If you want your own brand on carpets from China, you're looking for carpet OEM — Original Equipment Manufacturing. OEM means the factory produces carpets with your brand name, your hang tag, your packaging. You control the brand; the factory controls the production.
As our factory export team with direct relationships at Tianjin Wuqing factories, I've overseen dozens of OEM carpet orders for Canadian and US retailers. Here's exactly how it works.
OEM in the carpet trade means the factory produces carpets to your brand specification. You provide:
The factory handles:
The result: carpets that look like your brand, shipped to your warehouse in Canada, ready to sell.
OEM vs ODM: OEM means the factory produces to YOUR design/specification. ODM (Original Design Manufacturing) means the factory offers its existing designs for you to rebadge. Most Tianjin factories do OEM — they manufacture to your spec, not sell you their pre-made designs with your logo stamped on.
The customization options at Tianjin factories are extensive, but not unlimited. Here's what's commonly available:
| Item | Options | Typical MOQ | Extra Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hang tag | Paper, cardstock, OEKO-TEX paper | None (included) | Included |
| Custom hang tag design | Your logo + brand colors | 100 pcs | $0.20-0.50/pc |
| Custom polybag packaging | Your logo printed on bag | 200 pcs | $0.30-0.80/pc |
| Woven label (sewn in) | Your brand woven into carpet backing | 200-300 pcs | $0.30-0.80/pc |
| Master carton branding | Your brand on shipping carton | None | Included |
| Custom size run | Non-standard sizes | 200-500 pcs | +10-15% |
| Custom color dye | Non-standard colors | 200-300 pcs/color | $0.20-0.50/pc |
| Custom backing | Anti-slip, jute, felt | 100 pcs | $0.10-0.30/pc |
MOQ for carpet OEM varies by product type. Here's what the factories in Tianjin typically require:
| Product Type | Custom Hang Tag MOQ | Custom Packaging MOQ | Custom Woven Label MOQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printed Carpets | 100-200 pcs | 200-300 pcs | 200-300 pcs |
| PV Faux Fur Rugs | 50-100 pcs | 100-200 pcs | 200 pcs |
| Shaggy Carpets | 100 pcs | 200 pcs | 200 pcs |
| Memory Foam Bath Mats | 100 pcs | 200 pcs | 300 pcs |
| Kitchen Mats | 100 pcs | 200 pcs | 200 pcs |
What affects OEM pricing: Custom hang tags and packaging add 8-15% to the per-piece cost. Custom colors or sizes add 10-20%. The volume discount on the base carpet price partially offsets these — ordering 500 pieces typically gets you 5-8% lower base price than 100 pieces.
First-order recommendation: Start with a 100-200 piece order of one product type (e.g., printed carpets or faux fur rugs) with just a custom hang tag. This tests the market without committing to large OEM packaging MOQs. You can upgrade to full custom packaging on your second order once you know what sells.
Carpet OEM takes longer than buying stock products because of the sample stage. Here's the realistic timeline:
| Stage | Duration | Who Acts |
|---|---|---|
| Artwork preparation + spec sheet | 3-5 days | You send logo; I create Chinese spec |
| Digital proof review | 1-2 weeks | Factory creates; you approve |
| Sample production + shipping | 2-4 weeks | Factory makes; shipped to you |
| Sample approval | 3-7 days | You decide |
| Bulk production | 4-6 weeks | Factory manufactures |
| Pre-shipment inspection | 1-2 days | I arrange QC inspection |
| Sea freight to Canada | 25-35 days | Freight forwarder |
| Customs clearance + delivery | 3-7 days | Broker coordinates |
| Total | 11-16 weeks |
You can technically go directly to a Tianjin factory and order OEM carpets yourself. Here's why most buyers don't — and why using a export team is actually faster and safer:
Yes. You can order with just your brand name (no logo design yet) using a simple text-based hang tag. This keeps costs lower and is a good way to start building your brand identity. A graphic designer can create a logo later that you can roll into your next order.
AI (Adobe Illustrator) files are best — the factory can edit vector paths directly. High-resolution PDF (300 DPI minimum) is second best. PNG or JPG are acceptable for simple logos but will need to be recreated as vector art by the factory's design team, which adds 3-5 days and a small one-time fee ($50-150).
This is why pre-shipment inspection is critical. If the bulk order does not match the approved sample — wrong color, wrong size, visible defects — I flag this before shipment and negotiate a correction with the factory. You only pay for what you approve. Without a export team, factories sometimes ship substandard goods and leave the buyer to deal with it after arrival.
Yes. If you have an existing relationship with a freight forwarder in China or Canada, you can use them. However, the export team typically coordinates the freight because the factory needs one point of contact for the export documentation. Your freight forwarder then receives the cargo at the destination port.
Yes. Most factories that export to North America already have OEKO-TEX certified materials. For OEM orders, confirm that the specific materials used in YOUR order (not just their general production) are certified. This is especially important for the foam in bath mats and the backing materials in carpets.