The 140th Canton Fair ran from 15 October to 4 November 2026 in Guangzhou and closed with 352,000 overseas buyers from 219 countries and regions, up 12.2 percent year on year and a record for the fair. On-site intended export deals reached US$26.75 billion. Buyer growth was strongest from the EU at 38.2 percent, followed by the US at 22.2 percent and Belt and Road partner countries at 16.6 percent.
The number that matters for your own order book, though, is not on that list. It is 6 February 2027, the date of Chinese New Year, because every quote you collected now has to be measured against it.
The Closing Numbers
- · Overseas buyers on site: 352,000 from 219 countries and regions, up 12.2 percent year on year and a record
- · Intended export deals: US$26.75 billion, recorded on site
- · EU buyers: up 38.2 percent year on year
- · US buyers: up 22.2 percent
- · Belt and Road partner country buyers: up 16.6 percent
- · Professional buyers: more than 75 percent of attendees
- · Exhibitors and exhibits: more than 32,000 companies and 4.88 million products
- · New products and AI-related products: up 8 percent and 14.1 percent year on year
- · Phase 1 alone: 189,000 buyers from 214 countries, up 13.3 percent
The fair also reported that nearly 20 percent of exhibitors are investing abroad and 36.5 percent now offer product-plus-service solutions, a signal that Chinese suppliers are moving up the value chain rather than competing only on unit price. A dedicated trade services zone hosted 256 providers, roughly 20 percent more than the previous session, and covered all ten categories of producer services for the first time.
What the Intended Deal Figure Does Not Mean
The US$26.75 billion figure is intent recorded on site. It is a useful measure of how serious the buying mood was, and it is not a revenue line.
- · Quote validity: many factory quotes from the fair carry 15 to 30 days, and component costs have been moving quarter to quarter through 2026, so a quote collected on 20 October may already be stale
- · Sampling: nothing converts until a sample has been approved against a written specification, not a photo and not a booth demonstration
- · MOQ and consolidation: a quote given for 1,000 units rarely survives a first order of 200, which is the single most common reason a fair lead dies between November and January
Why the EU and US Numbers Matter More Than the Headline
A 12.2 percent headline increase sounds uniform. It is not. EU buyers grew 38.2 percent in the same quarter that the bloc abolished its 150 euro duty exemption on 1 July 2026 and introduced a 2 euro per-line handling fee on consumer parcels on 1 November 2026, while the fair was in its final days.
- · The new EU rules punish parcel-by-parcel importing and reward consolidated commercial shipments, so EU buyers were looking for suppliers who can consolidate rather than for the lowest unit price on 500 pieces
- · The US contingent was visibly focused on delivery dates, because the bilateral truce runs only to 10 January 2027 and that date sits directly on top of the Chinese New Year production window
The 30, 60 and 90 Day Plan After the Fair
The window between the fair closing and Chinese New Year is roughly thirteen weeks. It is the whole year's leverage, concentrated, and it is the period when most leads die rather than at the fair.
- · Days 1 to 30 in November: convert leads into specification, issuing sample requests for the top five to eight SKUs, collecting written spec sheets, confirming quote validity in writing and gathering supplier verification documents
- · Days 31 to 60 in December: price and lock capacity, negotiating a target price against a second and third quote, agreeing MOQ, adding a component price-adjustment clause and fixing deposit terms
- · Days 61 to 90 in January: produce and inspect, booking production slots before the pre-holiday squeeze, setting inspection dates, deciding the shipping mode and placing the booking before the freight peak around the truce date
Two things slip if this plan slips: the factory slot and the container. Everything else can be recovered.
The Two Dates That Decide Your Timing
- · 10 January 2027: the tariff truce deadline, extended in September 2026 from 10 November 2026, so anything that must clear US customs under the current arrangement needs to be produced and shipped well before that date rather than negotiated up to it
- · 6 February 2027: Chinese New Year, with factory wind-downs beginning well before the official holiday and recovery after it slow, so the last realistic production window for a February shipment closes in the first half of January
Put together: the fair closed on 4 November, and a first order confirmed after mid-December is a March delivery rather than a February one. The tariff side of that calendar is set out in our analysis of the truce extension.
Where Consolidation Decisions Get Made Now
Most buyers walked the fair with a shortlist and left with a longer one. The work that follows is unglamorous: verifying that a supplier can actually hold a specification, collecting part numbers at model level, and getting several factories' output into one container so the freight maths works. The lines we consolidate for retailers, distributors and livestream sellers are listed on our product overview.
- · Supplier verification comes before price negotiation, because a cheap quote from a factory that cannot hold tolerance is not a price
- · Specification and inspection are set at the same time, and our guide to quality inspection covers what an inspection should assert rather than merely observe
- · Order timing is planned backwards from the container, and our step by step sourcing process sets out the sequence that keeps a February shipment possible
If you came back from Guangzhou with a list you have not had time to work through, send us the shortlist and we will return verified supplier profiles and a costed quote. If what you are weighing is whether to buy now or after the holiday, our review of the Phase 3 consumer goods categories covers which product groups showed the tightest capacity.
FAQ
How many buyers attended the 140th Canton Fair?
352,000 overseas buyers from 219 countries and regions attended on site, up 12.2 percent year on year and a record for the fair.
What was the intended export deal value?
US$26.75 billion in on-site intended export deals, reported by Chinese state media on 5 November 2026 and attributed to the China Foreign Trade Centre.
Which buyer regions grew fastest?
The EU grew 38.2 percent, the US 22.2 percent and Belt and Road partner countries 16.6 percent year on year.
How many exhibitors took part?
More than 32,000 companies displaying 4.88 million products across three phases, with new products up 8 percent and AI-related products up 14.1 percent year on year.
When is the next Canton Fair?
The 140th session ran from 15 October to 4 November 2026. The 141st session is expected in spring 2027, and the dates are announced by the China Foreign Trade Centre, so confirm them against the official schedule before booking travel.
How long should a fair quote stay valid?
Ask for validity in writing and assume 15 to 30 days unless stated otherwise. With component costs moving, a quote without a validity clause is an opening position rather than a price.
Can I still place an order for delivery before Chinese New Year?
Production slots for a pre-holiday shipment realistically close in the first half of January 2027. Confirm with your specific factory, because wind-down dates vary by region and by factory size.