin conditions that make or break it.

Read guide →

Logistics

Shipping Knitwear from Turkey to the UK

Sea via Felixstowe vs road, transit times, FCL vs LCL and forwarder selection for knitwear imports.

Read guide →
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