Importing Sunglasses & Eyewear from China: A Complete Guide

Suggestion: Watch the 10 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

About to import Sunglasses from China? In this guide, you’ll learn what you must know before getting started, including:

– How to select the right Eyewear manufacturer

– Frame Materials, Lens Specifications, and general design customization options

– An introduction to Product Safety Standards and Labeling Requirements for Sunglasses in the EU and USA

– List of Sunglasses & Eyewear Manufacturers in China

Finding the right Sunglasses Manufacturer in China

Most major sunglasses manufacturers in China are based in Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai – and the cities of Wenzhou and Linhai in particular.

Wenzhou is the world’s largest manufacturing cluster for Sunglasses. There are hundreds of manufacturers, trading companies, and component suppliers in the city.

However, with so many manufacturers to choose from, how can you identify those that are qualified?

When sourcing Sunglasses, this is what you should take a look at:

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1. Product Compliance

Is the supplier experienced in manufacturing products according to applicable regulations in your home market?

The truth is that most suppliers are not. As you are required by law to ensure that all imported eyewear is compliant with all applicable product safety standards and labeling requirements, you need to be sure that the manufacturer has the basic capability to manufacture ‘compliant products’.

The best way to filter suppliers, at an early stage, is by requesting a product compliance document.

For Sunglasses, this may include any of the following:

• Personal Protective Equipment Directive Declaration of Conformity and/or Test Report
• FDA Declaration of Conformity and/or Test Report

Likely, you will quickly find that the majority of manufacturers cannot provide such documents.

2. Quality Management System (QMS) Certificate / Production Line Audits

A QMS Certificate (i.e., ISO 9001:2015) or Production line audit report indicates that the supplier maintains a certain quality standard, in terms of defects.

3. Social Compliance Audit Reports

Social Compliance Audit Reports (i.e., BSCI reports) indicate that the supplier treats its workers fairly well. In turn, this tends to go hand in hand with the above two points.

In addition, you should also look at the following two factors:

Registered Capital: A low amount of registered capital can give away minor traders.

Registered Business Scope: Is the supplier actually a manufacturer? If yes, their business scope specifies this in clear terms.

Note: Many major Sunglasses manufacturers in Zhejiang use separate company entities for manufacturing and trading (i.e., selling and exporting). This is completely legit, as long as some sort of connection can be proven between the two entities.

Product Specifications

Sunglasses and eyewear manufacturers expect their buyers to provide them with a set of product specifications. Sunglasses are highly customizable. The same design (i.e., frame mold) can be made using different types of materials and components.

For obvious reasons, the materials and components are in turn the factors that set the unit price. This is what you need to know before contact manufacturers:

a. Frame materials

• PP
• Acetate
• Stainless Steel
• Alloy

b. Lens

• Standards: ASTM, EN ISO
• Materials: Plastic, Polycarbonate, Glass, Composite
• UV Protected: Yes / No
• Polarized: Yes / No
• Anti-reflective (AR): Yes / No
• Thickness: X.X mm
• Index: X.X
• Shape
• Color

Note: Use brand name lenses (i.e., from Carl Zeiss), rather than cheaper no-name lenses. Western brand name lenses are compliant with EU and US product regulations. The extra cost paid for higher quality (and more importantly, compliant) lenses is still less than what it will cost you to test OEM lenses.

c. Material colors

• Standard color
• Pantone color

d. Hinges

• Plastic (low quality)
• Stainless steel (high quality)

e. Product Packaging

• Standard Packaging
• Customized Packaging

f. Logo print

• Lens Print
• Frame Print

Price samples

Eyewear and glasses unit prices are primarily based on the following:

• Lens type
• Frame material
• Product packaging

Two price samples follow below:

Sample A: High Quality

• Frame Material: Acetate fiber
• Dimensions:145 x 140 mm
• Polarized Lens: Yes
• UV400 Lens: Yes
• Hinge material: 316L Stainless Steel
• Price: US$7.50

Sample B: Low Quality

• Frame Material: PC Plastic
• Lens material: Polarized
• UV400 Lens: No
• Hinge Material: Zinc Alloy
• Price: US$1.50

As you can see, the price difference between an Acetate frame with UV400 lenses, and a cheaper PC plastic alternative, is enormous. You better know the product spec, before comparing prices.

Custom Design & Private Labeling

Most manufacturers in the industry offer a range of ‘standard models’. These are models for which they already own the mold. Virtually all Eye-wear suppliers offer their buyers to have their own logo (i.e., private label) printed on the lens and the frame.

Most suppliers can also open new frame molds, based on the buyer’s design drawings. In order to do so, you must first provide the supplier with a CAD (3D) design of the frame.

