RFQ Template for Tweed and Knit Fabric: 12 Fields for Accurate Quotes

What to specify: Woven tweed, boucle tweed, cable knit, flat knit, or jacquard knit. State whether the construction is plain weave, twill, herringbone, or double cloth. For knit fabrics, specify gauge (7G, 9G, 12G) and whether the construction is flat or circular.

Why it matters: Fabric type determines which looms or knitting machines are allocated. Fursone’s 300+ loom configuration includes power looms for woven tweed and circular machines for knit fabrics. An RFQ that says “wool fabric” without specifying construction could be quoted as woven tweed when the buyer wants knit.

What to specify: Exact percentage breakdown of each fiber. Example: 60% wool, 25% polyester, 10% acrylic, 5% metallic. State whether recycled content is required and at what percentage.

Why it matters: Composition affects price, hand feel, pilling performance, and sustainability claims. Wool content above 50 percent generally produces better drape and warmth; acrylic reduces cost but increases pilling tendency. If GRS-certified recycled content is needed, specify the percentage and certification requirement.

What to specify: Yarn count (Ne or Nm), twist direction (Z/S), and for boucle: overfeed ratio and binder type. If unsure, attach a swatch and request reverse-engineering.

Why it matters: Yarn specification is the most commonly omitted field and the most common source of texture mismatch. Without it, the mill selects default yarn that may not match the buyer’s intended hand feel or surface character. For boucle tweed, the overfeed ratio directly controls loop size.

What to specify: Target GSM with an acceptable tolerance range. Coat-weight tweed typically targets 380 to 450 GSM; dress-weight targets 280 to 350 GSM; knit outerwear targets 300 to 500 GSM depending on gauge.

Why it matters: GSM affects drape, warmth, and cutting yield. A 50 GSM deviation changes how many garments can be cut from each meter. Specifying GSM without width (Field 5) is incomplete because total fabric weight per linear meter depends on both.

What to specify: Target width in inches or centimeters. Standard widths are 58 inches (147 cm) and 60 inches (152 cm) for woven tweed; knit fabrics vary from 130 to 180 cm depending on machine type.

Why it matters: Width determines cutting yield. A buyer who calculates yardage based on 60-inch width but receives 58-inch rolls loses approximately 3.3 percent of usable fabric per garment. This mismatch is a common cause of short shipments in garment production.

What to specify: Pantone TCX (Textile Cotton) reference number. For custom colors, send a physical swatch, not a digital image. State whether the fabric is yarn-dyed or piece-dyed.

Why it matters: Screen colors vary by device, monitor calibration, and ambient lighting. A Pantone TCX reference is the industry-standard method for communicating color in textiles. Yarn-dyed tweed produces color-through construction where the pattern is visible on both sides; piece-dyed fabric has color only on the surface.

What to specify: Total order quantity in meters and whether the order is stock (100m minimum, no MOQ) or custom (1,000m MOQ). State whether the order will be split across multiple deliveries.

Why it matters: Stock orders ship from existing inventory within days. Custom orders require yarn procurement, loom allocation, and finishing, which is why the 1,000m MOQ exists. Splitting a 5,000-meter order into two 2,500-meter deliveries allows the buyer to verify bulk quality before the full shipment is produced.

What to specify: Whether lab dips (color matches on fabric substrate) are needed before bulk production. Whether strike-offs (small woven samples showing the actual pattern and texture) are required. State the sampling deadline.

Why it matters: Fursone offers 7-day sampling turnaround from specification lock. Lab dips verify color accuracy before bulk dyeing; strike-offs verify weave structure and texture. Skipping sampling to save time risks discovering color or texture problems after 1,000 meters are produced, when corrections require a full re-run.

What to specify: Required test standards and minimum grades. Example: ISO 12945-2 pilling grade 3-4 minimum; ISO 105-X12 colorfastness to rubbing grade 4 minimum; ISO 6330 washing shrinkage maximum 3 percent.

Why it matters: Generic quality language like “good quality” or “high standard” is unenforceable. Citing specific ISO test standards and grade thresholds creates a measurable acceptance criterion. Fursone’s ISO-certified testing provides grade 3-4 pilling results with each shipment. For Chanel-style tweed and premium boucle, grade 3-4 is the recommended minimum.

What to specify: Roll length (e.g., 30m or 50m per roll), tube type (cardboard or plastic), roll diameter limit, and whether bolts of fabric should be wrapped in plastic with desiccant. State whether roll tickets must include batch numbers and test report references.

Why it matters: Roll length affects cutting room efficiency; garment factories prefer consistent roll lengths to minimize end-of-roll waste. Desiccant packaging prevents moisture damage during sea freight. Roll tickets with batch numbers enable traceability if quality issues are discovered after delivery.

What to specify: Required delivery date (week or date), Incoterms 2020 term (FOB Ningbo, EXW Wenzhou, DDP destination), and whether air freight is acceptable for urgent orders. State the port of destination.

Why it matters: Incoterms define who is responsible for freight, insurance, and customs clearance. FOB (Free on Board) means the buyer’s freight forwarder takes over at the port; DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means the mill handles door-to-door delivery. Fursone’s Wenzhou location ships from Ningbo port, approximately 4 hours by truck.

What to specify: Payment method (T/T wire transfer, L/C letter of credit, or trade assurance), deposit percentage, and balance payment trigger (before shipment, against documents, or after inspection). State the currency.

Why it matters: Standard terms for fabric orders from Chinese mills are 30 percent deposit with order confirmation and 70 percent balance before shipment, paid by T/T. L/C adds bank fees but provides payment security for larger orders. Specifying payment terms in the RFQ prevents last-minute negotiation delays when the order is ready to ship.