The Canton Fair is the largest trade show in China and the fastest way to meet several hundred suppliers for one product category in a single week. This Canton Fair guide covers how it works, how to register, how to plan the three phases and how to leave with real supplier leads instead of a suitcase of catalogs you never open.
Our team has walked the fair every session since 2016, both for our own sourcing and on behalf of clients who could not travel.
Key takeaways
- The Canton Fair runs twice a year in Guangzhou, usually mid-April and mid-October, in three phases sorted by product category. Pick the phase that matches your product; do not try to attend all three.
- Register for your free buyer badge online weeks in advance. Walk-in registration costs money and time.
- Shortlist exhibitors before you fly. Walking the halls without a plan is the number one first-timer mistake.
- At the booth, ask factory or trader, MOQ, lead time and a priced catalog. Never pay a deposit at the fair.
- Follow up within a week or your contact will forget you among the thousand other buyers they met.
What the Canton Fair is and when it runs
The official name is the China Import and Export Fair. It has been held in Guangzhou since 1957 and now fills the Pazhou complex, a venue of over one million square meters along the Pearl River. Each session attracts roughly 25,000 exhibitors and buyers from more than 200 countries.
It runs twice a year: a spring session usually in mid-April and an autumn session usually in mid-October. Each session is split into three phases of about five days each, with a two to three day gap between them while exhibitors change over. Check the official site for exact 2027 dates, since they shift by a few days each year and hotel prices follow them.
The three phases by product category
| Phase | Main categories | Typical buyers |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Electronics and electrical appliances, machinery, lighting, vehicles and parts, hardware and tools, building materials, chemicals | Industrial importers, electronics brands, hardware distributors |
| Phase 2 | Consumer goods, gifts and premiums, home decor, kitchenware, toys, ceramics, glassware, furniture, garden products | Amazon and Shopify sellers, gift and promotional buyers, retailers |
| Phase 3 | Textiles and garments, shoes, bags and cases, office supplies, sports and leisure, medical and health products, food | Apparel brands, footwear importers, stationery and health buyers |
Pick your phase by category, not by convenience. If you sell kitchen gadgets and arrive in phase 1, you will see power tools and tractors. No Canton Fair guide can replace the official exhibitor list, which lets you filter by product and hall before booking anything.
Registration: badge, passport and visa
You need a buyer badge to enter. Apply online through the official Canton Fair site before you travel. You upload a passport scan, a photo and basic company information, and approval usually takes a few days. The badge is free when you pre-register; on-site registration carries a fee and a queue that can eat half a morning.
Once approved, you can download an invitation letter. That letter is for your Chinese visa application, not for entry to the fair itself. If your passport qualifies for visa-free entry or a transit exemption, you can skip the visa but still need the badge. Apply for the visa at least four to six weeks before travel.
Bring your physical passport to collect the badge; a photocopy is not accepted.
Practical logistics in Guangzhou
The Pazhou complex sits on Metro Line 8 (Pazhou and Xingangdong stations) and Line 18. Hotels within walking distance book out months ahead and triple in price during the fair, so most buyers stay in Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe or along Line 8 and ride the metro for 15 to 25 minutes. Taxis and ride-hailing apps work, but traffic around the halls at opening and closing times is slow.
A few things that make the week easier:
- WeChat. Install it before you leave and link a payment card if you can. Nearly every supplier will ask to scan your QR code instead of giving an email address.
- Business cards. Bring 200 or more. Chinese suppliers still exchange cards, and a card with your company name and product focus gets you taken more seriously than a WeChat scan alone.
- Comfortable shoes and a power bank. You will walk 10 to 15 kilometers a day and photograph hundreds of booths.
How to work the halls
The fair is too large to browse, which is why the core of this Canton Fair guide is a shortlist. In our experience, a buyer who shortlists 40 to 60 exhibitors and visits 25 to 35 of them over three days leaves with better leads than one who walks every aisle for five days.
- Build a shortlist before you fly. Use the official exhibitor search to filter by product and export the booth numbers. Cross-check the company names on Alibaba or Made-in-China to see which ones look like real factories.
- Map your route by hall. Booth numbers follow the hall layout, so group your visits by area and plan one or two halls per half day.
- Visit the big booths first, but spend time at the small ones. Corner booths with professional displays are often trading companies with marketing budgets. Smaller booths further back are more likely to be factories with lower prices and less English.
- Have one conversation script and repeat it. Ask the same five questions at every booth so you can compare answers later.
What to ask at the booth
- Are you the factory or a trading company? Then ask where the factory is and whether you can visit. Vague answers usually mean trader.
- What is your MOQ for this item, and for a custom color or logo?
