Chinese New Year is the one disruption in a China sourcing year you can see coming — and buyers still plan it badly, because the dates that matter are on no public calendar. A factory’s last production day, last ship-out day and real restart are set by that factory, each year, and they differ. Plan by method, not by date: get your factory’s closure and restart dates in writing, then work backwards from the day your goods must ship.
Key Takeaways
- The dates that matter are your factory’s own — last production, last ship-out, reopening, full restart — obtained in writing each year.
- Work backwards: ship date, inspection, production finish, production start, component buying, order confirmation.
- Before the break the risk is rushed approvals; after it, assuming the first runs need no full inspection.
- Choose deliberately between buffer stock and a planned gap, using your own holding and stockout costs.
The Dates That Matter Are Your Factory’s
The public holiday only frames the shutdown. Factories stop earlier or later than neighbours, offices and lines restart on different days, and a reopened office is not a line at full output. Ask for four dates, in writing, when the order is placed:
- The last day of production before the break.
- The last day goods can leave the factory.
- The day the office reopens for communication.
- The day full production is expected to resume.
Freight tightens in the same window: cut-offs and sailings bunch ahead of the holiday. Confirm the ship-before date with your forwarder too — the two calendars must meet.
Work Backwards From the Ship Date
Take the written lead time from your quotation — component buying, assembly, testing, packing — lay the shutdown across it, and fix each step against the holiday, latest first:
| Step, latest first | Fix it against the shutdown |
|---|---|
| Goods leave the factory | Before the last ship-out day, with your forwarder’s cut-off also met |
| Pre-shipment inspection passed | Booked before the final production days, not on them — a failed lot needs days to rework |
| Production finished | Completed with buffer ahead of the inspection, not against it |
| Production starts | Only once every component is on site — a stalled start wastes the pre-holiday window |
| Long-lead components ordered | The stage that usually sets the real start date — it must clear before the break, not after |
| Order confirmed | Spec frozen, sample and artwork approved, deposit paid — approvals left to the last week wait until after it |
The inspection step deserves its position — around the holiday its scarce resource is not the inspector but the days left to act on a failure (see our guide to pre-shipment inspection and AQL sampling).
The Rush Before, the Ramp After
Before the break, the risk is compression: every buyer wants the same last production days, and approvals get squeezed into them. Resist approving a first sample or final artwork in the closing week — a rushed yes is still a yes, governing everything produced after the restart. After the break, the risk is assumption: workforces reassemble, new starters join experienced ones, and the first runs deserve your full normal inspection, not a waived one. If an order straddles the holiday, ask which side each stage falls on — in the same written answer as the dates.
Buffer Stock or a Planned Gap
Repeat importers choose deliberately: hold extra stock across the shutdown, or accept a gap and warn customers early. Compare with your own numbers — holding cost against an empty shelf in your selling season. Either way, place the first post-holiday order before the break, so its long-lead components are bought in time; an order placed at the restart queues behind everyone who planned.
Planning Your Orders With EVDANCE
EVDANCE is a Shenzhen EV charger manufacturer founded in 2011, exporting to more than 30 countries, with private label from 100 units and a 3-year standard warranty. If your selling season starts in spring, raise the holiday dates when you place the order: ask us for our closure and restart dates in writing, via the contact page or the resellers and distributors program, and plan backwards with the chain above.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Chinese New Year?
It changes every year, following the lunar calendar, and each factory sets its own closure around it. Plan production not from a generic date but from your factory’s written closure and restart dates for that year.
How long do factories close?
It varies by factory — no standard figure can plan your order. The dates that matter are also more specific than “closed”: last production, last ship-out, and full-production restart are three different dates.
Can goods still ship during the holiday?
Expect cut-offs to tighten and sailings to thin out around the break; treat shipping during it as the exception, not the plan. Fix the ship-before date with factory and forwarder, in writing.
Related Reading
- Pre-Shipment Inspection and AQL Sampling for EV Charger Orders
- FOB vs DDP: How to Import EV Chargers From China Without Surprises
- How an OEM EV Charger Project Works, Step by Step
- EV Charger MOQ Explained: What Sets Minimum Order Quantities
