Chinese New Year 2027 falls on 29 January — and Chinese factories will close weeks before that. Here are the exact order deadlines, shutdown dates, and stock planning tips every UK importer needs right now.
In summary: Chinese New Year 2027 falls on 29 January 2027 (the Year of the Goat). Most Chinese factories will begin shutting down around 20–22 January 2027 and won't reopen until approximately 20–28 February 2027 — a closure window of four to six weeks. UK importers using sea freight need to have production completed and goods shipped by early December 2026 at the latest. Air freight buyers have until mid-January 2027. Use this guide to lock in your order deadlines, plan your safety stock, and communicate with Chinese suppliers before the shutdown season begins.
Picture this. It's February 2024. A client of mine — a lovely chap running a thriving gym equipment brand from his warehouse in Bristol — rings me in a mild panic. His bestselling resistance bands have sold out. His Chinese factory is closed for Chinese New Year. The next shipment won't arrive for six weeks. And his Amazon rankings are tanking by the day.
"TK," he says, "why didn't anyone warn me about this?"
Well, consider this your warning.
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Friday, 29 January 2027. It marks the beginning of the Year of the Goat, and it will affect every UK importer who sources from China — and most who source from Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia too.
But here's the thing most people get wrong: the holiday isn't just a day or two. Chinese New Year is a season. And understanding the full timeline is what separates the importers who sail through it from the ones ringing their sourcing agent in February wondering where their stock is.
Chinese factories don't close on 29 January and reopen on 30 January. The reality is considerably more disruptive — and considerably longer.
Most factories begin their official shutdown in the week before Chinese New Year. For 2027, expect the majority of factories to close between 20–22 January 2027. Some smaller factories in southern China's manufacturing hubs (Guangdong, Zhejiang) may close even earlier — some as early as 15 January — as workers travel home to their provinces.
Factories reopen progressively throughout February. The official 15-day holiday ends around 12 February 2027, but in practice, many factories won't be back at full production capacity until late February or early March 2027. Here's why: large numbers of factory workers travel home to rural areas for the holiday and don't return, instead finding work closer to their hometowns. Factories spend the first one to two weeks of February rehiring and retraining staff before production can resume at normal capacity.
For practical planning purposes, UK importers should treat the entire window of 20 January to 1 March 2027 as a period of severely disrupted or zero production from Chinese factories.
This is the critical question, and the answer depends on your shipping method. Work backwards from the factory shutdown date of approximately 20 January 2027.
Sea freight (the most common route for UK importers):
Standard sea freight from major Chinese ports (Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Guangzhou) to UK ports takes approximately 25–35 days in transit, plus time for customs clearance, inland transport, and delivery. Add production time — typically 30–60 days for most product types — and you're looking at a total lead time of 8–12 weeks from order to arrival at your UK warehouse.
For your final pre-CNY sea freight order: you need goods shipped from China by approximately 10–15 December 2026. That means production must be completed by late November 2026. Which means your final order needs to be placed no later than late September or early October 2026.
You read that right. If you're reading this in August 2026, you have roughly 6–8 weeks to get your final sea freight pre-CNY order confirmed.
Air freight:
Air freight from China to the UK takes 5–7 days in transit. This gives you considerably more flexibility. If your factory can complete production quickly, you could theoretically confirm an air freight order in early January 2027 and still receive goods before the factory shutdown. That said, air freight around CNY is significantly more expensive, as demand spikes dramatically. Don't rely on it as a primary strategy — use it as a last resort or for small, urgent top-up orders.
Sourcing Hack #1: Work backwards from the factory shutdown date to set your internal order deadline. For sea freight: final order placed by late September 2026 → production complete by late November 2026 → shipped by 10 December 2026 → arrives at your UK warehouse by mid-January 2027. Pin this on your wall. Share it with your team. It's the most important supply chain calendar you'll look at this year.
The official Chinese public holiday runs for seven days, but as I mentioned above, the practical factory shutdown is far longer. Most UK importers should plan for four to six weeks of disrupted or halted production across the CNY period.
The variation by factory type and location matters too. Factories in Guangdong province (the Pearl River Delta manufacturing hub) often experience the longest effective shutdowns, because a large proportion of their workforce migrates from rural provinces in central and western China. Factories in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian, where more workers live locally, may return to full production a week or two earlier.
