The India Supply Atlas is live. Twenty years of export data across five clusters.
Atlas  /  Home & Living  /  Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh

Handmade Carpets & Rugs

India weaves about 40 percent of the world's handmade carpet exports, and six in ten Indian export carpets come from Bhadohi.

HS 5701Hand-knotted carpets
HS 5702Woven rugs and kilims
HS 5703Tufted carpets
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Handmade Carpets & Rugs export data

USD 2.0 billion
India carpet exports, FY25 - Bhadohi supplies ~60%
INDIA CARPET EXPORTS, ALL CLUSTERSFY07FY12FY17FY22FY27$497M$2.0BFY23: global demand slumpFY26: US tariff shock.Relief from Feb 2026
Marked points are reference figures. The curve between and beyond them is Obten’s estimate.
sources & methodology
INR crore, India carpet exports, all clusters. FY24 and FY25 per CEPC. Earlier years are Obten estimates anchored to Department of Commerce and IBEF USD series converted at yearly average rates; FY26 reflects the US tariff impact. FY27 is an Obten projection: the US tariffs behind the FY26 dip eased sharply in February 2026, with the 25 percent punitive duty removed and the reciprocal rate cut to 18 percent, and after the Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA tariffs a Section 122 surcharge near 15 percent replaced them, so FY27 runs against a far lower US wall than the FY26 base. The India-EU FTA concluded in January 2026 is a further forward signal, but its preferential duties apply only from entry into force, expected in 2027. The FY23 dip reflects the global home goods demand slump.
Source: CEPC Bhadohi office via Deccan Herald, 2025
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Top destinations

59%
United States
6%
Germany
4%
United Kingdom
31%
Others
sources & methodology
FY25 shares computed from IBEF and CEPC trade data
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What Bhadohi makes

  • Hand-knotted wool carpets
  • Hand-tufted wool and viscose rugs
  • Flatweave dhurries and kilims
  • Jute rugs
  • Wool-viscose blends
  • Silk and silk-blend rugs
  • Shaggy and high-pile rugs
  • Persian and Moroccan design area rugs
  • Natural fibre sisal rugs
  • Outdoor PET rugs
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Why source from Bhadohi

Bhadohi, India's Carpet City, supplies about 60 percent of the country's carpet exports and nearly all of its output ships abroad. Hand knotting, hand weaving and hand tufting coexist with generational weaver skill across the district, and India holds roughly 35 percent of world handmade carpet imports. A dedicated Carpet Expo Mart and the biannual India Carpet Expo bring global buyers directly to the cluster.

BHADOHICLUSTERICD VARANASIREGIONMUNDRA /NHAVA SHEVAUS · Germany · UK
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MOQs, lead times and certifications

MOQ
From a single rug to 5-10 pieces per design
Sample lead time
Around 15 days, dyed to Pantone lab dips
Production lead time
4-6 weeks standard; 8-12 weeks for fine hand-knotted
Dispatch
ICD Varanasi region to Mundra or Nhava Sheva
Certifications to ask for
GoodWeave or Care & Fair, plus SEDEX and OEKO-TEX
Price position
Hand-knotted quality below Persian and Turkish price points; China exited handmade
Typical figures, varies by supplier.
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Strengths and risks

Where India wins

  • World's deepest skill base
    Why it matters: Generational hand-knotting at prices no other origin matches.
  • One-off to programmed
    Why it matters: Single custom pieces and repeating retail lines from the same district.
  • GI-tagged provenance
    Why it matters: Bhadohi carries a Geographical Indication with buyer-facing expo infrastructure.
  • Category without China
    Why it matters: China moved to machine-made, leaving handmade to India.

The risks, and how you manage them

  • Machine-made passed off as handmade, or inflated knot counts
    How you manage it: Third-party inspection verifies knots per square inch and construction before dispatch.
  • Shade drift from natural dyes and handwork
    How you manage it: Exact-design physical samples approved against lab dips, with pre-dispatch photos.
  • Hand-knotted lead times run long
    How you manage it: Order calendars planned at shortlist stage so retail windows are met.
  • Child labour compliance in a dispersed weaver base
    How you manage it: Screening prioritizes GoodWeave and Care & Fair certified units, verified by certificate number.
sources & methodology
Sources: Indian handicraft and carpet exports fall on global demand slump (FY23), Business Standard, 2023 · Deccan Herald / PTI - CEPC figures and US tariff impact · Business Standard, Oct 2024 - FY24 exports and Bhadohi share · CEPC - India's share of world handmade carpet imports · US tariff relief on India (25 percent duty removed, reciprocal cut to 18 percent), White House fact sheet, Feb 2026 · Supreme Court strikes down IEEPA tariffs, replaced by a Section 122 surcharge, Holland and Knight, Feb 2026
Data updated July 2026
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Your first order from Bhadohi

01
Brief us
Brief us on your handmade carpets & rugs specs, volumes and target market.
02
Your shortlist
We screen the Bhadohi cluster and send a shortlist of suppliers that fit.
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Sample and inspect
Approve samples; we arrange third-party inspection before and during production.
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It ships
Your order ships with one point of contact from booking to delivery.

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