Rug Trade Glossary for Importers: MOQ, Strike-Off, FOB, CIF, DAP, KPSI and More

The words that decide how an order starts: how much you must buy, what you approve before weaving, and how long each step takes.

MOQ (minimum order quantity)

The smallest quantity a supplier will make for one order, usually set per design, per colourway or per size rather than per order. Raheem & Son publishes no fixed minimum: it depends on product type, construction, material, size and customisation, and is confirmed for each project. See: How to order.

Strike-off

A small section woven at the full production specification, used to approve colour, pile height and density before the order is woven. At Raheem & Son, sampling and strike-offs typically take 25 to 35 days. See: Sample programme.

Sample

A strike-off or a complete finished piece used to approve a design before production. Agree which of the two you are paying for, and seal the approved sample so bulk is judged against it.

Tuft card (colour poms)

A card of short yarn tufts in the proposed colours, used to approve colour before a strike-off is woven. It shows dyed colour, not how the colour reads in a finished pile.

Lead time

The time from an agreed step to the next: sampling, then bulk production from the purchase order, then shipping. At Raheem & Son bulk production starts from 60 days, depending on order size, construction and production load.

Proforma invoice

A priced quotation in invoice form, issued before the order. Ask for the minimum, the sample terms and the lead time to be written on it so they become part of the order.

Private label, white label and OEM

Private label: the product carries your brand, labels and packaging. White label: it ships with no maker identification. OEM: the maker produces to your design or specification. Raheem & Son handles all three on a project basis. See: OEM and private label.

How a rug is made and the numbers a specification uses to describe it.

Hand-knotted

A rug in which each knot of pile is tied by hand around the warp threads on a loom. Knots cannot pull free, which is why it is the most durable handmade construction. Customs classify knotted carpets under HS 5701.

Hand-tufted

A rug made by punching yarn through a backing cloth with a hand-held tufting tool, then fixing it with latex and a secondary backing. Faster and less costly than knotting. Customs classify tufted carpets under HS 5703.

Handloom

A rug woven on a hand-operated loom, with the pattern built in the weave rather than tied knot by knot. Handloom covers a range of weaves, so ask for the construction of the specific quality.

Hand-woven

A general label for a rug woven by hand on a loom. It can describe a flatweave or a handloom pile rug, so it does not on its own tell you the construction; ask which one.

Pit loom

A traditional handloom set over a pit in the floor, with the weaver seated at ground level working the treadles in the pit. Some Indian makers use the term to describe how their handloom rugs are woven.

Flatweave, dhurrie and kilim

A rug with no pile: the pattern is in the weave, so both faces are flat. Dhurrie (also durrie or dari) is the Indian name; kilim (kelem) is the name used for the same family of rugs in Turkey and Iran. Customs place hand-woven kelem-type rugs under HS 5702.

KPSI (knots per square inch)

The knot density of a hand-knotted rug. Higher density allows finer detail. At 100 KPSI a square foot holds 14,400 knots (100 x 144); at 80 KPSI, 11,520. Density does not on its own measure wool quality, dyeing or finish. See: Knot counts for every standard size.

GSM or pile weight

Grams per square metre, used for pile weight or for the total weight of the rug. Say which one you mean in a specification, and ask for figures measured on the actual construction.

Pile height

The length of the pile above the foundation. Low, dense pile wears and rolls better under trolleys; deep pile looks luxurious but crushes in heavy traffic.

Warp and weft

Warp threads run the length of the rug on the loom; weft threads run across. Knots are tied on the warp, and the weft locks each row in place.

Abrash

Soft bands of slightly different shade across a rug, where the weaver moved between batches of hand-dyed yarn. It is a property of hand-dyed wool, not a defect, and should be named in the specification.

Dye lot

One batch of yarn dyed together. Separate lots of the same recipe can differ slightly, which is why large programmes dye all their yarn in one lot.

