Every custom teamwear question about time comes down to four numbers. A digital mockup is free and comes back within 24 hours. A physical sample takes 5 to 7 days for jerseys and polos, or 7 to 10 days for jackets and structured activewear. Bulk production takes 15 to 20 days for jerseys and polos, or 20 to 25 days for jackets and activewear, counted from the day you approve the sample or the mockup. Shipping is on top of all of that. This page sets out the whole schedule so you can work backwards from the date your team actually needs the kit.
The full schedule from enquiry to delivery
| Stage | Jerseys, shorts and polos | Jackets and structured activewear |
|---|---|---|
| Quote and specification | 1 to 3 days | 1 to 3 days |
| Free digital mockup | Within 24 hours of receiving artwork | Within 24 hours of receiving artwork |
| Your mockup approval | However long your committee needs | However long your committee needs |
| Physical sample, if required | 5 to 7 days | 7 to 10 days |
| Bulk production after approval | 15 to 20 days | 20 to 25 days |
| Express courier, door to door | 5 to 7 business days | 5 to 7 business days |
| Sea freight, port to port | 20 to 35 days | 20 to 35 days |
Minimum order is 10 pieces per design, mixed youth and adult sizes included, so the schedule above is the same for a 10-piece school order and a 300-piece league order. Quantity changes price far more than it changes lead time, which is explained on our custom team uniform cost and MOQ page.
Step 1: the digital mockup
The mockup is a flat digital drawing of your kit with your colours, logos, sponsor placements, names and numbers in position. It is free, there is no limit that we enforce on sensible revision rounds, and you do not need to order a sample to get one. What slows this stage down is almost always the artwork, not the drawing.
- Vector logo files are best: AI, EPS or PDF. A vector file can be resized to a sleeve badge or a full back print without going soft.
- If you only have a PNG or JPG, send the largest version you have. We will tell you honestly whether it will hold up at print size.
- Give colours as Pantone references if you have them. Club colours described in words are the single most common cause of a second mockup round.
- Send the kit list with the mockup request: jersey, shorts, socks, goalkeeper set, training top, so the whole kit is drawn in one pass.
Step 2: the physical sample
A sample is one finished garment made to your approved mockup. It proves fabric weight and hand feel, print colour under real light, print alignment, stitching quality and, most importantly, fit against your own players. For a first order with a new supplier we recommend it. For a repeat order of a design already in production it is usually unnecessary. How to judge a sample properly, including what to measure and what to test, is covered on our team uniform sizing and quality control page.
Step 3: what to approve before bulk production starts
Bulk should never start on a verbal yes. These are the items we confirm in writing, and they are the same items any competent factory should confirm with you:
- The final mockup, including every logo, sponsor and trim colour.
- Fabric and weight per garment, stated in GSM rather than adjectives.
- The decoration method for each element, for example sublimated body, embroidered crest, heat transfer numbers.
- The size breakdown, size by size, taken from a published size chart rather than from size letters.
- The player name and number list, spelled exactly as it should be printed.
- Packing: individual polybags, set packing, or retail packaging with hang tags.
- Incoterm and destination, because EXW, FOB and DDP change who books freight. See DDP vs FOB.
- Payment terms. Ours are 30 percent deposit with the balance before shipment, by bank transfer or Alibaba Trade Assurance escrow.
Working backwards from your season or tournament date
This is the calculation clubs get wrong. Production time is not the same as delivery time. Take the date the team must wear the kit and subtract, in this order: transit, bulk production, sample, mockup approval and quoting. For a jersey and shorts order shipped by express courier, that comes to roughly seven to eight weeks with a physical sample, or five to six weeks if you approve the mockup and skip the sample. By sea freight, allow eleven to thirteen weeks.
| If the kit must be worn on | Order by (express, with sample) | Order by (express, no sample) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 September | Mid July | End July |
| 1 January | Mid November | End November |
| 1 March | Mid January, and before Chinese New Year closes factories | Late January is risky in a Chinese New Year year |
Rush orders before a tournament
Rush production is possible and we do it regularly, but honesty is more useful than a promise. What can be compressed and what cannot:
- Can be compressed: the mockup round, by sending vector artwork and Pantone codes on day one; the sample, by approving a photographed sample or skipping it; the freight leg, by using express courier instead of sea.
