Planning a First Hotel Linen Order into South America — MOQ, Mixed Loading and LCL vs FCL
On a 25–45 day lane an undersized first order is not conservative — it is expensive. The freight is disproportionate to the goods, you wait a quarter to learn anything, and you reorder into the same long transit. The buyers who do this well treat the first shipment as a deliberate container-sized decision: sample first, then buy enough to make the sailing worth it. This page is about setting that size without over-committing to a single SKU you have never sold.
Entry minimum
From 100 pcs per size/colour
Container minimum
None — LCL to FCL without changing supplier
LCL/FCL break-even
About 13–15 CBM
The real minimums, by category
The minimums themselves are the same as anywhere in the alliance — it is the freight that makes them matter differently. On this lane the per-colour minimum is rarely what stops you; the question is whether the total volume justifies the crossing.
Alliance minimums, by category
| Category | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Bed sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, bathrobes | From 100 pcs per size and per colour |
| Towels, bath mats, table linen | From 200 pcs per colour |
| Bedding fabric, by the metre | From 3,000 m per construction |
| Trial order | From 50 pcs |
| Container-level minimum | None — you are not obliged to fill a container before we quote |
These are per-colour and per-size minimums, not totals. A five-colour order is five minimum runs, which is why it takes longer than a one-colour order of the same total volume.
Mix the container instead of filling it with one SKU
Because a first order here should reach useful volume, the composition matters more than on a short lane. Buying across categories reaches that volume without over-buying any one item, and it spreads the risk of guessing wrong about what sells in your market.
A workable first-container mix, by share of usable volume
| Category | Share of container volume | Why it earns its place |
|---|---|---|
| Towels — bath, hand, face, bath mats | 40–50% | The highest-volume category per room, and the fastest to wear out |
| Bed linen — sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases | 30–40% | The core repeat item and the reason you reorder |
| Bathrobes | 5–10% | Bulky and light, so it uses volume that would otherwise ship as air |
| Table linen, mattress protectors, bed runners | 10–15% | Denser than towelling, so it adds weight without consuming much volume |
Hotel linen is volume-bound, not weight-bound: a full container of towels comes to roughly half the container's payload allowance. The risk is running out of cubic metres long before you run out of kilograms — which is why the dense categories at the bottom of this table are useful ballast rather than an afterthought.
LCL or a full container?
The break-even sits around 13–15 CBM once destination charges are counted. On this lane, LCL also adds roughly 2–5 days for consolidation at origin and deconsolidation at destination, on top of a sailing that is already four to six weeks. So the case for a container arrives earlier than the pure cost maths suggests, because paying for unused space buys back time on a lane where time is the scarce good.
If your first order lands below the break-even, an intentional LCL shipment is still sensible — it is a market test, not a commitment. What is not sensible is an LCL shipment of 25 CBM because nobody ran the container comparison. For the volume maths, see how many towels and sheet sets fit a 20ft, 40ft or 40ft high cube container.
Capacity tables for towels and sheet sets per container: How many hotel towels fit in a 20ft or 40ft container.
Sizing a first order into South America
- Sample first, then size the order deliberately to the container or to the LCL break-even. A trial that is too small to be worth the freight costs you a quarter rather than saving you money.
- Lock the specification before production and hold it across reorders. Percale for warm coastal properties and a heavier sateen for cold Andean or southern locations is a common split for the same brand.
- If you resell across borders — particularly through the Panamanian free zone — treat the certificate of origin as part of the product. A shipment with a properly issued certificate can be re-exported and its origin defended, and one without it cannot.
- Expect L/C at sight to be the more common instrument for a first order here, and note that the certificate of origin becomes part of the document set the bank releases against.
- Keep the first order to one construction per category. On a four-week sailing, a rework caused by a late specification change is a lost month.
Five questions to send before you book
All five are answerable before the goods are packed, and each one changes the number you are comparing.
- What are the carton dimensions and the pieces per carton for each SKU in my order?
- How many cartons in total, and what is the total volume in CBM?
- What is the total gross weight of the shipment?
- Will the goods ship palletised? Palletising typically costs 10–15% of your usable container volume.
- Is the booking a high cube or a standard box, and is that written on the booking confirmation?
What to do next
Send the target date, the destination port and the full category list in one enquiry. On a lane this long, the loading plan and the sailing choice are what decide whether the order works, and both are easier to get right when the whole requirement is quoted together rather than category by category.
Who You Are Actually Buying From
We are a FOB manufacturer alliance— independent export factories in Nantong, each with its own plant and its own export licence. The bedding member's 5,000 m² mill in Chuanjiang weaves, dyes, cuts, sews, inspects and packs the bed linen; the other members make the towelling, bathrobes, table linen and mattress programmes in the same cluster. Every member has to meet these four terms before it can quote under this name:
- owns and operates its own production facility
- holds its own export licence and can invoice FOB in its own name
- accepts buyer audits and on-site visits
- works to the alliance's written specification and inspection standard
What that gives a South America buyer is one contract, one specification sheet per programme, one inspection standard and one set of shipping documents — and the member factory that makes your order is named on the contract and ships under its own export licence.
South America & Latin America — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MOQ for a first order into Chile or Colombia?▾
Is a small trial order worth it on such a long lane?▾
Can I open with LCL and move to a container later?▾
Does the certificate of origin change how I should size the order?▾
Keep reading — South America & Latin America
South America & Latin America overview
Duty route, ports, conformity certificates and what to buy first.
Lead Time & Order Calendar
Production, transit and certification times worked backwards from the date your goods have to arrive — including the Chinese New Year 2027 cut-off.
The same question, in another region
Tariff treatment, transit times and conformity requirements change, and they follow your HS code rather than your product name. Confirm every figure on this page with your own customs broker before you commit to an order. Last reviewed October 2026.
Sourcing for South America & Latin America? Start With the Dates.
Tell us the destination port, the categories, the specification and either your target delivery date or your intended first-order size. Those four items turn a planning band into a date we can commit to.
Quote reply within 24 hours · Samples ship worldwide in 5–7 days