Notice that the mold is paid entirely by the buyer, and costs anywhere between $400 to $1200, depending on its complexity. Assuming you intend to import a standard model, you do not need to invest in new tooling.

Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) Requirements

Every supplier sets its own MOQ requirements. In the Eye-wear industry, the MOQ requirements are often structured as follows:

• 1000 – 2000 pcs per order
• 300 – 500 pcs per model (non-customized design)
• 200 – 500 pcs per color or pattern (non-customized design)

Notice that the MOQ requirement tends to be higher when buying custom-designed frames, or ordering frames with a custom Pantone color. There are indeed small online traders, selling Sunglasses with an MOQ as low as 1 unit per design. However, notice that these traders sell products made for the domestic market in China.

Such products are rarely, if ever, compliant with EU or US safety and labeling requirements.

Product Safety Standards for Sunglasses in the US and EU

European Union

Sunglasses are subject to the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Directive, which in turn requires that the product is CE marked and that the importer maintains a technical file. In the EU, the importer is responsible for ensuring compliance. At a minimum, EU based importers must verify that the supplier has previous experience with ensuring PPE compliance.

However, that is only the first step.

The Importer must also create a Technical file, which may include the following documents:

• Declaration of Conformity
• Test Reports
• Design Drawings
• Risk Assessment
• List of applied EN standards
• Copies of packaging, labels, and manuals

Importers are also recommended to submit samples to a compliance testing company, to verify that the Sunglasses are compliant. Test reports may be required, without prior notice, by authorities and retailers.

Sunglasses imported to the European Union are also regulated by REACH. Hence, the lens and the frames may not contain excessive amounts of certain substances, such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. Note that additional requirements may apply to protective eye-wear, and sunglasses made for infants and children. Regulations are also subject to change, regardless of product.

United States

Nonprescription sunglasses, sold in the United States, are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA sets certain safety and quality requirements, as follows:

• Impact Resistance
• Flammability
• Biocompatibility
• Optical Properties

The FDA refers to both ASTM and ISO standards, for each point listed above. For example, these standards require all Sunglass lenses to be shatterproof.

Follow this link to read more about FDA regulations for Sunglasses.

Sunglasses sold, or to buyers located, in California are also subject to CA Prop 65, which restricts more than 800 substances in consumer goods.

Labeling Requirements

European Union

Sunglasses sold in the EU must carry the CE mark. The CE mark is normally printed on the inside frame, together with the Category. Depending on the type and usage of the eyewear, you may also need to specify the following:

• PPE Class (i.e., Class 1)
• Usage symbols

United States

All products sold in the US must carry a Country of Origin mark. Assuming that your imported Sunglasses are assembled in China, they must carry one of the following:

• Made in China
• Made in PRC

Sunglasses are also subject to 21 CFR Part 801, which outlines product and packaging labeling requirements.

Sunglasses Trade Shows in Hong Kong and Mainland China

Wenzhou International Optics Fair

• Location: Wenzhou, Zhejiang
• Venue: Wenzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center
• Website: Click here

Hong Kong Optical Fair

• Location: Hong Kong S.A.R
• Venue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
• Website: Click here

Canton Fair: Phase 2

• Location: Guangzhou, Guangdong
• Venue: China Import and Export Fair (Pazhou) Complex
• Website: Click here

China (Shanghai) International Optics Fair

• Location: Shanghai
• Venue: Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center
• Website: Click here

List of Sunglasses & Eyewear Manufacturers in China

Listed Companies

• Wenzhou Sanshan Optical
• Yiwu Conchen Glasses
• Wenzhou Joysee Eyewear
• Chu Kong Optical Manufactory
• Yingchang Group
• Wenzhou Glassesbros Eyewear
• Jiangsu Yu Chang Optical Glasses
• Chongqing Yameiou Optical
• Xiamen Cheng Yi Optical
• Xiamen Jiayu Optical

Disclaimer

We are not affiliated with any of the companies listed in this guide. We have selected these companies based on their claimed product scope, history, certification, and capabilities.

Wenzhou Sanshan Optical

Wenzhou Sanshan Optical was established in 1999 as a private enterprise specializing in design, development, manufacturing, and sales for sunglasses, reading glasses, and frames.

The company has years of experience in providing ODM and OEM services for overseas customers, especially from the US, Europe, and Australia.

Wenzhou Sanshan Optical offers three types of customization services including festival customization, which allows customers to use original design according to anniversary or festival themes, personal customization, which is suitable for private label owners, or gift customization, which allows customers to choose among sunglasses made in different materials, including gold, platinum, natural materials, and turquoise.

