Importing Bed Sheets From Bangladesh to Spain: Costs, Duties and Suppliers

A bed sheet order for Spain fails most often on naming, not on fabric. Spanish buyers describe a bed by its width, as in Cama 90 or Cama 135, while a Bangladeshi mill may work from a size name used in another market. Fix every sheet in centimetres, with the fitted depth and the pillowcase size, before anyone quotes, and settle the Spanish label set at the same time.

Ask your forwarder to quote Valencia and Barcelona before you fix the delivery term. The Port Authority of Valencia reports that Valenciaport handled 388,366 containers in January 2024, 10.93 percent more than in the same month of the previous year, with the volume of goods passing through the Valencian terminals exceeding six million tonnes.¹

Key points to take away

• Bed sheets are classified under the indicative heading 6302, split by printed or unprinted and by cotton, man-made fibres or other textile materials; the tariff page opened for this guide shows 12.00 percent third-country duty for the bed linen lines, with 6.90 percent for nonwoven lines.

• In Spain, bedding sizes are often referenced through the width of the bed, as in Cama 90, so the purchase order must state width, length and fitted depth in centimetres for every sheet.

• Sateen is a float weave with a thread count of 300 to 500 and a silky drape, while percale is a plain weave with a thread count of 200 to 400 and a crisp hand; the weave must be named in the brief.

• The Everything But Arms scheme grants duty-free and quota-free access at scheme level, but a preference for a shipment depends on the origin rules and a statement on origin from a REX-registered exporter.

• The general VAT rate in Spain is 21 percent, separate from duty; confirm the import VAT base and recovery treatment with your broker or tax adviser before the first shipment.

Why source bed sheets from Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a home-textile base built around cotton spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing, and bed sheets sit in that chain rather than in garment production. A mill that weaves sheeting fabric, dyes or prints it, and cuts and hems the finished sheet under one roof can hold shade and size consistency across a colour range. Ask whether the mill already supplies bed sheets into Spain or another European Union member state. Do not source bed sheets from a garment factory that offers sheets as a side line, and do not buy a sheet programme from a trader who cannot name the weaving mill.

The buying question in Spain is the fitted sheet. Judge a sheet mill on washed finished size, elastic recovery, corner construction and colourfastness, not on a catalogue photograph of a made bed.

Which sheet sizes must the brief fix for Spain?

Europe has no single bedding size standard, and the size guide opened for this guide states that what is considered standard is usually an established market convention, while individual retailers and brands may use additional sizes of their own.² In Spain, bedding sizes are often referenced through the width of the bed, as in Cama 90, and the same guide lists fitted sheets from 90 by 200 cm for a single bed, through 140 by 200 cm for a French bed and 160 by 200 cm for a queen-size bed, to 180 by 200 cm for a king-size bed, with a 30 cm fitted depth for adult sizes.²

Put every size in the purchase order as width, length and fitted depth in centimetres, and state whether the measurement is before or after washing. Write the Spanish bed-width name next to the centimetre size, so the mill and the buyer are reading the same sheet: Cama 90 is a width, not a size on its own. Name the pillowcase size for each sheet set, and state the fitted depth for a mattress with a topper where the programme requires it. Ask the mill to state its own size tolerance in writing, and measure the approved sample after washing.

Sateen, percale and thread count: what do they decide?

Percale and sateen describe how the fabric is woven, not which fibre it is made from. Percale sheets have a thread count of 200 to 400, a closely knit plain weave of one yarn over and one yarn under, a matte finish and a crisp feel.³ Sateen sheets have a thread count of 300 to 500, a weave of one yarn over and three or four under, a silky smooth finish and a more wrinkle-resistant drape, but are less suited to warm summer months.³ Thread count refers to the amount of horizontal and vertical threads within a single square inch, and a higher thread count does not always equate to the best sheets.³

For a Spanish retail programme, the choice is usually sateen for fitted sheets sold on softness and drape, and percale where the customer wants a crisp, cool sheet. Name the weave, the thread count range and the counting method in the brief.

