Mexico has a large domestic apparel industry, a tariff regime that changed substantially for 2026, and a labelling standard that is enforced physically rather than administratively. All three shape how an imported programme is built. Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) is a China-based underwear supplier working through long-term BSCI-audited partner factories in the Fujian knitwear corridor — men’s, women’s and kids’ knitted underwear, MOQ 2,000 pcs per style and colour, FOB Xiamen.
The NOM-004 Label: Sewn In, in Spanish, With the Importer’s RFC
Mexican textile labelling is governed by NOM-004-SE-2021, effective since January 2023 and applying to textile products where fibre content is fifty percent or more by mass, with narrow exclusions for disposable items, medical textiles and a few similar categories. The required content is specific: the fibre composition as a percentage of each fibre in descending order, the care instructions covering washing, drying and any treatment restrictions, the size or dimensions, the country of origin, and the name, business address and tax registration — the RFC — of the party responsible in Mexico. For imported goods, that responsible party is the importer.
The element that changes production planning is the physical one. In garments the NOM-004 label must be sewn in, not applied as an adhesive sticker. Sewing a label is a production step, not a warehouse step, so a compliant sewn label has to be specified in the same conversation as sizing and packaging. If the goods arrive packed without one, your options narrow to a per-unit relabelling operation or a hold — both slower and far more expensive than getting it right at the factory. We build the NOM-004 label into the brief at quotation, using your importer name, address and RFC.
Two content details catch foreign brands repeatedly. The fibre names must follow the relevant Mexican standards, and abbreviations or trade names that are not in those standards are not accepted; fibres below five percent of total mass may be grouped as other fibres, and recycled fibres must be identified as such ahead of the generic name. And all commercial information must be in Spanish, although other languages may appear alongside it.
The 2026 Tariff Regime and Formal Clearance
The tariff position for Chinese-origin textiles into Mexico changed twice in quick succession. A decree published in December 2024 raised duties on a large number of apparel tariff lines to thirty-five percent and on a set of textile lines to fifteen percent. A broader decree published at the end of December 2025 and effective from January 2026 covered more than fourteen hundred tariff lines across many sectors, with textiles and footwear among them, at rates from five to fifty percent. Both measures target goods from origins without a trade agreement with Mexico, which includes China. Apparel qualifying under USMCA with a valid certification of origin is treated differently.
The operational consequences are concrete. Landed cost has to be calculated from the specific tariff line rather than a sector average, because closely related garments sit at materially different rates. The simplified clearance route through the strategic tax-enforcement zones is no longer available for textiles, apparel and footwear, so shipments now move through full formal clearance with complete documentation, correct duty and a compliant label — and practical clearance times have lengthened accordingly. Customs also uses automated systems to flag under-declaration and misclassification, with penalties that can be substantial.
Mexico additionally requires importers in these sectors to hold the appropriate registry entries, so confirm your status and your tariff line with your broker before you commit to a price. Building a costing model on a sector headline rate rather than your specific classification is the most expensive mistake available in this market right now.
Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas and the Inland Leg
There is no direct flight between Xiamen and Mexico City. Routings are one-stop through Los Angeles, where Xiamen Airlines operates Xiamen–Los Angeles three times a week, or through Tijuana, Madrid or Panama City, with total airport-to-airport time of twenty to thirty hours and door-to-door air freight of five to eight days.
Sea freight lands at Manzanillo or Lázaro Cárdenas on the Pacific coast, with Veracruz serving Atlantic-side destinations and Altamira the north-east. Pacific coast transit from Xiamen is typically twenty-five to thirty-five days port to port depending on the routing, and the inland leg to Mexico City by rail or road adds several days. Door to door, plan forty to fifty days. Veracruz routing is longer on the ocean leg but can be competitive for destinations in the east and south-east, and the same applies to Altamira for the industrial north.
One note on the market beyond the border: Mexico has a substantial domestic knitwear industry and Mexico City’s Gamarra-equivalent wholesale cluster, together with department-store and supermarket own-label programmes. Imported underwear competes most effectively on categories where domestic supply is thin — plus size, technical blends and finer gauge knitting — rather than on the most basic cotton brief where domestic production is already competitive.
