FAQ · lead times
The most common questions on B2B merch lead times — standard production cycles, seasonal pressure on the calendar, express timelines, and the factors that shape the total lead time from brief to delivery.
B2B merch lead times fall into four core profiles, set by the product type and the scale of the order.
Products from Corp-Merch's standing catalogue (Prague warehouse): three to seven business days. Covers office branding (notepads, pens, mugs), catalogue textiles (T-shirts, hoodies, caps), and accessories (backpacks, bottles, power banks). Print from the standard Pantone palette.
Products with deeper personalisation (logo embroidery, custom Pantone colours, bespoke design): seven to 18 business days. Covers textiles with custom patterns, gift sets built to spec, and certified products (OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS). The cycle is longer because of production and approval rounds.
Large runs above 5,000 units: 12 to 20 business days for textiles, 14 to 21 business days for metal and ceramic items, 18 to 25 business days for fully-assembled gift sets. The cycle stretches because of serial production, layered quality control, and logistics coordination.
Products manufactured in Asian factories (China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam): eight to 14 weeks. Covers large volumes of textiles, electronics, and plastic accessories. The cycle is longer because of sea or air freight, customs clearance, and pre-shipment quality control.
A B2B merch lead time runs through five stages: (1) brief and approval (2 to 14 days), (2) supplier selection and samples (3 to 14 days), (3) serial production (5 to 25 days), (4) quality control and packing (2 to 7 days), (5) logistics and delivery (1 to 7 days). Each stage has its own lead time and can shorten or stretch depending on circumstances.
Standard cycle for catalogue products: 7 to 10 business days from brief approval to delivery. The mix is roughly 2 days of brief work, 2 days of supplier selection, 3 days of production, 1 day of inspection and packing, and 1 day of logistics.
Standard cycle for personalised runs: 14 to 28 business days from brief approval to delivery. The mix is roughly 7 days of brief work, 7 days of supplier selection, 10 days of production, 2 days of inspection and packing, and 2 days of logistics.
Standard cycle for high-volume runs: 21 to 40 business days from brief approval to delivery. The mix is roughly 10 days of brief work, 10 days of supplier selection, 14 days of production, 3 days of inspection and packing, and 3 days of logistics.
Standard cycle for Asia import: 8 to 14 weeks from brief approval to delivery. The mix is roughly 2 weeks of brief work, 2 weeks of supplier selection and sampling, 4 to 8 weeks of production, 1 week of inspection and packing, and 1 to 3 weeks of sea freight.
Planning a lead time starts with identifying the factors that can stretch it. The main ones are: (1) product type (catalogue vs personalised vs high-volume vs import), (2) season (September to December runs longer), (3) material availability (cotton, polyester, metal inputs), (4) certifications (OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS, FSC).
Seasonal pressure: September through December is the busiest stretch (year-end and Christmas gifting, autumn conferences). Lead times extend by one to three weeks. We recommend booking four to six weeks ahead for Christmas campaigns.
Material availability: some inputs (merino wool, recycled polyester) carry longer upstream lead times. For standing clients we hold a 10 to 15% safety buffer. For non-standard materials, expect an additional one to two weeks on the calendar.
Certifications: some certifications (OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS, FSC) require extended approval windows of one to two weeks. For urgent orders we recommend sticking with products that already carry the relevant certification.
Lead-time performance is measured against four key KPIs: schedule adherence, speed of response to changes, client satisfaction, and claims rate.
Schedule adherence: target 95% of orders delivered within the planned window. Actual in 2025: 92%. The largest delays cluster on Asia imports (8% late) and on seasonal peaks (12% late from September to December).
Response speed on changes: average time to react to an order change (address change, quantity change, product change) is 24 hours. Communication with the client runs by phone and email on business days from 9 am to 5 pm.
Client satisfaction: post-delivery survey sent two weeks after the shipment. 88% of clients rate the lead time as "met" or "exceeded", 11% as "partially met", and 1% as "not met".
Claims rate: average claims rate runs at 1.2% of total order volume. Main claim categories: (a) in-transit damage (45%), (b) wrong product or text (25%), (c) late delivery (20%), (d) other (10%). All claims are resolved within 14 business days.
Standard lead time for office branding (notepads, pens, mugs) is 3 to 7 business days from the Prague warehouse. For larger volumes (above 1,000 units) the cycle extends to 5 to 10 business days.
Standard production of 1,000 embroidered hoodies is 10 to 14 business days from sample approval. The cycle covers textile production (5 to 7 days), embroidery (3 to 5 days), quality control (1 day), and packing (1 day). End to end with the brief and logistics, it runs 14 to 20 business days.
Express timelines of 24 to 72 hours are available on selected catalogue products (office branding from the catalogue, gift sets from the catalogue). The express surcharge runs 30 to 50% above standard pricing. Express timelines are not available for personalised runs or Asia imports.
Lead time is shaped mostly by: (1) product type (catalogue vs personalised vs import), (2) season (September through December runs longer), (3) material availability, (4) certifications, and (5) order size. To accelerate a deadline, talk to your account manager early.
The lead times stated on this FAQ page are indicative and apply to standard situations. Actual lead time depends on the brief, the product mix, material availability, and seasonal pressure. For an exact lead-time estimate, contact Corp-Merch.
Express timelines are available only on selected catalogue products, against a surcharge. Express timelines are not available for personalised runs, high-volume runs, or Asia imports.
Lead times can stretch by one to three weeks during the seasonal peak (September through December). For Christmas campaigns we recommend booking four to six weeks ahead.
This FAQ page does not offer specific lead times as a universal guarantee. Final lead time depends on the brief, the product mix, and the timeline. For an exact estimate, contact Corp-Merch.
Want an exact lead-time estimate for a specific brief? Get in touch — we reply within 24 hours on business days.
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