The hard part of buying handwoven rugs from India is not finding a supplier. It is writing a specification precise enough that what arrives is what you pictured, and agreeing in advance how much variation between pieces is acceptable.
This covers the parts that go wrong. It does not cover customs paperwork or duty in your country, which depends entirely on where you are and needs a customs broker rather than a blog post.
Decide what you are buying first
The words get used loosely, and the difference is most of the price.
Hand knotted. Each knot tied individually onto a warp. The pattern shows on the back as clearly as the front. Slowest to make, longest lived, most expensive.
Hand tufted. Yarn punched through a backing with a tufting gun, then latexed and a fabric backing applied. Much faster than knotting, so much cheaper, and the back shows fabric rather than pattern. Ours are 100% natural wool at 20mm pile. The range runs to 667 designs from Rs 4,950.
Handloom and flat weave. No pile. Lighter, reversible in some constructions, and the right answer for high traffic.
Machine made. Uniform to the millimetre, which is how you spot it.
If a quote looks low for hand knotted, it is probably hand tufted. Ask which, and ask for a photograph of the back.
Specify these six things
A specification that leaves any of these open will be filled in by somebody else's judgement.
- Construction, from the list above
- Material and blend, stated as a percentage. "Wool" and "wool blend" are not the same thing and the difference shows in both price and wear
- Pile height in millimetres, not "thick" or "plush"
- Finished size and tolerance. Handmade pieces are never exact. Agree the tolerance in writing, usually a small percentage either way
- Backing, by material. This decides lifespan more than the pile does
- Colour, against a physical reference. Not a screen. Screens lie about beige and grey in particular
What will vary, and what should not
This is the expectation that causes most disputes, so set it early.
Normal variation. Slight size differences between pieces. Minor shade differences between dye lots. Small irregularities in a hand cut pattern edge. On a handmade piece these are evidence of how it was made, not faults.
Not normal. Pile height that differs from the specification. A backing other than the one agreed. Colour that is a different shade rather than a slightly different tone of the same one. Sizes outside the agreed tolerance.
Ask for a cut sample from the production batch, not from the design library. Dye lots move, and the sample you approved six weeks ago may not be the yarn being used now.
Sizing for different markets
Indian manufacturing works in feet. If you sell in centimetres, do the conversion at the specification stage and put both numbers in the order, because a rounding decision made later by somebody else is how a 170 x 240 becomes a 5 x 8.
Common conversions worth stating explicitly in any order:
| Feet | Centimetres (approx) |
|---|---|
| 4 x 6 | 120 x 180 |
| 5 x 7 | 150 x 210 |
| 5 x 8 | 150 x 240 |
| 6 x 9 | 180 x 270 |
| 8 x 10 | 240 x 300 |
Most of our ranges come in 20 or more standard sizes, which usually removes the need for a custom run.
Lead time, and the one that matters more
Ask for two numbers: the lead time on the first order, and the lead time on a repeat.
The second is the one that tells you whether a supplier works for you. A first order gets attention. A repeat order six months later, at the same quality and in the same shade, is the actual test of a manufacturer.
For anything custom, a manufacturer beats a trading house, because a change in the middle of production is a conversation rather than a chain of messages. We manufacture in Kolkata, so customisation is handled in house.
What to agree before anything ships
- Packing. How each piece is wrapped and labelled
- Who books freight, and on what terms
- Inspection. Whether you inspect before despatch, and who pays if a piece is rejected
- Short or damaged arrival. Agree the remedy before it is needed
- Payment terms, including what triggers the balance
On documentation, duties and import requirements, use a licensed customs broker in your own country. Those rules change and they are specific to where you are, so anything you read online about them, including here, is worth less than the person who files for a living.
Working with us
We ship internationally and customisation is available across the ranges. Our showroom is in Bhowanipore, south Kolkata, at No: 1 Acharya Jagadish Chandra, 700020.
For trade and export enquiries, see export services, use the contact page, or call +91 70036 80958. If you want to see the handmade range first, the hand tufted collection is the largest at 667 designs.
Prices in this post are correct as of November 2026 and are meant as a guide, not a quote. Rates move with material costs and size, so check the current rate on the hand tufted collection before you set a budget.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between hand knotted and hand tufted rugs? Hand knotted means each knot is tied individually and the pattern shows on the back as clearly as the front. Hand tufted means yarn is punched through a backing and then a fabric backing is applied, so the back shows fabric. Tufting is much faster and therefore much cheaper.
How much variation is normal in a handwoven rug order? Slight size differences, minor shade differences between dye lots, and small irregularities along a hand cut pattern edge are all normal on handmade pieces. Pile height differing from specification, the wrong backing, or sizes outside the agreed tolerance are not. Agree the tolerance in writing before production.
What should a rug specification include? Construction, material and blend as a percentage, pile height in millimetres, finished size with a tolerance, backing material, and colour matched against a physical sample rather than a screen. Anything left open gets decided by someone else.
Do I need a customs broker to import rugs from India? Documentation, duties and import requirements depend on your own country and change over time, so use a licensed customs broker there. A supplier can tell you what they ship and how they pack it, but cannot advise on your import rules.