China order lead-time planner: sample to UK delivery
Enter the date you place the order and the factory's quoted sample and production times to get the sample date, the ship date and the arrival date, with China's public holidays and the Chinese New Year shutdown left out of the factory days. An order placed on 1 December 2026 with a 14-day sample and 35-day production run ships on 24 February 2027 and arrives about 10 April 2027 by sea, 130 days in all.
Worked example
Order placed on 1 December 2026. The factory quotes 14 days for a sample and 35 days for production; the sample goes by courier (7 days), you take 7 days to approve it, and the goods go by sea in a full container (45 days door to door).
- Sample ready on 15 December 2026; with you on 22 December 2026; approved on 29 December 2026, so production starts the next day.
- 35 production days from 29 December 2026 would end on 2 February 2027, but 22 days fall in closures: 1 January 2027 and the Chinese New Year shutdown from 30 January to 19 February 2027.
- Production finishes on 24 February 2027, inside the part-capacity weeks after the holiday.
- Arrival about 10 April 2027: 130 days from the order.
How long does it take to get goods made and shipped from China?
Add the stages: the sample, getting it to you and approving it, bulk production, then transit. Factories quote sample and production time in calendar days, and the clock stops while the factory is closed. Transit by sea in a full container is about 45 days door to door, a shared container about 55, air freight about 14 and express courier about 7, as our planning estimates. Most orders take longest in production, and the biggest single delay is Chinese New Year.
How the planner counts days
- Day 1 of a stage is the day after the one before it ends, so a 30-day run started after 1 March finishes on 31 March when nothing is closed.
- Sample-making and production count only days the factory is open. A day inside a public holiday or the Chinese New Year shutdown does not count and pushes the finish out.
- Courier, approval and transit days are calendar days: freight moves during Chinese holidays, although bookings can be harder to get.
- Goods leave the factory the day production finishes. Allow extra days if the order also needs an inspection, a booking wait or a consolidation.
Closures the planner skips
| Closure | Dates | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January 2026 – 3 January 2026 | State Council notice |
| Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) | 15 February 2026 – 23 February 2026 | State Council notice |
| Qingming Festival | 4 April 2026 – 6 April 2026 | State Council notice |
| Labour Day | 1 May 2026 – 5 May 2026 | State Council notice |
| Dragon Boat Festival | 19 June 2026 – 21 June 2026 | State Council notice |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | 25 September 2026 – 27 September 2026 | State Council notice |
| National Day (Golden Week) | 1 October 2026 – 7 October 2026 | State Council notice |
| New Year's Day | 1 January 2027 | Statutory days only (provisional) |
| Chinese New Year factory shutdown | 30 January 2027 – 19 February 2027 | Factory shutdown (our planning dates) |
| Labour Day | 1 May 2027 – 2 May 2027 | Statutory days only (provisional) |
| National Day (Golden Week) | 1 October 2027 – 3 October 2027 | Statutory days only (provisional) |
A 2027 holiday is counted from the statutory days in the holiday regulations only. The State Council sets the full 2027 dates, including bridged days, later; the 2027 Qingming, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn holidays are not yet counted.
When should I order before Chinese New Year?
Most factories have wound down by 30 January 2027 and begin reopening from 20 February, with full capacity in early March. Any production that is not finished by the end of January waits until after the holiday. For an order that must arrive before the holiday, the Chinese New Year planner works backwards from the date you need the goods.
Related tools and guides
Sources
Holiday data checked on 23 October 2026
2026 closures: the State Council notice on the 2026 holiday arrangements. 2027: the statutory days off in the national holiday regulations as amended from 1 January 2025, until the State Council publishes the 2027 notice. The Chinese New Year shutdown dates and the transit days are Cambridge China Bridge planning estimates, the same as the Chinese New Year planner's; they are not a carrier's or a factory's commitment.
- State Council General Office: notice on the 2026 holiday arrangements (gov.cn)
- State Council: decision amending the national holiday regulations, in force 1 January 2025 (gov.cn)
Cite this tool:Cambridge China Bridge, China order lead-time planner, https://camchinabridge.co.uk/tools/china-lead-time-planner/ (holiday data checked 23 October 2026).
Estimates for planning. Each factory sets its own closure dates, and some close for longer; transit varies by route, carrier and season. Agree the dates with the factory and forwarder before relying on them.
Questions about this tool
How long does a China order take from sample to delivery?
Add the factory's sample time, courier days, your approval time, the production time and transit. In the example, a 14-day sample, 35-day production and sea freight take 130 days from an order on 1 December 2026, because Chinese New Year falls during production.
Do Chinese public holidays count in production time?
Not in this planner: days the factory is closed for a public holiday or the Chinese New Year shutdown are left out, so the finish date moves later. Agree with the factory whether its quoted time already allows for the holiday.
How long is the Chinese New Year factory shutdown in 2027?
Chinese New Year's Day is 6 February 2027. Most factories wind down by 30 January and begin reopening from 20 February at part capacity, with normal output in early March. The State Council sets the official 2027 holiday dates later in the year.
How long is shipping from China to the UK?
As our planning estimates, door to door: about 45 days by sea in a full container, 55 days in a shared container, 14 days by air freight and 7 days by express courier. Your forwarder's quote for the route is the figure to use.
When does production start if I order a sample first?
The day after you approve the sample. The planner adds the sample time, the courier days and your approval days before production begins, so a slow approval moves every later date.