Main Products

• Round-shaped sunglasses
• Square-shaped sunglasses
• Butterfly-shaped sunglasses
• D-shaped sunglasses
• Cat-eye sunglasses
• Polygon-shaped sunglasses
• Rectangle-shaped sunglasses
• Heart-shaped sunglasses
• Reading glasses

Summary

• Certification: ISO 12312
• Compliance: EN 1836, PPE Directive
• MOQ: Not mentioned
• Samples offered: Yes

Location: 108 Wenfeng Road, Longwan District, Wenzhou, Zhejiang

Yiwu Conchen Glasses

Yiwu Conchen Glasses has specialized in designing and producing sunglasses since 2009 in Yiwu. The company mainly produces sunglasses made with eco-friendly materials, such as wooden sunglasses, bamboo sunglasses, and acetate sunglasses.

Main Products

• Wooden sunglasses
• Children’s sunglasses
• Metal sunglasses
• Personal protective products
• Aluminum magnesium sunglasses
• Sport sunglasses
• Glasses accessories
• Optical frames

Summary

• Certification: Not mentioned
• Compliance: EN ISO 12312, FDA, Drop Ball Test, UV 400
• MOQ: Not mentioned
• Samples offered: Yes

Location: 11th Floor, Building 6, Lugang E-Commerce Town, No. 315, Hongyun Road, Chengxi Street, Yiwu City, Zhejiang

Wenzhou Joysee Eyewear

Wenzhou Joysee Eyewear is a professional manufacturer of glasses, including sunglasses frames made of eco-friendly and recycled materials, reading glasses, and blue light blocking glasses lens.

Currently, the factory area of Wenzhou Joysee Eyewear is over 30,000 square feet, equipped with professional production facilities. The factory implements strict quality standards during the production process and, according to its website, is BSCI certified.

The monthly production capacity of Wenzhou Joysee Eyewear is about 100,000 units, including sunglasses frames made of acetic acid, metals, TR, and titanium.

Main Products

• Round-shaped sunglasses
• Square-shaped sunglasses
• Browline sunglasses
• Retro square-shaped sunglasses
• Round-shaped sunglasses
• Keyhole bridge sunglasses
• Brow bar sunglasses
• Butterfly-shaped sunglasses

Summary

• Certification: BSCI
• Compliance: FDA
• MOQ: 6 pcs
• Samples offered: Yes

Location: 6/F, Yijia Building, No.28 Haoxiang Road, Shanghui Industrial Park, Wenzhou, Zhejiang

Chu Kong Optical Manufactory

Chu Kong Optical Manufactory was founded in 1963 in Hong Kong as a contractor for sunglasses and reading glasses, mainly for overseas customers. The company later set up its own factory in Hong Kong in 1980 and later three factories in Dongguan, Chongqing, and Jiangxi.

Over the course of more than half a century, Chu Kong Optical Manufactory has become one of the leading eyewear companies in Hong Kong which offers a comprehensive range of services completed in the in-house manufacturing centers, which include laser lens cutting machines, and soldering machines.

Currently, Chu Kong is able to produce 40,000 sunglasses in metal frames and 70,000 units of sunglasses in acetate frames per month.

The main exporting markets of Chu Kong are Japan, the US, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, and the UK.

Main Products

• Metal frame sunglasses
• Acetate frame sunglasses
• Reading glasses

Summary

• Certification: ISO 9001
• Compliance: Not mentioned
• MOQ: Not mentioned
• Samples offered: Not mentioned

Location: 1106-1108, 11/F, Tower A, Regent Centre, 63 Wo Yi Hop Road, Kwai Chung, N.T., Hong Kong

Yingchang Group

Founded in 1992, Yingchang Group is a professional manufacturer in the design, manufacture, and distribution of premium polarized sunglasses for men and women. The company offers ODM and OEM services for wholesalers, retailers, private labels, and individual buyers.

The product range of Yingchang Group includes sunglasses, blue light glasses, optical frames, and related accessories. Starting from 2020, the company started to manufacture safety goggles and protective eyewear to fulfill tremendous market demand.

For sunglasses, customers can choose different materials such as metal, plastic, acetate, and titanium.

With in-house designers and engineers, Yingchang Group is able to produce more than 1,200 styles of sunglasses every year. As for the team in the production line, there are more than 2,000 employees working in the factory occupying an area of over 120,000 square meters, yielding to a capacity of more than 50,000 units a day.

Main Products

• Wayfarers sunglasses
• Squared-shaped sunglasses
• Round-shaped sunglasses
• Rectangular-shaped sunglasses
• Butterfly-shaped sunglasses
• Shield sunglasses
• Safety goggles

Summary

• Certification: ISO 9001, BSCI
• Compliance: PPE Directive, FDA
• MOQ: Not mentioned
• Samples offered: Yes

Location: Dafen, Duqiao, Linhai, Zhejiang

Wenzhou Glassesbros Eyewear

Founded in 2008, Wenzhou Glassesbros Eyewear offers comprehensive services for customers, starting from the design, 3D modeling, sampling, manufacture, and exporting of sunglasses for men, women, and children.