Which fibre blends suit which sheet programme?

The fibre blend decides the hand, the wash behaviour and the classification. A 100 percent cotton sheet is the standard retail sheet, and cotton-polyester blends are common where easy care and lower ironing matter. State the blend as percentages by weight for every component, including the elastic and thread where they form part of the article. Do not let a supplier substitute a blend after sampling: the fibre content on the label, the classification and the price all follow the blend, and a change of blend is a new product. Wash-test each colour separately, since dye uptake differs by fibre.

Find and verify suppliers

Where do Spanish buyers start the search for bed sheet suppliers in Bangladesh?

Start with a written sheet brief, not with supplier names. Fix the sheet before anyone quotes: flat or fitted construction, size matrix with fitted depth and the Spanish bed-width name, weave and thread count, fibre blend, colour or print, hem and elastic specification, the Spanish label set, care symbols, and packing by set or by piece. Then shortlist suppliers whose current ranges include bed sheets in that construction. Browse suppliers on Exportain before you send an inquiry.

Send every candidate the identical brief and ask for the same reply format: weave and thread count assumed, size matrix and fitted depth, fibre blend, price inclusions, validity, and the minimum per size and per colour. Ask early about Spain: has the supplier shipped bed sheets to Spain or another European Union member state, can it supply labels in Spanish, and can it provide a statement on origin with its REX number?

How do you verify a supplier before you pay?

Verification has three layers, each checked before payment. The first is company documents: trade licence, export registration and association membership, checked so that name, address and bank account name agree across every document. The second is capability: the weaving, dyeing and finishing route, the cutting and hemming line, capacity for the size matrix, and a finished sheet set from current production in your size, weave and colour.

The third layer is payment discipline. Keep payments to the company account named in the documents, never to a personal account, and verify any change of bank details through a separate channel. On Exportain, supplier profiles carry document and photo review badges. Exportain states that verification is a document and photo review, not a factory inspection, and that a badge is not a guarantee of capacity, quality or delivery.⁴ Exportain is not a party to the contract for goods, and it does not inspect goods, book freight or clear customs.⁴

MOQ, pricing and samples

What is the typical MOQ for bed sheets from Bangladesh?

There is no single typical minimum order quantity for bed sheets from Bangladesh. The minimum is set per size and usually per colour, because sheeting fabric is woven and dyed in batches and the cutting plan is set up per size matrix. A fitted sheet minimum is not the same as a flat sheet minimum, and a printed design carries its own minimum for the print run. Ask how each minimum splits by size, colour and print, and whether it is counted in sheets, sets, dozens or cartons. Record the minimum in the purchase order, and confirm what happens to the balance if the order falls short on one size or colour.

How is the price built, and how should you compare quotes?

Yarn and weaving usually form the main cost element in a cotton sheet, followed by dyeing or printing, cutting, hemming and elastic insertion, finishing, testing, labelling and packing, plus the mill margin. Thread count drives yarn use, so two sheets of the same size at different thread counts are different products. A fitted sheet costs more to make than a flat sheet of the same fabric, because of the elastic, the corner construction and the extra cutting. Print work, embroidery, a border and retail packing each add operations, and each should appear as a named line or be confirmed as included.

Compare quotes only on the same basis: same size matrix and fitted depth, weave and thread count, fibre blend, colour or print, hem and elastic, delivery term and packing. Ask what is excluded, including the Spanish label set and any testing. Convert every quote to the same delivery term, then to landed cost.

Which samples do you need, and how do you approve them?

A development sample shows whether the mill can weave or source the specified fabric, hold the size and finish the hem and corners cleanly. A pre-production sample, made in the actual production fabric, weave, thread count, colour or print and finish, is the sample you approve for bulk. For fitted sheets, try the pre-production sample on a mattress of the stated size, including a mattress with a topper where the programme requires it.

