At JT the minimum order quantity for linen fabric is 1,500 m per color. The number comes from the dyeing step, not from the weaving: a custom shade has to be dyed as a single lot, and a dye lot has a minimum size. A colour we already hold in stock has already been dyed, so a reorder does not have to clear that minimum. Below 1,500 m per colour we can still dye to order, but a small-lot dyeing fee applies per colour — ask our team for the current figure.
Why linen has a minimum order quantity at all
A loom can weave a few metres without difficulty. The constraint appears later, at the dyehouse. To dye a colour you need a batch large enough to fill the dyeing machine, keep the shade even from selvedge to selvedge, and set the dyestuff so it behaves the same on every metre of the run. Run less than that and the shade becomes uneven and the cost per metre rises sharply. The small-lot dyeing fee exists to cover exactly that.
What actually changes your MOQ
- Stock colour vs custom dye. A stock colour already exists as a dyed lot, so reorders are flexible. A custom shade has to clear the dye-lot minimum.
- How many colours, not just how many metres. MOQ applies per colour. A 10,000 m order in one colour and a 10,000 m order spread across ten colours are very different to produce — ten colours means ten dye lots.
- Weave and finish. Plain weaves are the most flexible to schedule. Dobby, jacquard, herringbone and slub constructions, and heavier finishes, are normally run in larger batches.
- Whether it is a stock weight. Colours held in stock, in weights already on the loom, are the easiest to supply in smaller quantities.
How buyers keep MOQ manageable
- Start with a sample card. Confirm the colour and the hand feel before committing metres. Sample cards are arranged on request.
- Trial one colour, then scale. Place a first order in a single colour and a stock weight rather than opening several colours at once.
- Consolidate the palette. Three colours across 4,500 m is easier to schedule than five colours across 4,500 m.
- Stay inside a weight we already run. Ordering a stock weight shortens the production run you trigger.
MOQ at JT
Our standard term is 1,500 m per color across all four collections — 100% linen, linen blends, upholstery and home textile. We hold 35+ stock colours for repeat orders. If your programme is smaller than the standard MOQ, send us the quantity and the colour and we will tell you what is possible.