- What is the lead time after deposit, in the current season? Lead times stretch after the autumn fair as factories fill up before Chinese New Year.
- Can I have the catalog with prices? Many exhibitors hand out catalogs without prices and promise to email a quote. Push for at least indicative FOB prices on the spot so you can compare.
- Which markets do you export to, and which certifications do you hold? Ask to see the actual certificate, not a logo on a banner.
Photograph the booth number sign, the business card and the products together in one frame. By day three you will not remember which card belongs to which product otherwise.
What to bring and what to collect
Bring a one-page spec sheet for each product you are sourcing: dimensions, materials, target price, packaging, certification needed and annual quantity. Suppliers respond faster and more accurately to a spec sheet than to a verbal description, and it signals that you are a real buyer. Our guide to finding a manufacturer in China explains how to structure one.
Collect from each booth you shortlist: a business card with a WeChat contact, a priced catalog or photos of the price list, photos of the products and booth, and your notes on MOQ and lead time. Some exhibitors will sell you a sample on the last day of the phase when they are packing up; that is the one case where paying a small amount at the fair makes sense.
Follow-up within a week
Every exhibitor you spoke to met several hundred other buyers that week. If you message them two weeks later, you are a stranger. Send a short WeChat or email within five to seven days with your spec sheet attached, a photo of their booth so they remember you, and a request for a formal quotation.
From there the process is the same as sourcing from a distance: compare quotes, request product samples from China from your top two or three candidates, verify the factory, then negotiate. If you want our team to handle verification and follow-up in Chinese, you can send us your Canton Fair shortlist on WhatsApp and we will take it from there.
Canton Fair guide for first-timers: mistakes to avoid
- Trying to see everything. One phase, one or two product categories, a shortlist. That is the whole strategy.
- Arriving without a spec sheet. You will get generic answers and generic prices.
- Paying deposits at the fair. Excitement and a friendly salesperson are not due diligence. Go home, verify the company, sign a contract, then pay.
- Assuming every booth is a factory. Roughly half are not, and the difference matters for price and quality control.
- Judging suppliers by English fluency. The best factory in the hall may have the worst English. Bring or hire someone who speaks Chinese.
Alternatives if you cannot attend
The online Canton Fair platform runs alongside the physical fair and stays partly open afterwards. You can browse exhibitors, watch live product demos and chat with sales staff. It is a reasonable way to shortlist, though you cannot touch the product or judge the booth team.
A sourcing agent can walk the fair for you. Our team does this for clients every session: we take your spec sheet, visit the relevant halls, collect priced quotes and photos, ask the factory-or-trader questions, and send a shortlist with our notes within days of the phase closing. See our supplier sourcing service for how that works.
If your orders are mixed and small, the Yiwu wholesale market is open year round with 75,000 booths and low MOQs by the carton. It is a better fit than the Canton Fair for promotional goods, accessories and low-ticket consumer items where you do not need a dedicated factory.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Canton Fair 2027?
The Canton Fair runs twice a year, usually mid-April to early May (spring session) and mid-October to early November (autumn session). Each session is split into three phases of about five days each, with a short break between phases. Exact 2027 dates are published on the official site, cantonfair.org.cn, a few months before each session, so check there before booking flights.
Do I need an invitation letter to attend the Canton Fair?
You need a buyer badge, which you can apply for online with your passport and company details. The invitation letter is mainly for your Chinese visa application. Once your badge application is approved, the organizer can issue an invitation letter you can submit to the Chinese embassy or visa center. Citizens of visa-free countries can skip that step but still need the badge.
Is the Canton Fair free to attend?
The buyer badge is free if you register online in advance. Registering on site in Guangzhou typically carries a fee of around CNY 100 to 200 and means standing in line. Your real costs are flights, hotels (which double or triple in price during the fair), local transport and samples. Budget USD 1,500 to 3,000 for a one-phase visit from the US or Europe.
Are Canton Fair exhibitors factories or trading companies?
Both. Many booths are factories, especially in the machinery, lighting and hardware halls, but a large share are trading companies or factory sales offices. Ask directly, request the business license and the factory address, and check whether the booth staff can answer technical production questions. A factory visit or audit afterwards is the only way to confirm.
Can I buy from the Canton Fair without attending?
Yes. The online Canton Fair platform lists exhibitors with product catalogs and live chat during the fair. You can also hire a sourcing agent to walk the relevant halls with your spec sheet, collect quotes and catalogs, and shortlist suppliers for you. For small mixed orders, the Yiwu wholesale market is open year round and may suit you better than the fair.
Need a hand with this?
Talk to our team in China today
Send us a product photo or a link on WhatsApp and we will come back within one business day with a free project assessment: realistic prices, MOQs, lead times and shipping options.