Test the samples the way a Spanish customer will use them. Measure before and after washing following the care label, check the elastic recovery on the fitted sheet, and wash a dark colour with a white sheet to check colour transfer. Approve in writing and keep one sealed counter-sample of each sheet type and colour.

Quality control and certifications needed

What do size, seam and shrinkage checks cover?

Size is the first check on a bed sheet, and it is measured after washing, not only off the loom. Check width, length and fitted depth on sheets drawn from different cartons, and check the elastic length and corner depth on fitted sheets. Seam checks cover the hem, the corner joins and the elastic casing: stitches even and unbroken, and no raw edges that will fray in the wash. Shrinkage is agreed as a limit in the purchase order, measured by the agreed method after the agreed number of washes, and the approved sample is the reference for that limit.

Agree the inspection method and defect limits before production, and set your own limits rather than adopting another buyer's figure. ISO 2859-1:2026 defines a system of acceptance sampling plans for inspection by attributes, and its summary states that AQL stands for acceptance quality limit, the maximum average percentage of defective items considered acceptable during random sampling, used to determine sample sizes and acceptance and rejection thresholds.⁵ Set the AQL level and sample size in the purchase order and draw the sample across sizes, colours and cartons.

Which label rules apply to bed sheets sold in Spain?

Settle fibre labelling at sampling stage, because the label wording is also the composition the classification is built on. For a multi-fibre sheet, Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 states that a textile product shall be labelled or marked with the name and percentage by weight of all constituent fibres in descending order.⁶

Article 16 of the same regulation requires fibre composition descriptions to be easily legible, visible and clear, and clearly visible to the consumer before purchase, including where the purchase is made by electronic means.⁷ It also states that labelling or marking shall be provided in the official language or languages of the member state where the products are made available to the consumer, unless that member state provides otherwise.⁷ For sheets sold in Spain, that means Spanish fibre wording on the label and in the online listing. Check the label artwork against the approved composition before printing, and do not rely on a mill's standard English label.

ISO 3758:2023 establishes a system of graphic symbols for marking textile articles, with five main symbols for washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and pressing, and professional textile care.⁸ Use the symbols in that order and set each one from test results on the actual sheet, including the wash temperature the sheet can take without losing size or colour.

Which certifications do you actually need?

What you need follows your customer: a retailer, hotel group or brand may name a specific test or scheme in its supplier manual. Name any such requirement in the brief and check the matching certificate's scope, product, issuing body and date.

OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 is the certification Spanish sheet buyers ask about most often. Hohenstein states that the test criteria depend above all on intended use, and that the more direct the skin contact, the stricter the requirements.⁹ Bed linen falls in Product Class II, for textiles whose surface comes into direct contact with the skin, a class the Hohenstein page lists as including bed linen.⁹ A STANDARD 100 certificate is valid for 12 months and can be renewed annually.⁹ Check the certificate number, class, articles covered and expiry date. Bed linen for babies and young children falls in Product Class I on the same page, so a baby sheet programme needs the stricter class checked separately.⁹

Incoterms, shipping and transit time

Which delivery term should a first Spanish order use?

Under Incoterms 2020, each rule tells you where delivery takes place, and the risk of loss or damage passes from seller to buyer at the same point and time as delivery.¹⁰ In only two rules, CIP and CIF, must the seller provide the buyer with insurance. In all rules but EXW the seller must carry out export formalities, while in all rules but DDP the buyer must carry out import formalities.¹⁰ That division is why the Valencia entry stays with the Spanish buyer under most sheet terms.

For a container shipment from Chattogram to Valencia, weigh FCA at the named terminal against FOB at Chattogram. The four sea rules, FAS, FOB, CFR and CIF, are only intended for port-to-port bulk or break-bulk shipments and are not suitable for container shipments in their current form, because a container is handed to the carrier before it is loaded on board.¹⁰ For a first sheet order, FCA at the container terminal gives a cleaner handover point for a containerised load than FOB, and the term must name the terminal and the edition, Incoterms 2020, in the contract.

