What distributors need from a wool pile supplier
A window accessory distributor sells many sizes in small quantities to fabricators, glass shops and repair customers. The supplier has to make that easy: a stable range of common sizes, cartons that can be identified without opening them, and repeat orders that match the last shipment exactly.
Planning the range before the first order saves most of the later problems: which sizes, which colors, which roll or pack format, and how each item is labeled.
Building a starter range
Most distributor ranges are built from a handful of common sizes in two or three colors. Grey and black are the most frequently ordered colors; white and brown follow for white and wood-tone frames. The sizes below come up often in distributor orders; add the sizes your local profiles use.
| Narrow base, low pile | 4.8x5, 4.8x6, 5x5, 5x6, 5x7 |
|---|---|
| Narrow base, taller pile | 5x8, 5x9, 5x10, 5x12 |
| Wider base | 6x6, 6.7x5, 6.8x7, 7x6, 7x8 |
| Finned | 5x5 with fin, 7x6x6, 7x8x8 |
| Colors | Grey, black, white, brown; others by sample |
Roll and pack formats
Choose the format by how you sell. Fabricators prefer long rolls; shops and repair customers prefer short rolls or bagged lengths.
| Format | Typical content | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Long rolls | About 350-550 m per roll for low and medium pile, 4 rolls per carton | Fabricators and factories |
| Short rolls | 100-250 m per roll, 8-16 rolls per carton | Smaller resellers and mixed stock |
| Bagged lengths | For example 10 m per bag, 50 bags per carton | Shops and repair customers |
| Retail packs | Packs such as 50 m with label and barcode | Retail and private label |
Mixed cartons and container planning
Pack one size and color per carton so the warehouse can receive by carton mark. The reference export carton is about 56 x 28.5 x 56 cm; roughly 378 of these cartons fit a 20 ft container, which lets a distributor spread one container across many sizes and colors. Agree the carton count per item before production.
- One size and color per carton
- Carton mark with size, color, meters and carton number
- Neutral cartons or your own label and barcode
- Packing photos before shipment for mixed orders
Keeping repeat orders identical
Every approved item is recorded with its base width, pile height, backing, yarn, color, roll length and label. The next order is produced from that record, so the strips, cartons and labels your customers know stay the same.
