Craftsmen stitching boxing gloves at rows of machines on a Sialkot workshop floor, blue crates of finished gloves between the rows and racking of gloves along the wall.

Why Pakistani manufacturing

Why so many boxing gloves are made in Sialkot, Pakistan.

Sialkot has made sports goods for generations, and gloves are one of its oldest trades. Here is what the city means for a custom order, how it compares with high-volume manufacturing hubs, and how to check a maker there before you commit.

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  • Made in our Sialkot workshop
  • Not bought in and relabelled
  • A sample approved before bulk
  • Inspection record shared on request

The city

Sialkot: a city that has made sports goods for generations.

Sialkot is in Punjab, in the north-east of Pakistan. Its sports-goods trade is older than the country, and our workshop is part of it.

  1. Colonial eraThe trade beginsSialkot's workshops start making sports goods for British troops stationed in the region, alongside its leather and metal trades.
  2. After 1947Craftsmen rebuild itPartition leaves much of the city's industry abandoned. Its craftsmen take over the workshops and build the trade back up.
  3. Built by exportersIts own export linksThe city's business community funds its own dry port, Pakistan's first privately owned international airport, and an airline.
  4. TodayA sports-goods cityGloves, leather goods and sports equipment made for clubs and brands around the world, with the suppliers for them in the same city.

Sources:SialkotSialkot International AirportSialkot Dry PortSMEDA cluster profile: Sports Goods, Sialkot

The cluster

What making in Sialkot means for your order.

A sports-goods city is more than its factories. The suppliers, skills and export links around them are what a custom order runs on.

  • Materials in the same city

    Leather, synthetics, foam, trims, thread and packaging are supplied within Sialkot, by businesses that serve its sports-goods makers.

    For your orderA material for your sample can come from a local supplier rather than an import.

  • Skills that are the city's trade

    Cutting, stitching and finishing leather gloves is work people in Sialkot learn in the trade, often in families that have done it for generations.

    For your orderHand-cut, hand-stitched construction is normal here, not a premium extra.

  • Built for export

    Sialkot's economy is built on exports, and its exporters built the dry port and airport to ship them.

    For your orderExport documents and courier shipping to the UK and Europe are routine.

    Export process

  • Duty that can be reduced

    Pakistan is a beneficiary of the EU's GSP+ scheme and the UK's Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which can reduce or remove duty on qualifying goods.

    For your orderAsk about it with your quote, and confirm the rate with your customs broker.

    Import duty

Comparing

Sialkot or a high-volume manufacturing hub?

A general picture, not a rule: there are good and poor makers everywhere. The one hard difference is duty into the UK and EU.

Known for
Sialkot, PakistanLeather work and hand-cut, hand-stitched gloves, with a whole fight-gear trade in one city.
High-volume hubsAutomated, large-scale factory production and a wide range of synthetic materials.
Usually suits
Sialkot, PakistanCustom and private-label runs, club kit, and leather or PU gloves built to a specification.
High-volume hubsVery large runs of standard synthetic products.
Duty into the UK and EU
Sialkot, PakistanCan be reduced or removed under GSP+ (EU) and DCTS (UK) for qualifying goods.
High-volume hubsStandard rates, unless the country of manufacture is in one of those schemes.

Wherever you source, the first thing to check is whether you are dealing with the maker or with a trader.

Maker or trader

How to tell a Sialkot maker from a trader.

Some Sialkot suppliers are traders: they buy gloves in from other workshops and put their name on them. That is not always a problem, but you should know which you are dealing with. These questions tell you.

Ask any supplier

  1. Who makes the sample, and in whose workshop?
  2. Which stages happen in your own workshop, and which are sent out?
  3. Is the bulk order checked against the sample I approve?
  4. Can I see the inspection record for my order?
  5. Is the name on the factory the name on the invoice?
  6. Are my specification and approved sample kept for reorders?

What we can show you

  • Every stage in our workshopDevelopment, cutting, branding, stitching, inspection and packing, all on our own floor in Sialkot. Nothing is bought in and relabelled.
  • Your sample, made by usMade in the same workshop as the bulk order, and signed off by you before bulk starts.
  • The inspection recordKept for your order, with the count and carton details, and shared on request.
  • Your specification on fileStored with the approved sample, so a reorder is made to the same standard.

Questions

Making fight gear in Pakistan: common questions

What UK and European buyers ask before ordering from Sialkot.

Why are so many boxing gloves made in Pakistan?
Most are made in Sialkot, a city in Punjab that has made sports goods since the colonial era. It has the skills to cut and stitch leather gloves, the suppliers of leather, foam, trims and packaging in the same city, and export links its business community built for itself.
Is Sialkot a good place to make leather boxing gloves?
Leather work is one of the city's oldest trades, and hand-cut, hand-stitched gloves are normal there. Quality still depends on the maker and the specification, which is why every order is made against a sample you approve before bulk.
Should I make custom boxing gloves in Pakistan or in a high-volume manufacturing hub?
Sialkot is known for leather work and hand-stitched gloves, and suits custom, private-label and club runs built to a specification. High-volume hubs are known for large-scale production of standard synthetic products. Goods made in Pakistan can also qualify for reduced duty into the UK and EU, which goods from many other manufacturing countries cannot.
Is there import duty on boxing gloves from Pakistan?
Duty applies unless the goods qualify for a reduction. Pakistan is a beneficiary of the EU's GSP+ scheme and the UK's DCTS, which can reduce or remove duty on qualifying goods; claiming it needs a statement on origin. Ask about it with your quote, and confirm the rate with your customs broker.
How can I tell whether a Sialkot supplier really makes the gloves?
Ask who makes the sample and where, which stages are done in their own workshop, whether bulk is checked against your approved sample, and for the inspection record of your order. A maker can answer all of these; a trader who buys in and relabels usually cannot.
Where is your workshop?
In Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan. Every stage, from development to packing, is done in our own workshop there.
Do you ship from Sialkot to the UK and Europe?
Yes, they are our main markets. Orders go by international courier with their export documents, tracked to your door, and the cost and delivery terms are set out in your quote.

Where next

See how it is made, and how it ships.

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Made in Sialkot, to your specification.

Send the product, your logo, a rough quantity and where it ships. A person reads every request and replies with your quote, or the questions that decide it.

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