Sock WholesalersWholesale sock terms and trade glossary
Every trade has its shorthand, and sock sourcing has more of it than most.
This page defines the terms this site uses, in plain English, one meaning per term — the same wording you will meet on the quotation and the proforma invoice. If a term you need is missing, write to sales@sockwholesalers.com and we will add it.
- 51 terms
- 4 groups
- One meaning per term
- Where a term links out, another page here defines it in full
| Term | What it means | Group |
|---|---|---|
A · Products: types and parts | ||
| The name of the sock comes from its length, its use, and the parts a specification names. These are the words the category pages and style pages use. | ||
Custom socks |
are socks made to a buyer's specification rather than pulled from a catalog: your construction, your sizes, your colors, your branding. We make everything to order. Nothing ships from warehouse stock. | A |
Private label |
is production carrying your brand: your logo, your packaging, your label, on constructions the factory already runs. Here, it is the normal case. Not an exception reserved for large orders. | A |
Original design manufacturing (ODM) |
is the mode where we hold the design and you pick and adjust it: we propose the construction, you confirm the spec. The ODM decision stays with the factory side of the table. | A |
Original equipment manufacturing (OEM) |
is the mode where you bring the design: artwork, construction, spec sheet. We manufacture to it and quote from it. The OEM vs ODM page writes the ownership split out in full. | A |
No-show socks |
sit below the ankle line and disappear inside the shoe. The name is the length, not the use: we knit them on the same machines as any other cut. | A |
Ankle socks |
cover the ankle bone and stop there. They are the shortest cut that still shows above a sneaker collar. | A |
Quarter socks |
rise a few centimeters above the ankle bone, between ankle and crew. Buyers use the term to fix a length without naming a brand's sizing. | A |
Crew socks |
reach mid-calf, the classic sports cut. On this site "crew" names the length only; the use — sport, work, casual — is a separate line of the specification. | A |
Knee socks |
reach over the calf to just below the knee. We confirm length on the spec sheet per size range. Never assume it from the name. | A |
Terry sole |
is a looped, cushioned pile knitted into the foot bottom. It adds impact absorption. Standard on most sports constructions we run. | A |
Grip dots |
are small silicone or PVC dots applied to the sole so the sock holds to the shoe or the mat. We glue-press and cure them as a separate production step after boarding. | A |
Non-skid socks |
are socks carrying grip dots, made for hard floors: yoga, Pilates, hospital and home use. On this site the category pages use the same wording. The hospital build, a tread sole with a non-binding cuff, is Hospital Socks: Tread Sole, Soft Cuff. | A |
Compression socks |
apply graduated pressure to the lower leg, knitted to a pressure specification the buyer supplies. General-wear compression and certified medical grades: different products. The compression entry quotes from your spec. | A |
Yoga socks |
are non-skid socks cut for studio use, often with grip dots across the full sole and an open or closed toe. They are one of the six categories on this site. | A |
Children's socks |
are socks graded to children's size ranges. Sizing runs by age or by foot length in centimeters; the children's category page carries the range per style. | A |
Men's socks |
are socks graded to men's size ranges. On this site the category is an entry point; length, material and use are filters on top of the men's category page. | A |
Leg rib |
is the elastic rib knitted into the sock's leg so it holds on the calf without binding. Its depth and elasticity are spec-sheet lines. The style name does not fix them. | A |
Rib cuff |
is the finished elastic edge at the top of the sock. A rib cuff that loses recovery is the most common quality complaint in the trade, which is why the sample you approve is the reference for it. | A |
Needle count |
is the number of needles on the cylinder of the knitting machine, and it sets how fine and dense the sock knits. Higher counts knit finer, lighter socks; we quote the count per style in the specification. | A |
Grammage (gsm) |
is fabric weight in grams per square meter. In socks we usually quote weight per pair or per style instead. Either way, the number that governs is the one on the confirmed specification. | A |
B · Materials | ||
| We use the four material words on this site exactly as written here — they are filters on top of the same production floor, not separate product lines. | ||
Cotton |
is the natural staple fiber behind most sock bodies on this floor. We quote blends and combed variants by composition. "Cotton" on a specification means one thing: the composition stated next to it. | B |
Bamboo |
is yarn regenerated from bamboo cellulose, valued for a soft hand and moisture management; the word is a material filter on this site. We confirm the exact composition per style on the specification. | B |
Merino |
is fine-range wool from merino sheep, warm at low weight and low in itch. We quote it by micron range and blend ratio when you brief us. | B |
Recycled |
means yarn produced from reclaimed fiber feedstock, the meaning we use on this site. The certification trail behind any recycled claim travels with the specification, not as a general badge. | B |
C · Production | ||
