Ramadan 2028: the order calendar for the next season
Ramadan 2028 is expected to begin around late January 2028, roughly eleven days earlier than 2027. If you sell Ramadan decor, the season you can still plan for properly is that one, not the one three months away.
First, the honest position on 2027
Ramadan 2027 begins on 8 February 2027. If you are reading this in November 2026, a container order placed now is unlikely to reach your shelf in time. Production takes about 40 days from deposit and artwork confirmation, then 20 to 35 days at sea, then clearance and inland delivery. Run that forward from today and you can see the problem without a calculator.
We will still take the order, and stock items can move faster than that. But we will not tell you it will land before the season, because we cannot guarantee it. What is genuinely worth planning now is the season after.
Why 2028 is earlier than you think
The Islamic lunar year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year, so Ramadan moves earlier each year. From 8 February 2027, the next Ramadan is expected around late January 2028. Dates follow local moon sighting, so treat that as a planning figure rather than a fixed date.
Late January sounds far away. Counting backwards, it is not.
The calendar, worked back from the shelf
| When | What has to happen | Why this timing |
|---|---|---|
| Now to Q1 2027 | Range review, look at what sold and what did not, shortlist categories | deciding after the season fades is deciding from memory |
| Q2 2027 | Samples, artwork, packaging design | sample rounds take one to two weeks each, and usually need two |
| June – July 2027 | Order confirmed, deposit paid, artwork approved | this is the date that actually matters; it starts the 40-day clock |
| August – September 2027 | Production, inspection, cartoning | peak season for every factory in this category |
| October 2027 | Goods leave Ningbo | before the pre-holiday freight crunch |
| November – December 2027 | Arrive, clear, move to your warehouse | 20-35 days at sea plus clearance |
| December 2027 – January 2028 | On shelf, retail sell-through | four to six weeks before the first fast |
The reason to order in summer, beyond the maths
Everyone who leaves it late competes for the same production slots in August and September. Booking in June means your line time is reserved before that queue forms, and it means a colour change or a carton revision still has room to happen. Placing early is often cheaper than placing late, not because of the unit price, but because late orders pay for speed in other ways: air freight on a shortfall, split shipments, or accepting a substitution you did not want.
What to do this month, if you only do one thing
Do not start by choosing products. Start by writing down which SKUs actually earned their shelf space in the last season, and which ones you ordered because they looked good in a photo. That list, not a catalogue, is what makes the summer order worth placing.
If you want to see what is currently in the range, the full catalogue carries carton data for every SKU, so you can size a container before you ask us anything.