Canton Fair Phase 2: building materials, furniture, housewares

What is on the floor, area by area

The layout below is from the 139th session (spring 2026); it usually repeats with small changes. Check the floor plan in the official app the week before you go.

Who comes to Phase 2

The exhibitor mix leans heavily to Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi factories: Chaozhou and Jingdezhen for ceramics, Foshan for sanitary ware and furniture, Yangjiang for knives, Jieyang for stainless steel kitchenware, Shenzhen and Dongguan for gifts and premiums. Many are genuinely large. A Chaozhou tableware factory with 1,500 staff will have a 36 m² stand with the dinnerware lined up by collection and a price list per piece, per set and per carton.

On the buying side this is the most crowded phase. Expect Middle Eastern and African wholesale buyers moving fast through the ceramics halls, European and North American retail buyers going slowly through furniture and home decor, and a lot of Amazon sellers photographing everything. Stands in kitchenware can have a queue at 10:30 on the first day.

How to plan the five days

1. Day 1: your main section, early. Be inside at 9:30 and do your top-priority hall before it fills. Get price sheets and carton specifications; in housewares the carton spec decides your freight.
2. Day 2: finish the main section, start the second. Ceramics buyers should also see glassware (Area C) and kitchenware (Area A) on the same day because the same buyers use them together and the factories know it.
3. Day 3: decor, gifts and the International Pavilion. Area D is calmer. Gift and premium suppliers are used to custom logos and short runs; the conversations are quick.
4. Day 4: second visits and negotiation. Bring the other quotes. Prices for the same stainless steel pan can differ by 40% across three aisles and the difference is usually a trading margin, not the steel.
5. Day 5: samples, photographs, contact confirmation. Display stock gets sold cheaply from about 14:00.

What to ask at a housewares or furniture booth

• Material and test reports. For anything that touches food: LFGB or FDA food-contact reports, and for the US, Prop 65 on ceramics and glass (lead and cadmium). For furniture: CARB or TSCA Title VI on composite wood, and the foam flammability standard for your market.
• Who owns the design. Home decor and gifts are copied fast. If a design matters to you, ask whether it is theirs, whether they have a registered design, and whether they will sign an exclusivity for your market at a volume. Some will, on a modest number.
• Packaging. Ask what the standard export carton is and what the inner packaging looks like. A gift box adds 5 to 15% to the unit cost and can double the cubic volume.
• Sample policy. Most Phase 2 factories charge for samples and refund on the first order. Get the sample price and the courier terms in writing.
• Lead time from artwork approval. Not from the deposit. Printed or decorated goods lose two to three weeks in artwork and pre-production samples, and if you are buying in October for spring, that matters.

Ceramics, glass and the breakage question

The single most common problem our desk sees with Phase 2 orders is breakage, and it is almost always packaging. The factory’s standard carton is designed for a full container that will not be touched until it reaches your warehouse. If your goods will be de-consolidated, cross-docked or shipped out to customers one at a time, the standard carton is not enough. Ask for a drop-test report (ISTA 1A or 3A for e-commerce), specify the foam or pulp insert, and put an acceptable breakage rate in the purchase order. A 2% allowance is normal for ceramics on a full container; on parcel shipments it should be near zero with the right insert.

Browse Phase 2 exhibitors before you go

Our catalogue lists the products of Canton Fair exhibitors by the same sections the fair uses. The Phase 2 sections are:

• Housewares (kitchenware, tableware, ceramics, glassware, household items)
• Building and furniture (building materials, bathroom, furniture)
• Gifts and decorations (gifts and premiums, home decor, festival products, clocks and watches)

Shortlist there, and if a supplier looks right but you cannot make the break days for a factory visit, the desk will go and look for you.