The product range of Wenzhou Glassesbros Eyewear includes sunglasses, reading glasses, belay glasses, optical frames, and more.

Currently, the company has more than 1,000 frame molds catering to the different needs and standard requirements of customers from more than 30 countries.

Main Products

• Tortoiseshell sunglasses
• Flip-up sunglasses
• Children’s mirrored sunglasses
• Polarized sunglasses
• Cat eye-shaped sunglasses
• Oval-shaped sunglasses
• Hexagonal-shaped sunglasses
• Sporty sunglasses
• Oversized sunglasses
• Reading glasses

Summary

• Certification: Not mentioned
• Compliance: EN ISO 12312, Drop Ball Test, UV 400, FDA
• MOQ: Not mentioned
• Samples offered: Yes

Location: Louqiao Street, Ouhai District, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang

Jiangsu Yu Chang Optical Glasses

Jiangsu Yu Chang Optical Glasses is a professional optical and sunglasses frames manufacturer and supplier. The company specializes in offering ODM and OEM services in the field of sunglasses and regular reading glasses.

The materials used by Jiangsu Yu Chang Optical Glasses include acetate, TR90, and stainless steel.

Main Products

• Sports sunglasses
• Square-shaped sunglasses
• Reading glasses

Summary

• Certification: ISO 9001
• Compliance: FDA
• MOQ: Not mentioned
• Samples offered: Yes

Location: Zhong Xiang Village, Dangui Road, Development Area, Danyang City, Jiangsu

Chongqing Yameiou Optical

Chongqing Yameiou Optical is a professional eyewear company engaged in designing, developing, and producing high-quality sunglasses, reading glasses, and optical frames based in Chongqing.

The company offers a range of products and services under OEM or ODM agreement. Other than regular sunglasses with sun-blocking property, Yameiou has especially developed intelligent Bluetooth glasses, which allows users to watch movies, answer phone calls, and teleconferencing.

Main Products

• Smart Bluetooth glasses
• Wooden and bamboo sunglasses
• Cat-eye sunglasses
• Half-rim wired sunglasses
• Children’s sunglasses

Summary

• Certification: ISO 9001, SEDEX, SMETA
• Compliance: REACH, EN ISO 12870, FDA
• MOQ: 1000 pcs
• Samples offered: Yes

Location: No.1 Building, Xingyuan Road, Yangtze Gorges Immigrant Eco-Industrial Park of Fengjie District, Chongqing

Xiamen Cheng Yi Optical

Xiamen Cheng Yi Optical is a glasses manufacturer specializing in producing blue light blocking sunglasses, ultra-light sunglasses, and protective eyewear.

The company offers ODM and OEM services to wholesalers, retailers, and private labelers, and is able to provide rapid prototyping services for all types of sunglasses within 7 workdays.

Currently, there are over 200 people working in the in-house design and technical departments, which contribute to more than 40 styles and 1.35 million units produced per month.

Main Products

• Blue light blocking sunglasses
• TR90 sunglasses
• Protective eyewear

Summary

• Certification:
• Compliance: REACH, EN ISO 12870, EN ISO 12311, EN ISO 12312, EN 1811, EN 12472, ANSI Z80.3, ANSI Z87.1, AS/NZS 1067
• MOQ: Not mentioned
• Samples offered: Yes

Location: No.150, South Long Shan Road, Xiamen, Fujian

Xiamen Jiayu Optical

Xiamen Jiayu Optical was founded in 2009 as an eyewear manufacturer. The product categories offered by the company include sunglasses, safety glasses, and polarized lenses.

Currently, the company has designed and produces more than 1,500 styles of sunglasses, which are customizable in different types of lenses, such as mirrored lenses, AR coated lenses, and bifocal lenses.

In addition to the lens, Xiamen Jiayu Optical also offers other customizable elements such as custom optical frames logo and customized packaging.

Main Products

• Blue light blocking sunglasses
• Plastic sunglasses
• Metal sunglasses
• Acetate sunglasses
• Titanium sunglasses
• Bamboo sunglasses
• Wooden sunglasses
• Aluminum sunglasses
• Safety glasses
• Polarized lenses

Summary

• Certification: ISO 9001
• Compliance: PPE Directive, EN ISO 12312-1, ANSI Z80.3, AS/NZS 1067.1
• MOQ: 600 pcs
• Samples offered: Yes

Location: 2308, 893 Haicang Avenue, Haicang District, Xiamen, Fujian