Estimate how many weeks a sweater or cardigan program takes end to end — sampling, bulk knitting, a complexity buffer and shipping. These are indicative planning ranges; firm dates are set only after your sample is approved and the order is confirmed.
⚠️ Indicative planning ranges — not a committed date. These are typical timeframes by quantity, construction and shipping method, and everything is measured from order confirmation. Firm dates are locked only after your sample is approved and the bulk order is placed, and can shift with yarn availability, custom dyeing, factory load and public holidays. Confirmed after sampling & order confirmation.
A new style needs a sample approved before bulk starts, around 2–3 weeks. A repeat of an already-approved style skips this, so it lands sooner.
Bulk knitting scales with volume: roughly 4–5 weeks under 500 pcs, 5–6 weeks for 500–2,000, and 7–8 weeks above 2,000.
Plain knit is the baseline. Cable and rib add a little; intarsia, jacquard and WHOLEGARMENT seamless add about 1–2 weeks for slower machines and more finishing.
Ocean freight to Europe or the US runs about 3–5 weeks; air freight is roughly a week at a higher cost. Ex-works stops the clock at our door.
The estimator simply adds the low ends together for the minimum and the high ends for the maximum — no hidden fudge factor. All timings run from order confirmation:
| Phase | Planning range |
|---|---|
| Sampling (new style) | 2–3 weeks · skipped on repeats |
| Bulk knitting — under 500 pcs | 4–5 weeks |
| Bulk knitting — 500–2,000 pcs | 5–6 weeks |
| Bulk knitting — over 2,000 pcs | 7–8 weeks |
| Complexity buffer | +0 (plain) to +1–2 (WHOLEGARMENT / intarsia) |
| Ocean freight — Europe / US | 3–5 weeks |
| Air freight | ≈ 1 week |
Planning the whole program? Pair this with the knitwear cost calculator for budget, the yarn count converter for spec, and the size run calculator to split each colourway. New to sourcing? Start with our knitwear manufacturer overview and the guide for brands starting from scratch.
As a planning guide: sampling a new style runs about 2–3 weeks, then bulk production is roughly 4–5 weeks for under 500 pieces, 5–6 weeks for 500–2,000, and 7–8 weeks above that. Add 1–2 weeks for complex construction and 3–5 weeks of ocean freight to Europe or the US (about 1 week by air). This tool adds those phases into an indicative range — the real dates are locked after your sample is approved and the order is confirmed.
Order quantity and construction complexity drive the knitting time, and shipping method decides how long the finished goods take to reach you. Yarn availability matters too — a stock yarn ships fast, while a custom-dyed or specialty fibre can add weeks before knitting even starts. Sampling only applies once, so repeat orders of an approved style are noticeably quicker.
Yes. Plain jersey knitting is the baseline; cable, rib and heavy texture add some time, and intarsia, jacquard or WHOLEGARMENT seamless construction typically add about 1–2 weeks on top because of slower machine speeds and more programming and finishing. The estimator reflects this as a complexity buffer you can toggle.
Air freight cuts transit to roughly a week instead of 3–5 weeks by sea, which is the fastest lever on the timeline — at a higher freight cost. Production itself can sometimes be prioritised, but we won't promise a date we can't hold; the honest sequence is to confirm the achievable timeline against your exact spec once we've seen the tech pack. Kiwi Giyim's MOQ is 250 pieces per colour, per size.
Send your tech pack, target quantity and delivery window and we'll knit a sample, then reply within one business day with a timeline we can actually hold — no black-box dates, and an honest read if your window is tight.