An honest comparison for US brands weighing Turkey against China and Vietnam — Section 301 tariffs, ocean freight to US coasts, MOQ, CPSIA compliance and IP.
For US brands, Asia long meant lowest unit cost — but Section 301 tariffs, long ocean lead times and high MOQs have changed the math. Turkey sits between: no China-specific Section 301, faster freight to both US coasts, a 250 MOQ and CPSIA-ready compliance. In 2026 a baseline US tariff applies to most origins including Turkey — but China stacks Section 301 on top, so its landed duty typically runs higher. Here's the honest breakdown against China and Vietnam.
| Factor | Turkey (Kiwi) | China | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample lead time | 10–14 days | 2–3 weeks | 2–3 weeks |
| Bulk lead time | 45–60 days | 6–8 weeks | 6–8 weeks |
| Ocean transit to New York | ~12–14 days | 28–35 days | 30–35 days |
| US Section 301 tariff | None | Applies (China-specific) | None |
| CPSIA / Prop 65 readiness | Excellent | Moderate | Moderate |
| IP / design protection | Strong | Moderate–weak | Moderate |
| Factory visit | No visa, ~10–11h flight | Visa, 14–16h | Visa, 16–18h |
| Best for | Mid-sized, design-led | Huge single-SKU runs | Large basics |
Figures are indicative and vary by style, yarn and season. Tariffs are volatile in 2026 — a baseline duty applies to most origins including Turkey, while China additionally carries Section 301. Confirm current rates with your customs broker.
Section 301 applies to Chinese-made apparel for US imports; Turkey carries none of it — often closing the gap before lead time even counts. Confirm current rates with your customs broker.
~15 days ocean to LA via Mersin, ~12–14 to New York — versus 28–35 days from China. Quicker season turns, less inventory risk.
250 pieces per colour and per size, each knitted as its own fully-fashioned programme — a real production run for US indie and DTC brands.
CPSIA tracking labels, Prop 65 disclosure and English documentation — and a no-visa, ~10–11h flight to visit the floor.
Section 301 applies specifically to goods made in China — not to Turkey, Vietnam or Bangladesh. In 2026, most knitwear HS codes from China carry a base MFN duty of ~16–17% plus a Section 301 surcharge of 7.5–25% depending on the HS code and whether the US-China trade framework has changed. Turkish knitwear pays MFN base only (~16–17%). That gap is the single most direct financial reason US brands are reviewing their China sourcing.
| Origin | Base duty | Section 301 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ~16–17% | None | ~16–17% |
| Vietnam | ~16–17% | None | ~16–17% |
| China | ~16–17% | +7.5–25% | ~24–42% |
Indicative. Verify current rates with your customs broker — tariff schedules changed several times in 2025–2026.
On a $50,000 FOB order of merino crewnecks: China's additional 7.5–25% Section 301 adds $3,750–$12,500 in duty above what Turkey pays. That gap often exceeds the FOB price difference between Turkey and China on the same style — meaning the Turkey unit cost can be higher in the factory and still land cheaper in your US warehouse.
For UFLPA-flagged shipments (Xinjiang cotton), add 100% of the shipment value in potential hold and re-exportation costs. Turkey carries no Xinjiang risk.
Ocean transit from Mersin, Turkey to the US East Coast runs approximately 12–14 days. From China or Vietnam to the same East Coast port: 28–35 days. That 2–3 week difference is not just a shipping preference — it directly changes how a US brand can operate:
A top seller can be restocked in 65–80 days (repeat program, existing sample) vs 90–110 from China. For a brand that buys conservative initial quantities, the faster lane is the difference between capturing a sales spike and being out of stock.
Shorter transit means less capital tied up at sea and a later cut-off date to refine order quantities — useful when demand is uncertain entering a new season.
If a spec is wrong or a sample comes in off, the correction round-trip is weeks, not months. At 250-piece MOQ and fast-sample (10–14 days), you can iterate inside a single sourcing window.
~15 days to Los Angeles via the Suez and Panama route. Not as fast as East Coast, but still meaningfully shorter than Asia for brands based west of the Mississippi.
Vietnam has no Section 301 either, so the tariff advantage between Turkey and Vietnam is roughly equal. The real difference is in what you're sourcing. Vietnam is dominant in cut-and-sew knitwear and jersey — sweater-weight flat-knit is a much smaller part of its industry. Turkey's strength is precisely in flat-knit: sweaters, cardigans, WHOLEGARMENT, intarsia and jacquard. If you're sourcing a premium sweater program, a Turkish factory built around flat-knit machinery is a different conversation than a Vietnam CMT shop that also does knitwear as a secondary category.
Vietnam also runs longer sample lead times (2–3 weeks typical) and higher minimum orders for flat-knit styles. The ocean freight advantage (transit time) also favours Turkey for East Coast US buyers.
Design copying is a real risk in high-competition sourcing hubs. Turkey's pattern — for a foreign brand working with a small factory direct — is stronger than the large Chinese manufacturing clusters where sample designs routinely circulate to competitors. As an OEM-only factory (we do not wholesale or sell under our own brand), we carry no commercial incentive to duplicate your design. Your tech packs and colourways are treated as confidential from the first exchange, and we sign NDA on request.
This matters more for design-led brands launching a distinctive capsule than for brands buying commodity basics.
Straight talk: for ultra-low-cost commodity basics, Bangladesh and Vietnam still hold a unit price edge, and for extremely large single-SKU runs (10,000+ of one style) China's scale can win on factory unit cost. For mid-sized, design-led, compliance-sensitive knitwear programmes with fast turns — that's Turkey's lane. If you're buying 5,000 plain-stitch acrylic pullovers in one colour, Asia will likely quote cheaper. If you're buying 500 merino intarsia cardigans in three colourways with UFLPA compliance documents, Turkey wins on total landed cost, risk and lead time.
Sourcing Comparison Guides
Comparison
Full landed cost comparison: FOB, freight, Section 301, UFLPA risk, transit and compliance.
See comparison →Tariffs
How Section 301 works, which HS codes are affected and what Turkey's tariff position actually means.
See page →Sourcing
Alternatives to Chinese knitwear manufacturing — and why Turkey leads on quality and compliance.
See page →Compliance
Non-Xinjiang cotton traceability, documentation and what US Customs expects at the border.
See page →Send a tech pack or a brief. We respond within one business day with a capacity check, indicative pricing and a sample timeline — compare it against your Asia landed cost.