Frequently Asked
Questions -- Sourcing,
Materials & Terms

We don't enforce a single fixed MOQ across all product lines because practical minimums depend on material, profile complexity and shipping mode. As a general guide: plantation shutters and venetian blinds are typically ordered in full-container (FCL) or less-than-container (LCL) mixed loads; window shades can be consolidated in smaller batches due to shorter lead times and lighter weight.

For new partners, we recommend beginning with a sample order to confirm specifications before committing to a full commercial run. Contact our team with your target product, dimensions and destination market -- we'll provide a realistic minimum and indicative pricing within one business day.

Lead times vary by product family and are measured from order confirmation and deposit receipt:

• Plantation Shutters (Wood, PVC, Aluminium): 20-30 calendar days. Custom shapes (arch, circle, triangle) or non-standard louvre widths may add 5-7 days.
• Venetian Blinds (Wood, PVC): 20-30 calendar days. Cut-to-size orders within standard parameters do not extend this window.
• Window Shades (Roller, Zebra, Honeycomb, Shangri-La, Sheer, Insect Screen): 7-15 calendar days across all six families. Motorised variants may require additional time for controller configuration.

These figures reflect standard commercial runs. Lead times during Chinese public holidays (especially Chinese New Year and National Day Golden Week) should be confirmed in advance.

For standard catalogue products, a physical sample can typically be prepared within 7-10 working days of receiving confirmed specifications and a sample fee (where applicable). Samples are shipped via international courier and the cost is generally credited against the first commercial order.

For custom profiles, new colour developments or OEM-specific tooling, pre-production samples require longer -- typically 15-25 working days depending on tooling complexity. We recommend building sample approval time into your product launch schedule, particularly when new louvre profiles or proprietary finishes are involved.

Yes. Because all three product categories -- plantation shutters, venetian blinds and window shades -- are manufactured at the same Xiamen facility, FCL mixed loads are a standard shipping arrangement. This is one of the practical advantages of sourcing from a single vertically integrated factory: you consolidate freight, reduce per-unit logistics cost and deal with a single origin point for customs documentation.

Mixed-container orders do require that all items within the shipment reach production-ready status simultaneously. If lead times differ significantly between product types in your order, our logistics team will advise on the most practical consolidation schedule.

Yes, we support multiple fulfilment modes: full-container loads (FCL), less-than-container loads (LCL), small-batch air freight and ongoing repeat replenishment schedules. Window shades -- given their shorter production cycle and lighter cubic weight -- are particularly well-suited to air freight for time-sensitive restocking.

For partners who operate a rolling replenishment model, we can discuss blanket order arrangements where production slots are pre-booked against a forecast. This helps avoid lead-time surprises during peak seasons.

Our wood shutter range uses four primary species: ash (white ash), basswood, pine and paulownia. Each has different density, grain character and paint-absorption properties -- the right choice depends on your target market's aesthetic expectations and budget positioning.

FSC® certified pine is available for buyers whose markets require chain-of-custody documentation -- common in the UK, Australia and parts of the US green-building sector. FSC certification applies specifically to our pine supply chain. If your buyers, retailers or project clients ask for FSC documentation, please specify this at the enquiry stage so we can confirm availability for your order volume.

FSC certification does not extend to basswood, paulownia or ash at this time.

We recommend advising your end customers that solid-wood shutters are not suitable for rooms with sustained humidity above approximately 70% -- for example, steam-heavy bathrooms or enclosed pool areas. In these environments, wood fibres absorb moisture unevenly, which can cause warping, joint separation and paint cracking over time.

For bathrooms, kitchens, laundries and coastal installations, PVC or aluminium shutters are the more appropriate material choice. PVC is dimensionally stable in high-humidity environments; aluminium 6063-T5 with powder coating is suitable for outdoor-adjacent and marine-adjacent applications.

This is not a limitation unique to Goodwood's products -- it is a characteristic of solid wood as a material. We include this guidance because transparent communication about product suitability protects your reputation with your own customers.

A cut-down service (also called cut-to-size or re-sizing) means manufacturing a blind to a standard width, then trimming it to a buyer-specified narrower width before shipping. This allows distributors to stock a smaller range of standard widths and cut to order at their warehouse or point of sale -- reducing SKU complexity and inventory risk.

Yes, we offer cut-down capability for our venetian blinds range (both 25mm and 50mm slat widths in wood and PVC). Maximum and minimum cut-down widths are material-dependent. Please confirm your required width range during the enquiry stage -- wood slats have a narrower practical maximum width than PVC due to structural considerations.

Wood and PVC shutters are finished on three automated coating lines using water-based primers and topcoats. UV anti-yellowing and humidity cycling tests are conducted on every production batch -- not on a sampled basis. This means every batch shipped has passed the same environmental stress tests, not just a representative sample.

Aluminium frames and components are powder-coated on the same site. Custom colour matching against RAL or Pantone references is available for volume orders -- please allow additional lead time for colour approval during the sample stage.

Our quality control system operates across three checkpoints: IQC (incoming material inspection), IPQC (in-process quality control) and FQC (final product inspection before packing). See our Quality Control page for a detailed breakdown of each stage.

