Short answer: a custom entrance door from our factory goes through design, drawing approval, production, checks, crating and shipping. Production takes 35–45 days from drawing approval and receipt of the deposit. The time before that depends mostly on how quickly drawings are agreed, and the time after it depends on the shipping route your forwarder uses.
What are the steps, in order?
- You send the opening. Who you are, the city, the opening size (W × H) and quantity, a drawing or photo of the opening, and the door you like if you have one. Our guide on what to send covers the details.
- First design direction. We send a first design direction, free, usually within one working day.
- Quotation. Prices are EXW at our factory in Wuyi, in US dollars, quoted from your opening size and design. Freight, duties, local delivery and installation are not included.
- Drawing approval. You check and approve the drawing: sizes, opening direction, pivot or hinge side, face, finish, hardware and lock. Nothing is made until the drawing is approved.
- Deposit. Production starts when the drawing is approved and the deposit has arrived.
- Production, 35–45 days. Cutting and carving the face, assembling the leaf, finishing, fitting the lock and hanging the door in the workshop to check it.
- Checks before shipment. We send photographs and video of the finished door for your confirmation. You or your inspector can also check it at the factory.
- Crating. The door is protected with blankets and foam and packed in a wooden crate.
- Collection and freight. Because the price is EXW, your freight forwarder collects the crate and arranges shipping and export paperwork.
- Import and delivery. Your forwarder or customs broker clears the door in your country and delivers it to site.
- Installation. Your local installer fits the door, using the installation drawings we provide for every order, with remote guidance from us.
What does EXW mean for you?
EXW, or Ex Works, is one of the Incoterms 2020 rules. The seller makes the goods available at its premises, and risk passes to the buyer once they are delivered there. The seller does not have to load the goods onto a vehicle or clear them for export. In practice this means you choose the forwarder, the route and the cargo insurance, and you can compare freight quotes yourself.
If you are used to FOB prices: under FOB, risk passes once the goods are on board the ship at the port of shipment. Ask your forwarder for a quote from our factory to your site and compare it with any FOB offer like for like.
Where do projects lose time?
- Unclear openings. A drawing that changes after approval restarts the clock. Measure the opening and agree the floor level early.
- Late approvals. Production cannot start until the drawing is approved and the deposit has arrived.
- Freight booked late. Book your forwarder while the door is being made, not when it is finished.
What happens after installation?
Our warranty covers the whole door for 2 years from the day it ships. Keep the approved drawing and the shipment photographs with your project records.
Source, checked October 2026: Aceris Law, Incoterms in international trade.
Quick answers
How long does it take to get a custom door from China?
Plan for three parts. Design and drawing approval depend on how fast you answer. Production takes 35–45 days at our factory from drawing approval and deposit. Shipping time depends on the route and your forwarder.
What does EXW mean when ordering doors?
Under Incoterms 2020, EXW (Ex Works) means the seller makes the goods available at its premises and risk passes to the buyer at that point. The seller does not have to load the goods or clear them for export, so your forwarder arranges collection and freight.
Who installs a door ordered from China?
A local installer you appoint. We provide installation drawings for every order and remote guidance during installation.