Always confirm your specific factory's shutdown and reopening dates in writing. Don't assume they're the same as last year — dates shift slightly with the lunar calendar, and factory-specific plans vary. At Epic Sourcing, we contact all client factories in October/November each year to confirm the upcoming CNY schedule.
Sourcing Hack #2: Email your Chinese supplier in October or November 2026 and ask two specific questions: "What date will your factory close for Chinese New Year 2027?" and "What date do you expect to be back at full production capacity?" Get the answers in writing. The second question is the more important one — many factories give optimistic reopening dates that don't account for the time needed to rehire and retrain workers.
Smart importers treat Chinese New Year not just as a supply chain disruption to survive, but as a planning event to turn to their advantage. Here's how to do it properly.
Calculate your CNY buffer stock requirement. How many weeks of sales do you need to cover the period from factory shutdown (approximately 20 January 2027) to when you can realistically expect a post-CNY shipment to arrive in the UK (approximately April 2027, accounting for post-CNY production ramp-up and sea freight transit time)? For most products, that's 10–14 weeks of stock you'll need on hand before the shutdown begins.
Build your buffer stock in October/November 2026. Your pre-CNY order should be placed early enough that the goods arrive at your UK warehouse by late December 2026 or early January 2027. This gives you your buffer before the factory shuts.
Don't forget freight lead times and port congestion. The weeks leading up to Chinese New Year see a significant spike in shipping volumes, as factories push out final orders before the holiday. Container space tightens and prices rise. Book your freight early. Our guide to sea freight and air freight costs from China to the UK covers what to expect on pricing and transit times.
Plan your post-CNY order as early as possible. You can — and should — confirm your first post-CNY production run with your factory before the holiday begins. Factories appreciate confirmed orders going into the shutdown period, and you'll be first in the production queue when they reopen.
If any of your sourcing is from Vietnam, be aware that Vietnam also celebrates Tet (Vietnamese New Year) at the same time as Chinese New Year. Vietnamese factories typically shut for one to two weeks around Tet, though the closure period is generally shorter than in China. For more on Vietnam sourcing strategy, see our guide: Sourcing from Vietnam — A UK Importer's Guide to the China-Plus-One Shift.
Sourcing Hack #3: Aim to have 12 weeks of safety stock in your UK warehouse before Chinese New Year begins. Yes, that means tying up more capital in inventory during Q4. But the cost of stockouts — lost sales, damaged Amazon rankings, disappointed customers — is almost always higher than the cost of carrying extra stock for six weeks. The maths is almost always in favour of overstocking slightly before CNY.
Almost certainly, yes. The weeks leading up to Chinese New Year are one of the busiest periods in the global container shipping calendar, as manufacturers worldwide push to complete and ship orders before the shutdown. Container availability tightens, rates spike, and booking lead times lengthen.
In recent years, pre-CNY freight surcharges have added 20–50% to standard container rates on the China-to-UK route. 2024 and 2025 saw particularly significant pre-CNY rate spikes driven by broader supply chain disruptions alongside the seasonal demand surge.
The practical implication: book your freight as early as possible. Don't wait until December to arrange shipping for your pre-CNY orders. Work with a freight forwarder who can lock in rates and container space well in advance. Our team coordinates freight for all Epic clients and can advise on optimal booking windows.
You can also reduce your exposure to freight price spikes by spreading orders across October and November rather than placing one large order in December. Smaller, more frequent shipments reduce the risk of being caught by a rate spike or container shortage.
Sourcing Hack #4: Use Chinese New Year strategically — it's actually a great time to negotiate your post-holiday pricing. Factories are eager to confirm post-CNY orders before the shutdown, because it gives them certainty about the production schedule they're returning to. A confirmed order from you going into the holiday gives you leverage. This is often the best moment of the year to lock in favourable pricing and MOQs for your Q1/Q2 production runs.
The short answer: don't rely on it. Chinese New Year is a genuine cultural celebration, and your factory contacts will be travelling, visiting family, and genuinely offline. Expecting timely responses to emails or WeChat messages during the holiday period is optimistic at best.
