Velvet guide
Velvet Fabric Price per Metre: What Sets the Rate
Ask five mills for a velvet price per metre and you will get five different numbers, often for what sounds like the same fabric. Usually nobody is overcharging. The quotes describe different cloth. Velvet is priced from its specification: the fibre, how much of it goes into each square metre, the width, the processes it passes through and how many metres are run in one shade. This guide explains what sets the rate, why we quote against a specification rather than publishing a price list, and how to compare quotes so the cheapest one is actually the cheapest.
Why there is no single velvet price
Velvet covers a wide family of constructions. A light knitted stretch velvet, a heavy woven cotton upholstery velvet and a multi-colour brasso burnout are all sold as velvet, yet they use different yarns, different machines and a different number of process steps. Raw-material prices also move. Polyester yarn follows crude oil and PTA, viscose follows staple fibre prices, and cotton follows the crop. A price list printed today can be wrong in a month, and a range wide enough to stay right is too wide to be useful. That is why we, like most mills, quote against an exact specification and confirm how long the rate holds.
The eight things that set the rate
Fibre: polyester is generally the most economical per metre, cotton and viscose cost more, and silk-blend qualities more again. Weight and pile density: yarn is bought by weight, so a denser, heavier cloth carries more raw material. Construction: woven and knitted velvets run on different machines with different output. Width: a wider fabric carries more yarn per running metre. Process steps: printing, embossing, crushing, foil, flock and burnout each add a stage, and multi-colour brasso adds the most. Shade: a running stock colour costs less to supply than a custom-matched dye lot. Quantity: set-up and dyeing costs are spread across the metres in each shade. Delivery terms: an ex-works rate and a CIF rate for the same cloth are different numbers.
Compare quotes per square metre, not per running metre
The most common mistake in comparing velvet quotes is putting a 44-inch price next to a 58-inch price. The wider cloth gives you about 30 per cent more fabric in every running metre, so its rate should be higher. Convert each quote to a price per square metre of usable width, or ask every supplier to quote at the same width. Check the gsm in the same way. A lower rate on a lighter cloth is not a saving if the pattern needs the weight. Finally, confirm that every quote is for finished fabric, not greige, and that the same tolerance on gsm and width applies.
How quantity and shade change the price
Dyeing is done in lots, and a lot has a minimum size whether you need all of it or not. That is why a custom shade carries a higher minimum and a higher per-metre rate on short runs than a colour we already hold. Splitting an order across many shades has the same effect. Two hundred metres in each of ten colours is a very different job from two thousand metres in one. If price matters more than an exact shade, ask which running colours are close to your target. If the shade matters, consolidate the quantity into fewer colours or plan the season's reorders into one lot.
What is and is not in a quoted rate
Read every quote for what it includes. For domestic orders, check whether GST is shown separately and whether freight to your city or godown is included. For export, the trade term decides the cost: EXW means you collect from the mill, FOB includes delivery onto the vessel at the Indian port, and CIF adds sea freight and insurance to your destination port. Duties and clearance at destination are normally the buyer's. Also check whether testing, special packing, labelling or a lab report is included, and whether samples and lab-dips are charged or adjusted against the bulk order.
What to send for a firm quote
A complete enquiry gets a firm rate in one reply rather than a round of questions. Send the quality or type of velvet, the fibre if you know it, the target gsm, the width, the finish, the colours with a shade reference or swatch, the metres per colour, the destination city or port, and when you need the goods. A photo of a fabric you already use is often the fastest way to fix the quality. If you are not sure of the specification, tell us what the fabric is for, such as sherwanis, sofas or curtains, and we will suggest a suitable quality and quote for it.
Frequently asked questions
Why don't you publish a velvet price list?
Because velvet is priced from its specification, and yarn prices move. A rate quoted against your exact fibre, gsm, width, finish, shade and quantity is accurate. A published list would be either out of date or so broad that it would mislead you.
Which velvet is the cheapest per metre?
Plain polyester qualities such as micro velvet are usually the most economical per metre, while cotton, viscose and processed qualities like brasso or embossed velvet cost more. Compare at the same width and gsm before deciding.
Does buying more metres lower the price?
Usually yes, especially per shade. Dyeing and set-up costs are spread across the metres in each lot, so larger quantities in fewer colours bring the per-metre rate down.
How quickly can I get a velvet quote?
If you send the quality, width, colours, metres per colour and destination, we can normally quote in a single reply on WhatsApp. Incomplete enquiries take longer because we have to ask for the missing details first.
