How long does it really take from tech pack to a container in Lagos? An honest phase-by-phase breakdown — including the Form M and SONCAP steps that quietly add time.
The single most useful thing a Nigerian brand can do is plan backwards from the date the goods need to be on sale — not forward from when you start. Knitwear is made to order, and the timeline is a chain of phases: sampling, approval, ordering, production, inspection and ocean transit. Add Nigeria's import paperwork on top. Here is what each phase realistically takes, with no rounding-down.
| Phase | Indicative time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Tech pack & quote | varies | Finalise the spec; we review knittability and price. Faster if your tech pack is complete. |
| First sampling | ~3–4 weeks | We knit the first sample and air it to Lagos for you to see and feel. |
| Revisions & approval | ~2–3 weeks | Fit and colour comments, re-sample, sign off a sealed reference. Each round adds days. |
| Order & material sourcing | ~1–3 weeks | Confirm the order and contract; we source bulk yarn. Special yarns/colours take longer. |
| Bulk production & QC | ~3–5 weeks | Knit, link, wash, finish, press and quality-check against the sealed sample. |
| Final inspection & export docs | days | Final QC, packing, and clean export/origin documents prepared. |
| Ocean transit Mersin → Lagos | ~10–14 days | Sea freight to Apapa / Tin Can / Lekki, before clearance and inland delivery. |
Indicative ranges only — actual times depend on style complexity, number of revision rounds, yarn availability, factory loading (peak seasons run longer) and carrier schedules.
Two import steps need to be started during production, not after the goods are made, or they become the thing everyone waits on:
Your Form M must be opened through your authorised dealer bank before shipment. Allow time for the bank to register and validate it. Start it while production is running so it is ready when goods are.
If your knitwear line needs a SONCAP certificate, the conformity assessment and any testing take time of their own. Confirm the requirement early with your agent so it does not delay loading or clearance.
After arrival, the PAAR, declaration on NICIS II, duty/VAT payment and inspection add days at the port. Demurrage builds if documents are incomplete — so reconcile everything to the Form M in advance.
Add time from the Lagos port to your warehouse, plus a buffer for port congestion. This tail end is easy to forget when you plan only to "arrival".
The first order carries all the one-time work — sampling, revisions, approval, setting up your spec. The reorder skips most of it because the sealed sample and your tech pack already exist.
Totals are indicative and assume a clean approval with limited revision rounds. Complex constructions, special yarns or peak-season loading extend them.
Work backwards from your on-sale date. If you want stock landed and cleared in Lagos by a certain month, count back the clearance days, the ~10–14 day ocean transit, production, and your sampling and approval window — then add a buffer. For a brand new style, start three to four months ahead of the date you need it on the shelf; for a reorder, two to three. Building in slack for a revision round or a busy port is not pessimism — it is how launches stay on schedule.
The biggest controllable delay sits on the brand side. Review samples and send clear, consolidated comments quickly — every round you sit on adds a week.
Started after production instead of during it, these become the bottleneck. Open the Form M and confirm SONCAP early, in parallel with the run.
Unusual fibres or custom colours stretch material sourcing. Lock yarn choices at approval so bulk procurement starts immediately.
Apapa and Tin Can can back up. Perfect, reconciled documents and a buffer keep congestion from turning into demurrage.
Tell us your styles, order size and on-sale date. We'll map an honest phase-by-phase timeline — sampling through ocean transit — so you can plan your Form M, SONCAP and season around real dates, not optimistic ones.