| The five steps your order walks through on the floor, plus the two checks named on every quotation. Each step is one you can watch on a live video walkthrough. | ||
Knitting |
is the first production step: circular machines convert yarn into the sock tube with its leg, foot and cushioning zones already in place. One machine knits one sock at a time in its programmed size and pattern. | C |
Toe linking |
is the step that closes the toe with a seam, on a toe linking machine that matches loop to loop. It is the difference between a flat, comfortable toe and a bulky one. The seam type: a specification line. | C |
Boarding |
is pressing the knitted sock onto a heated metal foot form to set its final shape and size. Without boarding, a sock relaxes into an ambiguous shape; we fix the board size per style with the sample. | C |
Needle detection |
is the machine check for broken needle fragments inside the sock. It runs as a listed step in the production chain, and the record travels with the shipment documents on request. | C |
Quality control (QC) |
is the inspection of the product against the approved sample: size, seam, rib cuff recovery, appearance. It runs during production and again before cartons close. | C |
Pre-shipment inspection |
is the final check before goods ship, which you may attend in person, by live video, or through your own third-party inspector (SGS, BV, TUV or another firm you name). | C |
Factory audit |
is a third-party examination of the factory itself — working conditions, safety, management systems. This floor holds BSCI 26-0419962 and SEDEX (SMETA) ZAA600215648. The certificate page publishes both with numbers, holder and dates. | C |
D · Trade and compliance | ||
| The paper side of an order: how a price becomes binding, what the money terms are called, and the audit and registry names a wholesale buyer meets first. | ||
Minimum order quantity (MOQ) |
is the smallest quantity we run per style: 1,000 pairs. It is a starting point for negotiation, not a fixed floor. The terms page writes out how we handle lower quantities. | D |
Proforma invoice (PI) |
is the document that turns a confirmed specification into the binding offer: price, trade term, quantity, lead time and payment. What it states governs the order. Ranges on this site are indications. | D |
Quotation |
is the costing we send against your brief: a reference range, the trade term it is quoted on, and the MOQ. It is an invitation to proceed, not a binding offer — the proforma invoice is. | D |
Quotation validity |
is the window a quoted range holds for. Yarn and freight move. Past its validity, we re-cost the quotation — we do not honor it silently. | D |
Lead time |
is the time from a defined start point to goods ready. On this site we quote it per stage — sampling, bulk production, transit — with each start point named. The binding figure is the one on the proforma invoice. | D |
Sampling |
is making the physical sample you approve before bulk runs. Sampling typically takes 3–5 days after you confirm the brief and artwork; bulk runs to that sample, and a signed copy stays on file. | D |
Sampling fee |
is what sampling costs per style, quoted with your quotation; you cover the courier freight. We charge it per style, not per piece. | D |
Deposit |
is the payment that books your production slot, typically received before bulk starts. The bulk clock on this site starts when we receive the deposit and you approve the sample. Both, not either. | D |
Balance payment |
is the remainder of the invoice value, settled against the shipment per the payment terms on the proforma invoice. | D |
Ex works (EXW) |
is the trade term where we hand over the goods at the factory door and you carry everything from there. It is one of the four terms we quote; the best one for your market goes on the quotation. | D |
Free on board (FOB) |
is the trade term where we deliver goods onto the vessel at the Chinese port and you carry the main carriage. For most first orders it is the reference term buyers compare against. | D |
Delivered at place (DAP) |
is the trade term where we carry the goods to your named destination, with import duty and taxes unpaid and for your account. | D |
Delivered duty paid (DDP) |
is the trade term where we carry the goods to your destination with duty and taxes paid. It shifts the most responsibility to the seller; whether it is workable depends on your import setup. | D |
Incoterms® 2020 |
is the current ICC rulebook that defines the trade terms above. The three-letter code only carries its standard meaning inside the year edition named on the document. | D |
amfori |
is the trade association whose BSCI code this factory is audited against. The factory's BSCI registration number is 26-0419962, held by Zhuji Qingsheng Knitting Co.,Ltd. | D |
SEDEX (SMETA) |
names the ethical-data platform (SEDEX) and the audit format it runs (SMETA). This floor's audit is ZAA600215648, carried out 12–13 August 2026 and published in full on the certificate page. | D |
ImportYeti |
is a public search over US customs shipment records. It shows which Chinese factories ship to which US importers — the second step of the verify-us route here. | D |
QS Knitting Co.,Ltd |
is the export and contracting entity behind this site, at Baoshan District, Shanghai, China — the name on your quotation and proforma invoice. | D |
Zhuji Qingsheng Knitting Co.,Ltd. |
is the factory entity in Datang, Zhuji, Zhejiang — the floor that produces the socks. | D |
Next step
Send the brief in your own words
You do not need the jargon to start — the process section shows what we ask, in what order, and what you get back within one working day.