How long does shipping take from Chattogram to Valencia?

There is no single typical transit time for bed sheets from Bangladesh to Spain, and this guide states none. Sea freight is the standard route for bulk sheet orders and it takes weeks rather than days, varying by sailing schedule, routing, transshipment and season. Work backward from the date the sheets must be on sale, and confirm the shipment date only after sample approval. Sheets are bulky for their weight, so confirm the container load by volume and carton count, not only by weight, and agree the carton dimensions before production.

Import duty, taxes and documents

How are bed sheets classified for Spanish duty?

Duty follows the classification of each sheet type in the European Union tariff, not the supplier's product name. The Harmonised System is an international commodity classification of approximately 5,000 six-digit product categories, organized in a hierarchy of sections, chapters, headings and sub-headings, and countries subdivide the six-digit categories further for their own tariffs.¹¹ The Combined Nomenclature of the European Union uses eight-digit codes built on that structure.¹¹

The indicative heading for bed sheets is 6302, which covers bed linen, table linen, toilet linen and kitchen linen. The tariff heading page opened for this guide lists other bed linen, printed, of cotton under 6302 21, of man-made fibres under 6302 22 and of other textile materials under 6302 29, and other bed linen of cotton under 6302 31, of man-made fibres under 6302 32 and of other textile materials under 6302 39.¹² Treat every heading here as indicative until your broker confirms it.

What import duty applies in Spain, and what must you confirm with your broker?

Confirm every duty line with your broker before you commit to a selling price. The tariff heading page opened for this guide shows third-country duty of 12.00 percent for the bed linen lines 6302 21, 6302 22 other than nonwovens, 6302 29, 6302 31, 6302 32 other than nonwovens and 6302 39, with 6.90 percent for the nonwoven lines under 6302 22 and 6302 32.¹² Confirm the current rate for your exact code and entry date with your broker, and confirm whether any sheet in the programme is a nonwoven. Confirm every duty line with your broker before you price at any rate.

The Everything But Arms scheme is a special arrangement for least developed countries, granting full duty-free and quota-free access to the EU Single Market for all products except arms and ammunition.¹³ A preference for your shipment depends on the origin rules and the proof of origin, so price without the preference until your broker confirms it in writing.

How does the statement on origin work for a sheet shipment?

Origin proof runs through the Registered Exporter system. The European Commission states that the REX system allows certification of origin based on self-certification, that an exporter must be a registered exporter in the database of its national competent authorities to make out a statement on origin, and that registration produces a REX number.¹⁴

Proof of origin certifies where a product was made, and it is essential for claiming preferential treatment such as reduced or zero tariffs.¹⁵ Under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, exporters registered in REX make out a statement on origin on the invoice or another commercial document, and unregistered exporters may do so only for a consignment whose total value, based on the ex-works price, does not exceed EUR 6,000.¹⁵ Most commercial sheet orders exceed that value, so confirm REX registration at order stage. Exporters must keep copies of proof of origin documents for at least three years.¹⁵

What does a Valencia customs entry need from a Spanish importer?

A Spanish importer needs an EORI number for customs declarations. The EORI number is an operator identification number valid throughout the European Union, and since Regulation (EC) No 312/2009 came into force on 1 July 2009 it has been a prerequisite for customs clearance in the European Union.¹⁶ Hold the number before the first shipment and give it to your Valencia broker.

Import VAT is separate from duty, and its base and recovery must be confirmed before the first shipment. The Spanish Tax Agency states that the general type of VAT is 21 percent, with reduced rates of 10 percent and 4 percent, and 0 percent also applying to certain transactions.¹⁷ Plan on 21 percent for sheets unless your tax adviser confirms a different treatment in writing. Confirm the treatment with your broker where the destination is outside mainland Spain.

