A minimum order quantity (MOQ) is the smallest run a factory can produce at a sane unit price. It exists because every production run carries fixed setup work: colour matching, heating the foaming line, calibrating cutters and purging between colours. At FUJIAN SANFAN the TPE yoga mat MOQ is 100 pcs per design and colour, PU and rubber mats start at 300 pcs, and most accessories sit between 500 and 1,000 pcs. A 100-pcs first order typically prices 30 to 40 percent above the 3,000-pcs level; at 500 pcs the gap narrows to 10 to 15 percent. Used well, low MOQ is a testing instrument. Launch one hero colour, sample it in 7 days, read real sell-through, then step up to 500 and 3,000 pcs on the designs the market has already approved. Used badly, it becomes a habit that keeps your unit costs permanently high.
Our MOQ by product
Minimums differ by product because they are driven by material batch sizes and tooling, not by policy. Here is the working range we quote most private-label buyers:
| Product | MOQ | Typical lead time | Why this level |
|---|---|---|---|
| TPE yoga mat | 100 pcs / design & colour | 15–20 days | Stock colour compounds, in-house cutting tooling |
| PU / rubber mat | 300 pcs | 20–25 days | Rubber base batches and lamination setup are bigger |
| EVA foam block | 500 pcs | 15 days | Fast cycle, but moulds are per shape |
| Foam roller | 500 pcs | 18 days | Mould + surface texture tooling per diameter |
| Resistance band | 1,000 pcs | 15 days | Dipped or layered lines run in long batches |
Why factories set MOQs at all
Walk through what happens before the first usable mat of a run comes off the line. The compound gets matched to your Pantone and the mixer is charged. The foaming line heats to temperature. Cutting tools are calibrated against a test sheet. And between colours, the line gets purged and cleaned, which on a foaming line is a couple of hours of production time plus material waste. On a 3,000-pcs run, that setup cost disappears into the batch. On a 50-pcs run it would double the price of every mat, which helps nobody.
So when a supplier quotes "MOQ 100", the honest question behind the number is: who is absorbing the setup cost at that quantity? Some factories answer it by holding stock materials and running small lots between big orders. Others answer it by not answering it, and you find out at the first reorder when the price jumps.
Why our TPE minimum is 100 pcs
Three things make a genuine 100-pcs run possible for us. We hold stock in the colours that cover most brand books, so material is allocated the day a spec is confirmed. Cutting tooling is produced in-house, so a new cutting pattern is hours of work, not a sub-supplier's lead time. And we slot small lots into the schedule between larger runs instead of forcing every order to fill a line. None of this is a price concession; it is production planning. It is also why the number survives contact with a reorder: the second 100 pcs costs close to the first.
What the small-run premium actually buys
A TPE mat at 100 pcs prices roughly 30 to 40 percent above the 3,000-pcs level. At 500 pcs the gap narrows to 10 to 15 percent. That sounds like a penalty until you price the alternative. Paying the premium on 100 units means paying it on the units you are still unsure about; committing 3,000 pcs at the better rate before the market has spoken means tying up cash and warehouse space in a guess. Run the arithmetic both ways before you choose. For a first launch, the expensive-per-unit batch is usually the cheap decision.
The arc we see in healthy brands is the same almost every time: a 100-pcs trial, a 500-pcs top-up once sell-through is visible, then 3,000-pcs replenishment. Because we keep the same batch plan across those steps, moving from 100 to 3,000 does not restart the setup clock or change the specification. The mat that sold well is the mat that ships again.
How to run a 100-pcs launch
- Pick one hero colour and one size. Variants multiply minimums, and early on you want all your signal in one place.
- Confirm quality with a 7-day sample before the bulk run. The sample you approve becomes the reference the order is checked against.
- List it and watch real numbers: sell-through rate, review themes, return reasons.
- Reorder the winner at 500, add a second colour only when the first is proven. Then step to 3,000 pcs on your best seller to pull the unit cost down.
Three MOQ myths that cost buyers money
"Lower MOQ means lower quality." No. The minimum reflects how production is batched. What predicts quality is whether the factory puts a signed sample and a written spec behind the run, at any quantity.
"No MOQ anywhere!" Be suspicious. A seller with no minimum is usually reselling existing stock, which means no custom colour, no custom spec and no claim on the next batch. That is a trader's margin wearing a factory's costume.
"The MOQ is per order." Ask. Most factories count per design and colour, because that is where the setup cost sits. A 300-pcs order of three colours and a 300-pcs order of one colour are different jobs, and they quote differently.
Mixing products under one order
A launch rarely needs mats alone. We count MOQ per product line rather than per order, so a shipment of TPE mats, EVA blocks and resistance bands can consolidate into one container even though each line is at its own minimum. Send us the full basket and we will plan the consolidation so you arrive at shelf-ready stock without over-committing on any single item.
When a low MOQ is the wrong call
Low MOQ is a tool, not a default. If you already have proven demand and steady reorders, jumping straight to 3,000 pcs cuts unit cost and locks production capacity; another 100-pcs run just adds setup overhead per unit. The mistake we see is not starting small. It is staying small out of habit after the market has already voted. Use low MOQ to learn, then let the reorder data set the volume.
FAQ
Why do factories set a minimum order quantity?
Every production run carries fixed setup costs — colour matching, heating the foaming line, calibrating cutting tools and cleaning between colours. Below a certain quantity those fixed costs cannot be spread across enough units, so the per-unit price stops making sense. MOQ is where that equation balances.
Can I mix colours within one MOQ?
Usually yes, up to a point. At FUJIAN SANFAN the TPE yoga mat MOQ is 100 pcs per design and colour, so a 300-piece order could cover three colours. Ask your supplier to state exactly how the minimum is counted — per design, per colour, or per order total.
Does a lower MOQ mean a higher unit price?
Almost always. Set-up costs are fixed, so spreading them over 100 pieces gives a higher per-unit figure than spreading them over 5,000. The trade-off is inventory risk: paying a little more per unit to test a market is often cheaper than sitting on unsold stock.
Can one MOQ be split across different sizes?
Sometimes, but each size change can mean a cutting-pattern adjustment. Splitting across sizes is usually accepted at higher total volumes. Confirm it in writing before you plan a mixed order.
Related reading
Where this fits in our own catalogue:
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