Buyer's guide · updated 29 October 2026
Beaded Lace MOQ, Lead Time & Pricing
What beaded embroidery lace actually costs per yard, why the minimum starts at 5 yards, how long each stage takes, and the questions that separate a real factory from a trading desk.
7 min read
What you are actually paying for
A yard of beaded embroidery lace is four costs stacked on top of each other: the base cloth, the machine embroidery time, the bead and sequin material, and the hand-beading labour. Anyone quoting you a single number without breaking it down is guessing, and guesses get renegotiated later.
Machine embroidery is priced by stitch count and machine hours. A dense all-over motif can run three times the machine time of a scattered one at the same width. Hand-beading is priced by the gram and by the hour — a bodice-quality piece with mixed glass seed beads, bugle and crystal takes several hours per yard.
This is why two laces that look similar in a photograph can sit US$ 4 apart per yard. Ask what the bead weight is, in grams per yard. That single number explains most price gaps.
Our published price tiers
We publish tier pricing so you can cost a style before you ever write to us: 5–49 yards is US$ 15.86–18.86 per yard depending on the category, 50 yards drops to US$ 14.58, and 200 yards is US$ 13.00. Beaded lace sits at the top of that band, chemical lace and jacquard at the bottom.
The tiers are honest about what drives them. The jump from 5 yards to 50 is not greed: it is machine setup, thread and bead buying, and quality-control sampling, all of which cost the same whether you take 5 yards or 500.
Why the minimum is 5 yards
Five yards is roughly what a bodice and a sleeve allowance need, and it is the smallest quantity where the machine can be threaded, stabilised and run without wasting more cloth than it produces. Below that, the setup cost per yard makes the price absurd for both of us.
For custom development the minimum is 200 yards per colour, because the design has to be punched, the bead mix bought to a factory pack size, and the dye lot run to a shade standard. A custom lot under 200 yards almost always costs more per yard than a stocked quality, which surprises buyers who assume custom automatically means cheaper.
Lead times, stage by stage
Swatch pack: cut and shipped within 2 working days, then 3–5 working days on DHL or FedEx to the US or Europe.
Stocked yardage: 3–5 working days to leave the floor, plus transit.
Custom strike-off: 10–14 days from approved artwork, because the CAD has to be punched and then beads applied by hand on the real base cloth.
Lab dips: 5–7 days for a custom colour.
Bulk after approval: 25–35 days, longer in February–March and August–September when bridal and holiday production peak together.
Add shipping: 5–8 days by air, 30–40 days by sea. Air freight on 200 yards of beaded lace is significant — get it quoted with the fabric, not after.
The sampling order that saves money
Work in four steps and you will not buy twice. First, swatches: eight pieces in the hand tell you the bead weight and the drape. Second, a 1–2 yard strike-off if you are developing. Third, 5 yards of the chosen quality to cut and sew a toile — this is where motif placement problems appear. Fourth, bulk.
Skipping step three is the most expensive shortcut in this industry. A motif that looks beautiful flat will sometimes fight a princess seam, and you only find that out on a real toile.
Six questions to ask any lace supplier
What is the bead weight in grams per yard? — it predicts drape and price better than any photograph.
What is the usable width, not the total width? — embroidery borders can eat 5–8 cm of a 130 cm roll.
Is the bead applied by hand or by machine? — hand-beading costs more and sheds less, but takes longer.
What is the shrinkage and how does it take steam? — you will press this garment.
Can I have a dye-lot reference for my repeat order? — without it, your second season will not match your first.
What happens if 3% of the beads shed in transit? — get the claim window in writing before you pay.
The costs buyers forget to budget
Wastage: budget 8–12% for a beaded motif that has to be matched at seams, more for a large-scale border pattern.
Lining: heavy beading almost always needs a lining or a camisole, and that is a second fabric cost.
Freight and duty: air freight on beaded goods is charged on weight, and dense beading is heavy. Check the duty treatment for your country before you commit to a landed cost.
Labour at your end: hand-beaded lace is slower to cut and slower to sew. If you are costing a style for a retail price point, put that in the model now.
Short answers
Can I mix categories in one order to hit a tier?
Tiers are per quality per colour. You can order 5 yards of three different qualities at the 5–49 yard price — you just cannot combine them into one 15-yard tier.
Do you hold stock or is everything made to order?
Both. Our catalogued qualities run as stock with a shade card; custom development is made to order from 200 yards.
Is the first order returnable?
Cut yardage is not returnable, which is exactly why the swatch pack exists. Faulty goods are replaced or credited — send photographs within 7 days of delivery.
What payment terms do you use?
30% deposit, 70% before shipment for new accounts. Terms are reviewed after three orders.
Read the buyer's guides
- Bridal vs Eveningwear: Choosing Beaded Lace
The same swatch can be perfect on a wedding gown and wrong on a cocktail dress. Bead weight, base cloth, motif…
- Visiting KK Textile: Showroom & Factory
What to expect when you come to our Guangzhou showroom and our Shantou embroidery and hand-beading workshop, h…
Cost your next style properly
Ask for the swatch pack and the current price sheet. You will have real numbers on your desk within a week.
Quotations returned within one working day.