Size tolerance

The agreed allowance between the ordered and the finished size of a handmade rug. Agree it in writing before production, with the direction it may run where the rug must fit a fixed space.

AQL (acceptance quality limit)

The sampling standard (ISO 2859-1) used to decide how many pieces to inspect in a lot and how many defects are acceptable. It suits long runs of one design; unique pieces are inspected one by one. See: Inspection and quality control.

Attic stock

Spare pieces or yarn ordered with a contract programme and stored for later replacement, so a damaged rug can be replaced from matching stock. See: Attic stock guide.

Incoterms say where the seller's delivery ends and who pays for freight, insurance and duty. Raheem & Son works to all major Incoterms 2020, agreed when the purchase order is confirmed.

EXW (Ex Works)

The seller makes the goods available at its own premises. The buyer arranges and pays for everything after that, including export clearance.

FOB (Free On Board)

The seller clears the goods for export and loads them on board the vessel the buyer nominates at the named port of shipment. Risk passes when the goods are on board; the buyer pays the sea freight. For sea and inland waterway transport only.

CFR (Cost and Freight)

As FOB, but the seller also pays the freight to the named destination port. Risk still passes to the buyer when the goods are on board at origin.

CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight)

As CFR, with the seller also buying insurance cover for the buyer to the destination port. Check the level of cover, because the default minimum may be less than you need.

DAP (Delivered at Place)

The seller delivers to the named place at the destination, ready for unloading. Import duty and taxes, and import clearance, are the buyer's. RS LIVING ships retail orders this way: any duty is paid by the customer to the carrier on delivery. See: RS LIVING shipping and duty.

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid)

The seller delivers to the named place cleared for import, with duty and import taxes paid. The seller carries the most cost and risk of any Incoterm.

FCL and LCL

Full container load: one buyer's goods fill a container. Less than container load: goods share a container and are handled more often, which raises the risk of damage.

The codes and papers that travel with an export order.

HS codes 5701, 5702 and 5703

Harmonized System headings for floor coverings: 5701 knotted carpets, 5702 woven carpets that are not tufted or flocked (including kelem and other flatweaves), and 5703 tufted carpets. Each country adds digits and sets its own duty. See: Import duty by HS line.

IEC (Import Export Code)

The registration an Indian business needs to export, issued by India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade. The exporter's name and IEC appear on the export documents.

Certificate of origin

A document stating the country where the goods were made. Some destinations need a specific form to grant a preferential duty rate.

Phytosanitary certificate

An official certificate for goods of plant origin, such as jute, that some destinations require at import. Raheem & Son prepares it where the destination requires it.

Commercial invoice and packing list

The invoice states what was sold and its value; the packing list states what is in each roll or carton. They must agree line for line, because a mismatch is a common cause of customs delay.

Bill of lading

The carrier's receipt and contract of carriage for sea freight, and the document of title to the goods.

Organisations and labels a buyer will meet. They are defined here as terms; Raheem & Son's only standing affiliation is CEPC registration.

CEPC (Carpet Export Promotion Council)

India's export promotion council for handmade carpets and floor coverings, set up by the Ministry of Textiles. Raheem & Son is registered with CEPC, its only standing affiliation. See: Our standards.

GI (geographical indication)

A registration that ties a product name to a territory, such as Bhadohi carpet or Kashmir Hand Knotted Carpet. It protects the name; it does not certify an individual exporter or rug. See: Sourcing hubs and their GIs.

GoodWeave

A non-profit licensing and inspection system that works to keep child, bonded and forced labour out of rug supply chains. It is a labour certification, not a quality or fibre standard. Defined here as a term; it is not a certificate Raheem & Son holds. See: GoodWeave explained.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100

A label for textiles tested for harmful substances. It applies to the product and scope named on the certificate. Defined here as a term; it is not a certificate Raheem & Son holds.

To see these terms applied, read how to order, the buyer’s checklist and exporting rugs from India. Home buyers will find construction and material terms in the RS LIVING glossary.