Before the holiday begins, make sure you have:
Confirmed all outstanding orders and production schedules in writing. Resolved any quality issues, specification questions, or approvals that could otherwise hold up production when the factory reopens. Received an estimated reopening date from the factory and the name and contact for the person who will reconfirm your production schedule in their first week back. Taken digital copies of all relevant product specifications, purchase orders, and quality standards — so you can hit the ground running when communication resumes.
For UK importers working with a sourcing agent like Epic Sourcing, we maintain contact with factory management throughout the holiday period and proactively follow up on production schedules the week factories reopen. Our clients don't need to chase — we do it for them.
To understand more about how a sourcing agent manages the full supplier relationship — not just CNY logistics — take a look at our guide on the role of sourcing agents in China.
To summarise everything above into a practical to-do list:
August–September 2026: Review your current stock levels and sales velocity. Calculate how much buffer stock you need to cover January–April 2027. Place your pre-CNY production orders now if you're using sea freight.
October 2026: Confirm your factory's specific CNY 2027 shutdown and reopening dates in writing. Book freight early to lock in pre-CNY rates. Confirm your post-CNY production run with your factory before the holiday begins.
November–December 2026: Ensure all pre-CNY orders are shipped and en route. Resolve any outstanding quality issues before the factory shuts. Prepare your post-CNY order confirmations.
January 2027: Final air freight orders only. Monitor stock levels. Avoid panicking — if you've planned properly, your buffer stock should carry you through.
February–March 2027: Follow up on factory reopening and post-CNY production timelines. Don't assume full capacity the first week back. Expect your first post-CNY sea freight orders to arrive in April 2027.
Whether you use our White Label or Private Label sourcing services, the Epic team proactively manages CNY planning for all active clients. If you're not currently working with us and want some guidance on your CNY 2027 planning, get in touch — we're happy to help.
And if you're thinking about adding Vietnam to your supply chain as a buffer against exactly this kind of disruption, our Vietnam sourcing guide is a good place to start.
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Friday, 29 January 2027. It marks the beginning of the Year of the Goat in the Chinese lunar calendar. The official public holiday runs for seven days, but the practical factory closure period is considerably longer — typically four to six weeks from mid-January to late February.
Most Chinese factories will begin closing between 20–22 January 2027, approximately one week before Chinese New Year itself. Some factories in Guangdong and Zhejiang may close as early as 15 January. Always confirm your specific factory's closure dates in writing.
The official holiday ends around 12 February 2027, but most factories won't be back at full production capacity until late February or early March 2027. Worker rehiring and retraining takes time after the holiday, and the first week or two of production is often at reduced capacity.
For sea freight, UK importers should aim to have their final pre-CNY production orders confirmed by late September or early October 2026 at the latest. This allows time for production to complete by late November 2026 and goods to be shipped from China by 10–15 December 2026, arriving in the UK in mid-January 2027.
Almost certainly. Pre-CNY periods typically see significant spikes in container shipping rates on the China-to-UK route, as demand surges while supply of containers tightens. Book your freight early — ideally in September or October 2026 — to lock in better rates and ensure container availability.
Your options are limited but not zero. Air freight can bridge small, urgent gaps if goods can be completed before the factory shutdown. You can also look at alternative suppliers in markets that have shorter or different holiday periods, such as India or certain parts of Southeast Asia. Working with a sourcing agent gives you access to a broader supplier network and faster problem-solving when timelines slip.
Yes. Vietnamese Tet 2027 falls on the same date as Chinese New Year (29 January 2027), and Vietnamese factories will also close for approximately one to two weeks around this period. If you're sourcing from Vietnam, factor Tet closures into your planning as well, though Vietnamese shutdowns are generally shorter than Chinese ones.
Got questions about your pre-CNY stock planning or want help placing orders before the shutdown window closes? Email the Epic Sourcing UK team at hello@epicsourcing.co.uk or call 07551 136406.
And if you're thinking about diversifying into Vietnam as a buffer against CNY disruptions, our guide — Sourcing from Vietnam: A UK Importer's China-Plus-One Guide — is a great starting point.
Written by TK Wang, Founder & Director @ Epic Sourcing
