A

Applique: A fabric patch (often digitally printed) sewn onto a plush body and embroidered around its edge. Used when a brand mark is too detailed or too photographic for direct embroidery.See:Embroidery capability
ASTM F963: The US toy safety standard. Covers mechanical, chemical, and flammability requirements for toys sold in the US. Plush toys must pass to ship to US retail. Tested by SGS, Bureau Veritas, or Intertek.

B

B/L (Bill of Lading): The shipping document the freight forwarder issues when your cargo is loaded onto the vessel. The original B/L is needed to release the cargo at destination. Don't pay the balance before you have a B/L copy.
BSCI: Business Social Compliance Initiative — a European audit of factory labour conditions, working hours, wages, health & safety. Most European retail buyers require their plush supplier to hold a current BSCI rating of A, B, or C.

CPSIA: Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act — the US federal law that mandates safety testing for products designed for children under 12. Plush toys must pass lead, phthalate, and flammability tests to ship into the US for that audience.
Custom dye lot: When a Pantone colour you specified isn't in our pre-dyed stock library, we run a custom dye batch on raw fabric. Takes 5–7 extra days, requires a 100 m minimum, costs roughly $1.50–$3 per metre on top of base fabric.

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): An Incoterm. The factory ships the goods all the way to your warehouse, paying export duty, ocean freight, import duty, customs clearance, and last-mile delivery. You pay one all-in price and don't deal with logistics. Best for first-time importers.
Digitising (embroidery): Converting a logo or artwork into an embroidery stitch file (.DST, .PES, .EXP) that the embroidery machine can read. Bad digitising produces puckered fabric and thread breaks; good digitising produces a smooth, dense, lint-free finish.See:Embroidery capability

EAN-13: The 13-digit European barcode used on retail-ready packaging. We can print EAN-13 labels onto polybags or hang tags as part of the packaging spec — provide the codes from your retailer or GS1 registration.
EN71: The European toy safety standard (multiple parts: EN71-1 mechanical, EN71-2 flammability, EN71-3 chemical migration, EN71-9 organic chemicals). Plush toys must hold a passing test report to legally ship into the EU.

Fill weight: The weight of the polypropylene (PP) cotton fill inside a finished plush, in grams. Higher fill weight = firmer plush, longer-lasting structure, higher unit cost. Typical 20 cm plush has 80–120 g fill; weighted plush adds glass beads on top.
FOB (Free On Board): An Incoterm. The factory delivers the goods loaded onto a vessel at Shenzhen / Yantian port; from there ocean freight, import duty, and last-mile are the buyer's responsibility. Cheapest factory quote, but requires you (or your forwarder) to handle logistics.

Hang tag: The printed card attached to the plush by a plastic loop or string at the ear / neck. Holds branding, barcode, care instructions, and warning text. Print options: CMYK + Pantone spot, spot UV, foil stamp, die-cut shapes.

Magic bytes: In our context, a server-side check on uploaded reference files that verifies the first bytes of the file match its claimed format (a PNG must start with 89 50 4E 47, etc.). Prevents malicious file uploads disguised as images. Already implemented on our inquiry form.
Minky fabric: A super-soft, short-pile polyester fabric that's become the most popular plush material. Holds Pantone colours sharply, embroiders cleanly, machine-washable. Costs ~20% more per metre than short-pile but reads as premium.
MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity): The smallest order size we'll set up a production line for. 100 pieces for stock fabric designs; 300–500 pieces if your colourway requires custom dye. Below MOQ, the pattern / sample / embroidery setup cost dominates and the per-unit price becomes uneconomical.See:How MOQ is calculated

ODM (Original Design Manufacturer): We adapt one of our existing designs (from our 500+ catalogue) with your branding, colours, and packaging. Faster and cheaper than OEM because the pattern, sample, and tooling already exist.See:OEM vs ODM blog
OEKO-TEX: A textile certification (Standard 100) that verifies the fabric is tested free of harmful chemicals. Important for plush sold in the EU, Germany especially, and for hospital / paediatric programs.
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer): Full custom manufacturing — we build to your design from scratch (sketch, tech pack, sample, mass production). Higher MOQ and cost than ODM but you own a unique product.See:OEM service overview · OEM vs ODM blog

Pantone TCX / TPG: Pantone's textile-and-paper colour standards. TCX (Textile Cotton eXtended) is the cotton swatch reference; TPG (Textile Paper Green) is the paper version. When you specify a Pantone TCX colour, we match the dye to within ΔE ≤ 2.
PP cotton: Polypropylene cotton — the synthetic fibre used as plush filling. Lightweight, hypoallergenic, machine-washable, doesn't clump. Sometimes called "polyester fibre fill". Premium plush uses 7D or 7D hollow PP for better loft retention.
Pre-dyed Pantone library: Our stock of fabric already dyed to 200+ Pantone colours across 8 fabric types (short pile, long pile, minky, sherpa, etc.). Picking from this library saves 7+ days vs running a custom dye batch.

QC (Quality Control): Our 3-stage inspection: (1) pre-production fabric inspection — colour matching, fibre defects, before any cutting; (2) mid-line inspection at the first 100 pieces — silhouette, embroidery accuracy, fill weight; (3) 100% final inspection before packaging.

Sherpa fabric: A thick, fluffy, fleece-like fabric with a curly pile. Used for plush that needs to feel cozy / blanket-like. Heavier per metre than minky; great for pillows and giant plush; harder to embroider cleanly than minky.

Tech pack: The design specification document we work from: dimensioned sketch, Pantone colour callouts, embroidery / print locations and sizes, accessory list (sound chip, magnet, hang tag), fill weight target, packaging spec. Send a tech pack and you'll get a faster, more accurate quote.
Trading company: A sourcing intermediary that buys from a factory and resells to you with a 15–25% markup. Not inherently bad but should not present as a factory. Verify by asking for a live floor video tour, the factory's tax invoice, and the business-license scope.See:Factory vs trading company

Weighted plush: Plush filled with glass beads or steel shot in addition to PP cotton, distributed across small internal pockets so the weight stays even. Used for sensory / therapy applications. Adds $1–$3 per unit depending on target weight.