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India, from the loom to the port

Where the World's Goods Are Made, and How to Buy Them

What to source, where, from whom, and how. Evidence you can act on. Gaps you can see.

See where it is madeFind your route

Blue ship-to-shore cranes over a container ship berthed along a long pier at Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Navi Mumbai, in morning haze.
Shirts and jackets on a store rail
Trays of whole and ground spices on a market stall

India's Sourcing Zones

Most of what India exports comes from a few specialist sourcing zones, which the trade calls clusters. We have mapped 18 of them, and the 7 ports their goods leave from.

Map of India's coast with 18 sourcing zones and 7 export ports Nhava Sheva portMundra portPipavav portChennaiChennai portTuticorinTuticorin portCochin portHazira portLudhiana: BicyclesLudhianaJaipur: Hand block print, Handmade rugs, Women's woven topsJaipurJodhpur: Wooden furnitureJodhpurMorbi: Ceramic tilesMorbiRajkot: Castings and forgingsRajkotSurat: Lab-grown diamondsSuratSolapur: Terry towelsSolapurTiruppur: Babywear, Cotton t-shirtsTiruppurKarur: Bed linenKarurTamil Nadu leather belt: Leather bags, Leather footwearTamil Nadu leather beltBhadohi-Mirzapur: Handmade rugsBhadohi-MirzapurKanpur: Leather bags, Leather footwear, SaddleryKanpurKannauj: Essential oilsKannaujMoradabad: BrasswareMoradabadAgra: Leather footwearAgraSaharanpur: Wooden furnitureSaharanpurDelhi NCR: Women's woven topsDelhi NCRPanipat: Bed linen, Handmade rugs, Terry towelsPanipat
Sourcing zoneLudhianaBicyclesOpen this zone
Sourcing zone Export portPositions are approximate.

77 Sea Routes We Have Mapped, From 7 Ports to Six Markets

Each route is a real carrier schedule we have checked, with the days at sea. Pick yours below.

Sea routes from India's ports to the UK, the EU, the US, the UAE, Australia and New Zealand UKEUUSUAEAustraliaNew Zealand
Lines show which port serves which market, not the path ships sail.

Now Find Your Route

Pick what you buy and where you import it. We show the town, the port and the time at sea.

Pick either or both. We show where it is made, the port it leaves from and the time at sea.

Or read the whole India playbook: 20 sections, about 77 minutes.

For example

Babywear into United Kingdom

  1. Made in

    Tiruppur

  2. Leaves India from

    Cochin

    IndicativeUseful directional information where precise verification is unavailable.

    Also Tuticorin (V.O. Chidambaranar), Chennai

  3. At sea

    31 to 37 days

    9 scheduled sailings, port to port

  4. Arrives in United Kingdom

    London Gateway

    Duty and documents

See the full route

Importing Into

Duty, documents and the trade deal, written for your border.

What India Makes, and Where

How to choose a product

Is India the Right Country?

India against the other places you could buy from, one decision at a time.

How We Know

Primary sources
Customs tariffs, government trade data, border rejection records and carrier schedules, read directly.
Every claim graded
Each fact says how strong its evidence is, from Verified down to Not found.
Gaps in the open
Where nobody publishes the answer, we say so instead of guessing.
Blue ship-to-shore cranes over a container ship berthed along a long pier at Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Navi Mumbai, in morning haze.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva), where much of India's container trade leaves. Photo: Ccmarathe, CC BY-SA 4.0

Guides

All guides

Tools

All tools

  • HS code finder

    Search a product or a code: the six-digit HS subheading plus the national codes for India, the UK, the EU, the US and New Zealand, from official tariffs.

  • Landed cost worksheet

    Worksheet for product, freight, duties, and destination costs. You supply the inputs.

  • Sourcing brief builder

    Assemble a structured brief and download it as Markdown.

Type a word you met on the page, a product or a place.