Indian handicrafts and textiles: a sourcing guide for importers

In short

From India you can import printed and woven textiles, rugs and dhurries, pashmina shawls, ceramics, brass and bronze, inlaid marble, carved wood and papier-mâché, among many other crafts. To buy well: get the fibre content and materials in writing, approve a sample, avoid products from protected species (such as shahtoosh or ivory), and check your market's rules for textile labels, ceramics for food, wood and rugs. We handle these products as sourcing requests: we tell you whether we can supply them before we quote.

What you can buy and where it is made

AI-generated illustrations of product types. Actual materials, designs and availability are confirmed during sourcing.

Many of these crafts carry a geographical indication (GI) in India, such as Jaipur blue pottery, Sanganer and Bagru prints, Banarasi silk and Kashmir pashmina. A GI protects the name of origin; if you use it in your marketing, ask the supplier to confirm the product qualifies.

Pashmina: what to know

Genuine pashmina is the fine wool of the Changthangi goat from the high plateaus of Ladakh, spun and woven in Kashmir. It is expensive and scarce, and much of the "pashmina" on sale is really a blend with silk, wool or viscose. That's fine if it is sold as a blend, but not if it is sold as pure pashmina.

• Ask for the fibre content in writing in the specification and, for larger lots, a lab test.
• In the USA and Mexico the label must state the real fibre content; in Mexico, textile labelling follows NOM-004-SE-2021.
• Never buy shahtoosh: it is made from the wool of the Tibetan antelope, a protected species, and trading it is banned.

Rugs: hand-knotted, tufted or flat-woven

• Hand-knotted: every knot is tied by hand. Knot density (per square inch) is the most common quality measure. They are the slowest to make and the most expensive.
• Tufted: yarn is pushed into a backing cloth with a tufting gun and fixed with a glued backing. They are quicker and cheaper.
• Dhurries and kilims: flat-woven, with no pile; light and often reversible.

Ask about the workshop's labour standards too; independent certifications such as GoodWeave exist. If you sell in the USA, rugs must meet the CPSC's flammability standards.

What can't be exported

Some pieces seen in tourist markets can't legally leave India, or can't enter your country:

• Products from protected species: ivory, shahtoosh and parts of other protected animals and birds.
• Red sanders (red sandalwood), whose export is prohibited.
• Antiques: in India, objects more than a hundred years old can't be exported without official permission.

If a seller says a piece is "antique" or "ivory", ask for documents or don't buy it.

Rules in your country

• Textiles: labels with fibre content, country of origin and care instructions. In the USA, the FTC's textile and wool labelling rules; in Mexico, NOM-004-SE-2021.
• Ceramics for food: if plates or cups will be used with food, ask for a lead-release test on the glaze; many markets require it.
• Wood: some wooden crafts need fumigation or a phytosanitary certificate, and packing pallets and crates must carry the ISPM 15 mark.
• Rugs in the USA: the CPSC's flammability standards.

Your customs broker confirms the tariff code and requirements for each product. The general steps for importing into Mexico are in how to import herbs from India into Mexico, and they apply to handicrafts too.

How we handle a handicrafts order

Our core business is herbs, spices and ritual products. We handle handicrafts and textiles as sourcing requests:

1. You send us the product, photos or references, the quantity, the material and your market.
2. We tell you whether we can supply it before we quote.
3. If we can, we send samples and a written specification: materials, sizes, finish and packing.
4. We check production against the approved sample before shipment.
5. If you also buy herbs or incense, we consolidate everything in one shipment, with documents for each product.

Handmade pieces vary slightly from one to the next: that is part of their value, and we make it clear in the specification. Tell us what you're looking for.

Frequently asked questions