Most wholesale pillowcase enquiries start with a quantity and end with a misunderstanding, because the quantity is treated as a price lever while the specification is what actually decides the price. Two buyers can order the same number of pillowcases and pay different unit prices, and the reason is rarely the factory being unfair.

I am the International Business Director at Wonderful Silk in Shengzhou, Zhejiang, which is the heart of China’s mulberry silk industry, and I have spent twelve years in silk trade and B2B procurement. Most of my working life has been spent answering the same question from hospitality groups, retail brands and distributors: at what quantity does my custom pillowcase with logo become worth ordering, and what do I need to decide before I ask? This guide is written in the order that question deserves an answer in, because the tier structure only makes sense once the specification is fixed.

The product reference is our silk pillow case range, which is where the current specification and tier table are published.

Start With the Specification, Because a Tier Only Means Something Against One

Every pillowcase quotation in this category should open with four fields, and none of them is the quantity.

• Size. Our published range covers 51×66 cm standard, 51×76 cm queen and 51×96 cm king, and size is the field that most often changes between a sample and a repeat order, because a hotel group standardising on one size does not start there.
• Weight, in momme. Our published options are 19, 22 and 25 momme, drawn from a 16–30 momme capability.
• Colour and finish. Solid colours, printed designs and the new-design lines are different production routes, not different colours of the same route.
• Logo method. We offer custom logo by print design or by embroidery, and the two have very different economics at low volume.

Because the fabric is already specified as 6A grade long-fibre mulberry silk with non-toxic dyes and strict quality guidelines, the fibre is the one variable a buyer does not have to negotiate, so every remaining argument should be about size, weight, colour and artwork.

What Actually Changes When You Move Up a Tier

The tier structure in this product category is not a discount ladder, it is a set of fixed costs being spread across more units, and understanding that is what makes the tiers predictable.

• Artwork setup and digitising. A logo is prepared before it can run, whether printed or embroidered, and that one-off cost amortises across a larger run.
• Sampling and approval rounds. A logo goes through a sample before mass production, and how many rounds you absorb is a commercial decision as much as a quality one.
• Colour matching and lab dips. Matching a brand colour in a dyed satin is a development step, only worth doing properly when the run pays for it.
• Custom packaging and labelling. Barcode sleeves, polybags, gift boxes and retail inserts are fixed-cost additions to the unit.
• Lead time and scheduling. Larger runs are planned into production slots rather than squeezed in, which usually makes the date more reliable rather than slower.

Because the tier price is the unit price after those fixed costs are spread, the same tier number means different things for a 51×66 cm printed pillowcase and a 51×96 cm embroidered one, and a quote that does not state all four specification fields is not a quote you can compare.

Our factory positions itself for exactly this market: factory-direct pricing structured for buyers who are building a product line rather than reordering a catalogue item, and the range covers wholesale 19 and 22 momme pillowcases, custom print 100% silk pillowcases, solid colour mulberry designs and new-design factory-direct products for buyers selling on their own storefronts or marketplaces.

Logo Methods and the Run Length Each One Needs

Print and embroidery are not interchangeable at the volumes buyers start from, and choosing the wrong one is the most expensive mistake in a first order.

Print design suits shorter runs and heavier artwork. The logo is applied to the face of the pillowcase, carries fine detail and colour, and the set-up is a plate or screen per colour rather than per stitch. It also puts the artwork where the guest sees it first, which is the point for a hospitality brand.

Embroidery reads as the more premium option and survives repeated washing better, but it needs a digitised file, an agreed thread colour card and a longer run to justify the machine time. It also changes the hand of the fabric, which a hotel buyer notices immediately.

Both are available in our range, placed on the flange, on the face or as a corner mark, and a woven brand label is worth pricing for buyers who want the logo present but not visually dominant.

Because the logo method changes the artwork preparation, the approval rounds and the achievable unit price, it is the field that most often justifies moving up a tier, and it is the field to fix before you ask for tier pricing.

The Certification File a Hotel or Retail Buyer Will Ask For

Certification is where an export order either clears procurement or stalls for a month, and the requests are predictable.

For chemical safety, hospitality and retail buyers usually ask for evidence on the OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 label for the article being bought. That is a tested-article certification, so the file has to cover the actual pillowcase with the actual fibre, not a generic certificate for a generic textile, and a certificate that lists a different construction is worse than no certificate because it gets checked and rejected.

For fibre description, the claim on the label and the claim on the invoice are regulated. Regulation (EC) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre composition and labelling requires fibre names and percentages to be substantiated, so “100% mulberry silk” is a statement a buyer can test and a supplier has to be able to evidence. If a buyer also asks for certified organic, the GOTS system is the reference framework, and it is a different conversation from OEKO-TEX because it governs the fibre and the chain of custody, not only the finished article.

Add the commercial file: the specification sheet, the approved artwork, the agreed defect criteria, the packing list and the lead time.

Because the certification file is per article and per specification, the cheapest time to assemble it is before the order is placed rather than after the first container is on the water.

How to Structure the RFQ So the Quotations Are Comparable

Eight lines, sent to every supplier, is what turns a pile of quotations into a comparison.

1. Size, standard, queen or king, with finished dimensions.
2. Weight, in momme, and the weave and finish.
3. Colour, with a reference code or a physical sample where the shade matters.
4. Logo method, print, embroidery or woven label, with placement and dimensions.
5. Quantity per size and colour, because a split order changes the tier, not just the price.
6. Packing, polybag, barcode sleeve, gift box or bulk.
7. Certification required, named by standard, for article and fibre.
8. Delivery target and trade terms, with the port and shipment split in mind.

Then ask for one format: a tier table with quantity, unit price, logo setup cost, sample timeline, production lead time and packing shown separately, so two quotations can be laid side by side without interpretation.

Because the quantities in a tier table are only meaningful next to a specification, I would send the eight lines above and require every quotation to repeat them, and that single instruction removes most of the back-and-forth that normally follows a first enquiry. If you want a quotation prepared against this structure, our team answers procurement requests with the specification and the tier table, and we can turn a request around within 24 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where the Decision Belongs

The tier decision belongs to the buyer, but it only makes sense once size, weight, colour and logo method are on the table, and the right sequence is specification first, tier second, price last.

Twelve years of answering procurement requests have taught me that the fastest quotes I send are the ones where the buyer has already decided what the pillowcase is. Send me the eight lines above, and we will come back with the tier table, the certification position and the sample timeline against your own specification.