How to choose a gloves manufacturer in Pakistan

Pakistan is one of the largest sources of work and safety gloves in the world — leather welding gloves, knitted and cotton gloves, drivers and impact gloves. For a buyer that's good news and a problem at once: there are hundreds of factories, and the gap between the best and the worst is enormous. So the real question isn't "should I source from Pakistan" — it's "which gloves manufacturer in Pakistan do I trust?" This guide is the checklist we'd want you to hold any factory to, including us.

Why buyers source gloves from Pakistan

Pakistan has made leather and textile gloves for decades, with Faisalabad and Sialkot as the main hubs. That means a deep base of tanneries, skilled stitchers and knitting units, genuine leather expertise across buffalo, cow split, goatskin and sheep grain, and factories already set up to export to Europe, the UK, North America and Australia. Pricing is competitive. The trade-off is variability — world-class factories sit next to backyard operations, so the manufacturer you choose matters far more than the country on the label.

What Pakistani glove factories actually make

Most output falls into a few groups:

• Leather welding gloves — buffalo, cow split, goatskin, sheep grain, Kevlar-stitched.
• Working and driver gloves — cow grain and split leather, canvas backs, reinforced palms.
• Knitted gloves — polycotton and seamless, PVC and PVC-dot grip, in 7 and 10 gauge.
• Cotton gloves — jersey, drill, interlock and hotmill.
• TPR impact and cut-resistant gloves — built on a leather or synthetic shell, EN 388 rated.

A strong OEM runs several of these under one roof instead of sub-contracting — which is what keeps quality and lead times consistent.

What to check before you commit

1. Certifications — real, named and current. For social compliance, amfori BSCI or SEDEX. For quality, ISO 9001. For safety, product standards like EN 388 (mechanical), EN 407 (heat) and EN ISO 20471 (hi-vis). Ask for the actual certificate and audit report, not a logo on a homepage.
2. Samples. A serious factory makes a physical sample to your spec in 2–3 weeks. If they can't sample, they can't produce reliably.
3. MOQ that matches reality. Honest minimums (leather gloves from around 200 pairs per style) beat a factory promising 100-piece runs it can't deliver — or forcing you into 5,000 to start.
4. In-house production. Cutting, stitching, knitting, finishing, QC and packing under one roof means far fewer surprises than a trader sub-contracting to third parties.
5. QC against your spec. Every batch should be inspected to your standard, not an internal average. Ask how they inspect and whether mid-production inspection is available.
6. NDA and IP protection. If you're private-label, your designs should be under NDA and never reused. A real OEM never competes with you under its own brand.
7. Export terms. FOB Karachi is standard; CIF and DDP should be available. Ask who handles freight and documents.

Red flags to walk away from

• No named certifications — or logos with no certificate behind them.
• Won't make a sample, or wants full payment before sampling.
• Vague about who actually makes the gloves (a trader, not the manufacturer).
• Prices that look too good — usually thinner leather, weaker thread, or a material swapped after approval.
• No written spec sign-off before production starts.

Typical MOQs, lead times and payment terms

Item	Norm in Pakistan
MOQ (leather gloves)	From ~200 pairs per style
Sample lead time	2–3 weeks from approved spec
Bulk lead time	30–45 days after sample approval + deposit
Payment	Advance deposit on PO, balance CAD at shipping; T/T; L/C for larger orders
Incoterms	FOB Karachi default; CIF / DDP on request

Credit cards are not standard for production runs — treat that as normal, not a warning sign.

Where SAS Agencies fits

We're a gloves and workwear manufacturer in Faisalabad, Pakistan, running since 1983. We're OEM and private-label only — we build your brand, not ours. Leather welding and working gloves, knitted and cotton gloves, TPR impact, plus hi-vis workwear and knitted garments, all under one vertically integrated roof. BSCI, ISO 9001 and OEKO-TEX certified, MOQ from 200 pairs, samples in 2–3 weeks. If you're comparing two or three Pakistani factories, hold us to exactly the checklist above.