Sourcing Specifications at a Glance
| Company | Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. (厦门甲冠麒贸易有限公司) — sourcing and supply-chain management company, incorporated 2013; in the underwear trade since 2009 |
|---|---|
| Location | Xiamen, Fujian Province, China — Jimei District, Xinglinwan Business Operation Center |
| Production base | Long-term partner factories across the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear corridor; our own liaison office inside the Jinjiang factory district since 2013 |
| Categories | Men’s / women’s / kids’ knitted underwear, plus size to 5XL, thermal and baselayers, pajamas and sleepwear, sport bras |
| MOQ | 2,000 pcs per style and colour (trial orders from 1,000 pcs on selected styles) |
| Sampling | 7–10 days for counter samples; 12–18 days for fully custom development |
| Bulk lead | 45–60 days after pre-production sample approval |
| Compliance | BSCI-audited partner factories; OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified materials; certificate numbers for the production sites on your order shared at quotation |
| QC | AQL 2.5 inline and final inspection on every order; shrinkage and spirality tested before bulk cutting; third-party inspection (SGS, Intertek, TÜV) welcome |
| Port & terms | Xiamen Port — FOB Xiamen standard (EXW Xiamen for Russia/CIS); CIF, CNF or DDP on request |
| Payment | 30% T/T deposit, 70% against copy of B/L; L/C at sight for larger programmes |
How to Start a Programme for Mexico
- Send your design brief, spec sheet or reference sample — we review and respond within 48 hours
- Receive fabric swatches, waistband options and a quotation within 3–5 business days
- Approve counter samples (7–10 days) or full custom development samples (12–18 days)
- Pre-production sample locks the measurement chart, then bulk runs 45–60 days with AQL 2.5 inline and final inspection
- Shipment from Xiamen Port on your chosen term, with export documentation handled by our team
Contact us for a free quotation →
Prefer a third-party reference before you write? Our company profile and product showroom are public on Made-in-China.com, and our export shipping records are independently listed on Panjiva. Contact: [email protected] · WhatsApp +86 186 5081 3853.
Other Markets We Cover
This guide is one of a series written for buyers in different markets. The others cover London · Paris · Barcelona · Rome · Frankfurt · Amsterdam · Stockholm · Athens · Moscow · St Petersburg · New York · Santiago de Chile · Lima · Mexico City · Sydney · Melbourne · Italy · the Netherlands · the Nordics · the UAE · Canada — each page sets out what that market’s import rules, duty and shipping routes mean for an underwear programme sourced from China.
If you are still weighing up whether to buy through a sourcing company at all, start with the China underwear supplier hub, which sets out how a sourcing company differs from a single factory and what that changes for your programme. Buyers already based in China — Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Hong Kong, Ningbo, Yiwu or Xiamen — are covered by a separate set of city guides linked from the hub.
Disponible en español: Proveedor de ropa interior en México.
· Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. — OEM & ODM underwear sourcing partner
| Supplier | Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — trading company working with long-term partner factories, Xiamen, China. |
|---|---|
| Business model | Sourcing and supply-chain management; works with long-term BSCI-audited partner factories; owns no production facilities |
| Trade since | 2009; incorporated as Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. in 2013 |
| Location | Xiamen, Fujian Province, China — Jimei District, Xinglinwan Business Operation Center |
| Production base | Partner factories across the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear corridor; liaison office inside the Jinjiang factory district since 2013 |
| Categories | Men's, women's and kids' knitted underwear; plus size to 5XL; thermal and baselayers; pajamas and sleepwear; sport bras |
| MOQ | 2,000 pcs per style and colour |
| Trial order | From 1,000 pcs per style and colour on selected styles |
| Salesman sample | 50 pcs per style and colour, cotton men's adult boxer briefs and briefs, price on request |
| Sampling lead time | 7–10 days counter samples (stock fabric); 12–18 days fully custom development |
| Bulk lead time | 45–60 days after pre-production sample approval |
| Inspection | AQL 2.5 inline and final inspection; SGS, Intertek and TÜV third-party inspection welcome |
| Certifications evidenced at partner sites | amfori BSCI; OEKO-TEX Standard 100 |
| Trade terms | FOB Xiamen standard; EXW Xiamen for Russia/CIS; CIF, CNF or DDP on request |
| Payment | 30% T/T deposit, 70% against copy of B/L; L/C at sight for larger programmes |
| Contact | [email protected] · WhatsApp +86 186 5081 3853 |
Buyer checklist
- Settle which Mexican entity is the importer, because its name, address and RFC go on the sewn-in label.
- Specify the NOM-004 label at production, in the same brief as sizing and packaging.
- Confirm the exact tariff line and current rate with your broker, and check whether additional importer registry entries are required.
- Plan for formal clearance rather than a simplified route, and start documentation well before the cargo is ready.
- Verify the fibre names against the Mexican standards and remove any unapproved abbreviation or trade name.
- Check whether any anti-dumping measure applies to your commodity code before building a costing model.
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.)
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — OEM/ODM underwear sourcing and supply-chain partner in Xiamen, China; in the trade since 2009, incorporated in 2013. Based in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster, Fujian Province, south-east China.