- Can be partly compressed: bulk production, by splitting the order so match-day jerseys ship first and training wear follows.
- Cannot be compressed: sublimation printing, fixing, cutting, sewing and drying still take real hours per garment, and fabric has to be in stock.
- Cannot be moved: Chinese New Year, when the whole industry closes for one to two weeks, and the National Day week at the start of October.
Tell us the wear date in your first message rather than at the end. If the date cannot be met honestly we will say so before you pay a deposit, and if something does go wrong on our side our remake, replacement and refund policy sets out what we do about it.
What can delay custom sportswear production
- Artwork supplied as a low resolution image, which forces a redraw.
- Colours described in words instead of Pantone references, which adds a mockup round.
- A size breakdown that arrives days after the deposit, because cutting cannot start without it.
- A name and number list that changes after printing has started.
- An unusual fabric or colour that is not in stock and has to be knitted or dyed.
- Public holidays in China, mainly Chinese New Year and early October.
- Freight, not production: a missed sailing or a customs hold at the destination. Duty and clearance by country are covered on our shipping and import duty page.
Repeat orders: keeping colour and sizing identical
For every order we keep the approved mockup, the Pantone references, the graded pattern and the size breakdown on file, so a reorder is produced from the same records rather than redrawn. Two honest caveats: fabric dyed in a different batch can vary very slightly in shade, and a reorder placed alongside your original order is the safest way to avoid that; and if you reorder a single replacement jersey a year later, the match is judged against your own garment, so tell us the original order number and we will pull the file.
Lead times, sample times and MOQ on this page are our own operational figures for Eliian, a factory-direct manufacturer in Xiamen, China, producing custom teamwear since 1999. Freight transit ranges are carrier norms and vary by route and season. Written 17 August 2026 and reviewed whenever our terms change.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to make a custom jersey sample?
A physical jersey or polo sample takes 5 to 7 days to produce, and 7 to 10 days for jackets and structured activewear. Before that, the free digital mockup comes back within 24 hours of receiving your artwork, so most buyers see a drawing on day one and hold a sample in hand inside two weeks including courier transit.
How long does bulk production take for team uniforms?
Bulk production takes 15 to 20 days for jerseys, shorts and polos, and 20 to 25 days for jackets and structured activewear, counted from the day you approve the sample or the mockup. Shipping is additional: 5 to 7 business days by express courier or 20 to 35 days port to port by sea.
What files do I need for a custom jersey mockup?
Send a vector logo in AI, EPS or PDF format, your colours as Pantone references, and a list of the garments you want drawn. A high resolution PNG or JPG can work, but vector files scale to a full back print without softening. No file is needed to get a quote, only to produce the mockup.
Can I get a digital mockup before ordering a sample?
Yes. The digital mockup is free, comes back within 24 hours of receiving your artwork, and requires no deposit and no sample order. Most clubs approve the mockup first and only then decide whether to pay for a physical sample.
What should I approve before bulk sportswear production?
Approve seven things in writing: the final mockup, fabric weight in GSM per garment, the decoration method for each element, the size breakdown taken from a published size chart, the player name and number list, the packing method, and the incoterm and payment terms. Bulk should not start on a verbal confirmation.
Can a factory produce rush team uniforms before a tournament?
Yes, within limits. The mockup round, the physical sample and the freight leg can all be compressed, and an order can be split so match jerseys ship first. Printing, cutting, sewing and drying cannot be compressed, and Chinese New Year closes production for one to two weeks. Give the wear date in your first message so the date can be checked before you pay a deposit.
What can delay custom sportswear production?
The most common causes are low resolution artwork, colours described in words instead of Pantone codes, a size breakdown or name and number list that arrives after the deposit, a fabric or colour that is not in stock, Chinese public holidays, and freight or customs delays at the destination rather than production itself.
How do repeat orders keep the same colors and sizing?
We keep the approved mockup, Pantone references, graded pattern and size breakdown on file, so a reorder is made from the original records. Fabric dyed in a later batch can vary slightly in shade, so ordering spares with the original run is the safest way to guarantee an exact match.