MOQ stands for minimum order quantity — the smallest amount a manufacturer will produce in a single custom order. It exists because small-batch, made-to-order production has real setup costs per run: carving or selecting the block, mixing the colour to match, and setting up the printing table.
Those costs are the same whether you order 25 pieces or 250. Below a certain quantity the setup simply costs more than the order is worth.
Shivalaya's MOQ
Our minimum order quantity is 25 units, though this varies by product category — confirm the exact number for your product when you enquire rather than assuming 25 applies to everything. Custom orders let you agree the fabric, motif, colourway and quantity directly with us.
How MOQ is counted — the part people get wrong
The most common misunderstanding is assuming a minimum applies to the whole order rather than to each production run. As a rule:
- Per design and colourway, not per invoice. 25 pieces of one print is a run; 5 pieces each of five different prints is five setups, and prices accordingly.
- Sizes usually split freely within a run, since the print does not change — the cutting table does.
- Fabric is measured in length, not pieces. If you are ordering cloth rather than garments, the minimum is expressed in yardage for that quality.
If you want variety in a small first order, the cheapest way to get it is several colourways of one carved design rather than several different designs.
Why MOQ isn't just a sales tactic
A minimum is often read as a manufacturer trying to push you upward. In hand block printing it is closer to arithmetic. Carving a new block is days of skilled work; mixing a colour to match a reference is a person standing over a bucket getting it right. Spread across 25 pieces that is a sensible cost per unit. Spread across three, it is most of the price of the garment.
Working with a low-MOQ workshop
A 25-unit minimum is low by manufacturing standards — plenty of Indian units will not quote below 100 or 300 — which makes it realistic for boutiques and smaller designers rather than only large buyers. It is a reasonable size for testing a print with your own customers before committing to a season.
See our wholesale and manufacturing page, or read about our cut-make-trim process if you are sourcing finished garments rather than fabric.