The certification we can confirm is FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) chain-of-custody certification, which applies to our pine supply chain. This is available to buyers who require FSC documentation for their market -- please specify at the enquiry stage.

We understand and take seriously the compliance requirements of our target markets -- including product safety standards referenced in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland. Our production processes are engineered to align with relevant international safety and performance expectations. If you have specific compliance documentation requirements for your market or retail channel, please share them with our team and we will advise on what we can provide or facilitate.

We will not claim certifications we do not hold. If a standard or audit programme is important to your sourcing decision, we encourage you to ask us directly so we can give you an accurate and current answer.

Child safety in window coverings is a regulated area in several of our key markets, and we understand the requirements that apply in Australia (AS/NZS 2064), the UK (EN 13120 and the 2022 Domestic Blinds Safety Regulations) and the US (ANSI/WCMA A100.1).

We offer cordless operating systems across our venetian blind range as a standard product option -- not an upsell. For plantation shutters, the tilt-rod and panel-fold mechanisms are inherently cord-free in most configurations.

If your market requires specific compliance documentation or test reports for child safety, please raise this at the enquiry stage. We will advise on what is available and what testing may be required for your specific product configuration.

We conduct internal quality testing at every production stage (IQC, IPQC, FQC), including UV anti-yellowing, humidity cycling and packaging compression tests. Internal QC records are available to partners as part of a standard shipment documentation package.

For third-party inspection, we accommodate pre-shipment inspection requests from buyers who wish to engage SGS, Bureau Veritas or similar inspection bodies. Costs and scheduling for third-party inspections are the buyer's responsibility, but we provide full factory access and documentation support.

If you require specific test reports for regulatory compliance in your market, please provide the relevant standard references at the enquiry stage. We will advise on whether existing reports are available or whether new testing needs to be commissioned.

Our most concrete sustainability credential is the FSC® chain-of-custody certification for our pine supply, which provides verified documentation that timber originates from responsibly managed forests.

Beyond timber sourcing, we use water-based coatings on our automated finishing lines -- reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions compared to solvent-based alternatives. Our PVC extrusion lines use proprietary compound formulations designed to minimise material waste during production.

We recognise that sustainability documentation requirements vary significantly by market and buyer. If your sourcing policy or retail channel requires specific environmental declarations, we encourage you to share the requirements with us so we can provide an accurate picture of what we can support. We will not overstate our environmental credentials. More detail is available on our Sustainability page.

These three terms are often used interchangeably but describe different levels of customisation:

• 1
  OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer): You provide the product design, specifications and branding. We manufacture to your exact spec and apply your brand identity -- packaging, labels, colour codes. You own the design; we own the production process.
• 2
  ODM (Original Design Manufacturer): We design the product -- profile, mechanism, finish -- and you sell it under your brand. This is appropriate when you want a differentiated product without the cost of full design development. We can create custom louvre profiles, proprietary frame designs and new product configurations as part of an ODM engagement.
• 3
  Private Label: You select from our existing product range and apply your own branding -- packaging, labels, colour naming. This is the fastest route to a branded product line without design development investment. It is a subset of OEM where the product specification is already established.

All three are standard services at Goodwood -- not premium upsells. The right approach depends on your brand strategy, volume commitment and development timeline. See our OEM / ODM solutions page for more detail.

Territory protection means we commit not to supply the same product -- at the same specification and under comparable commercial terms -- to a competing buyer in your defined geographic market. This protects the investment you make in market development, marketing and distribution infrastructure.

Territory protection is available to qualifying wholesale partners and is typically tied to a minimum annual volume commitment and an agreed product scope. The exact terms -- territory definition, product categories covered, volume thresholds and review periods -- are negotiated individually and documented in a written partnership agreement.

Territory protection is more commonly applied to OEM/ODM products (where the product design itself is proprietary to the buyer) than to standard catalogue products. If regional exclusivity is important to your sourcing strategy, raise it early in the conversation -- it affects how we structure the commercial relationship from the outset.

Yes. Because we operate our own PVC extrusion lines with 50+ proprietary die sets, and our own CNC wood machining centres, new profile development is an in-house capability -- not something we outsource to a third-party tooling supplier.

New PVC louvre profiles require die tooling investment, which is typically amortised over the first production run. New wood profiles are machined using updated CNC programmes with no tooling cost in most cases. Development timelines depend on profile complexity; a standard new PVC profile from brief to first sample typically takes 4-8 weeks.

Proprietary profiles developed for a specific buyer can be held exclusively for that buyer under a tooling ownership agreement. If you have a sketch, reference product or design brief, our technical team can assess feasibility and provide a development proposal.

Custom branding options include:

• Custom printed carton boxes and inner packaging with your brand identity
• Branded installation instruction manuals and care guides
• Custom colour naming and numbering for your product catalogue
• Branded hardware (hinges, tilt rods, headrails) where technically feasible
• Neutral (no-brand) packaging for buyers who apply their own labels after import

Minimum quantities for custom packaging vary by packaging type. Provide your artwork files in print-ready format (AI, PDF) and our team will advise on feasibility and setup costs.