The standard import set is the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and proof of origin where a preference is claimed. Name each sheet type plainly on its own invoice line, with size, weave, fibre blend and quantity. Quantities, weights and carton counts must agree across the invoice, packing list and bill of lading.

Landed cost example

A landed cost is the full cost of one fitted sheet, ready to sell from your Spanish warehouse, excluding the VAT recovery treatment. Every number below is an example figure only, not a quote.

Example figures: 4,000 cotton sateen fitted sheets, 160 by 200 cm with a 30 cm fitted depth, FCA Chattogram, sea freight to Valencia, duty at the 12.00 percent schedule line shown for the bed linen lines. Confirm every duty line with your broker.

Import VAT is shown separately. For this worked example only, applying 21 percent to the example customs value plus duty, $6.80 per fitted sheet, gives $1.43 per fitted sheet as an example figure, for a total cash cost at import of $8.78 per fitted sheet in this example.¹⁷ Confirm the VAT base with your broker or tax adviser before you use this example. If your broker confirms the EBA preference, the duty line falls to zero and the total excluding import VAT falls to $6.62 per fitted sheet. See landed cost for imports from Bangladesh for the full method.

Step-by-step import checklist for Valencia entry

1. Write the sheet brief: construction, size matrix with fitted depth and Spanish bed-width name, weave and thread count, fibre blend, colour or print, hem and elastic, Spanish label set, care symbols and packing.

2. Classify every sheet type from heading 6302 and the printed or unprinted subheadings, and confirm each code and duty line with your broker.

3. Shortlist mills whose range includes bed sheets in your construction, and request quotes on the identical brief and delivery term.

4. Verify the supplier in three layers: company documents, sheet capacity and current production, and payment discipline.

5. Order samples in stages, wash and measure them, try the fitted sheet on a mattress, check the Spanish label set, and approve a pre-production sample of each type and colour.

6. Confirm the origin position: origin rule, supplier REX number, statement on origin and the EUR 6,000 threshold.

7. Confirm the EORI number, appoint your Valencia broker, and confirm the VAT base and recovery treatment.

8. Confirm the order in writing: purchase order, pro forma invoice, delivery and payment terms, inspection plan, labelling, packing and shipment date.

9. Inspect during production and on packed goods against the approved samples, across sizes, colours and cartons.

10. Ship from Chattogram to Valencia, clear customs with the confirmed code and statement on origin, and reconcile the actual landed cost.

How Exportain helps

Exportain lets you post one RFQ with the full sheet brief, so mills quote against the same size matrix, weave and delivery term. Supplier profiles show which document and photo checks have been reviewed. Read how to import from Bangladesh for the full process before you post the RFQ.

What is the typical MOQ for bed sheets from Bangladesh?

There is no single typical minimum. It is set per size and usually per colour or print, because sheeting fabric is woven and dyed in batches and a cutting plan is set up per size matrix. Ask how the minimum splits by size, colour and print, and whether it is counted in sheets, sets, dozens or cartons.

How long does shipping take?

Neither production time nor transit time has a single typical figure. Sea freight from Chattogram to Valencia takes weeks rather than days and varies by sailing schedule, routing, transshipment and season, and clearance at Valencia and inland delivery add further time.

What import duty applies?

Confirm every duty line with your broker before you price or ship. The indicative heading is 6302, and the tariff page opened for this guide shows 12.00 percent for the bed linen lines, with 6.90 percent for nonwoven lines.¹² An EBA preference depends on the origin rules and the proof of origin.¹³

How do I verify a supplier?

Check company documents first, then capability and payment discipline: a finished sheet set from current production, and payments only to the company account named in the documents. Treat any profile badge as a document and photo review, not a factory inspection or a guarantee.⁴

Next steps on Exportain

Read how to import from Bangladesh for the full process, then work through the landed cost method with your broker's confirmed duty line.

Post a free RFQ on Exportain and get quotes from Bangladeshi suppliers → https://exportain.com/rfqs