Custom Handmade Rug Commission: Step-by-Step Process, Timeline & Cost

Commissioning a custom handmade rug sounds complicated. In practice, it is a structured process with clear milestones — and for buyers who know exactly what they want (or have a designer who does), it is the most reliable way to get a rug that fits perfectly in every dimension: size, colour, pattern, pile height, and material.

This guide walks through every stage of a custom rug commission from a manufacturer's perspective, using AJAYPEE CARPETS's process as the reference model.

Step 1: Define Your Specification

Before contacting a manufacturer, prepare these five pieces of information:

1. Exact size — in feet and inches, or centimetres. Non-standard sizes (such as 7×11 ft or 3.5×7.5 ft) are no problem for a hand-knotted rug; the loom is set up to your spec.

2. Material — wool, wool-silk blend, silk, or cotton flatweave? If wool, any preference between New Zealand wool and Indian wool? See our wool vs silk material guide if unsure.

3. Quality tier (KPSI) — 80–100 KPSI for a workhorse everyday rug; 150–200 KPSI for a high-quality living room piece; 200+ KPSI for a fine-quality heirloom piece.

4. Design direction — a reference image, a colour palette, a sketch, or even a verbal description ("classic Herati pattern in navy and ivory" is enough to start). You do not need a finished design; we can design for you.

5. Quantity — single piece or repeat order? Repeat orders (hotel chains, interior designers ordering for multiple projects) have different pricing.

Step 2: Design and Colour Approval

If you provide a reference image, our design team creates a point paper drawing (a grid-based diagram where each square represents one knot). This is the master document for the weaver and the document you approve before production begins.

Colours are matched to wool dye samples — we provide a physical swatch sheet showing the available shades in your chosen palette. You select the exact shades by swatch number, not by screen reference (screens vary too much for colour-critical work).

Timeline: 1–2 weeks for design development, colour matching, and client approval.

Step 3: Sample Weaving (Optional but Recommended)

For orders over a certain size or complexity, we recommend weaving a sample tile — typically a 12×12 inch section showing the pattern repeat, pile height, and colour combination. This costs a small fee (typically ₹2,000–5,000 depending on complexity) but is almost always recovered: it confirms the design before committing to full production weaving.

The sample is couriered to you for physical approval. You can request adjustments — a slightly lighter background, a different border width — before production begins. These changes are free at the sample stage; they are costly once full weaving has started.

Step 4: Production Weaving

Once design and sample are approved, the rug enters the loom queue. A skilled weaver in Bhadohi produces approximately 1 square foot of 150-KPSI rug per day. An 8×10 ft rug (80 sq ft) at 150 KPSI therefore requires approximately 80 weaver-days — meaning 2–3 months for a single weaver, or faster with a team of 2–3 working the same loom in shifts.

Production timelines by KPSI:

• 80–100 KPSI, 8×10 ft: 6–8 weeks
• 120–160 KPSI, 8×10 ft: 8–12 weeks
• 200 KPSI+, 8×10 ft: 12–20 weeks
• Silk or ultra-fine, 8×10 ft: 6–18 months

Progress photographs are available on request — we can send a photo of the work-in-progress at the halfway point.

Step 5: Finishing

When weaving is complete, the rug goes through:

1. Pile trimming — evening the pile height to specification
2. Washing — hand-washed with mild detergent, then flat-dried in the sun
3. Stretching — the rug is stretched on a frame while damp to ensure square dimensions
4. Final inspection — quality check against the point paper and specification
5. OEKO-TEX testing (for export orders) — certifies no harmful substances

Step 6: Shipping and Delivery

Rugs are rolled (not folded) around a cardboard tube, wrapped in polythene, and packed in a hard-walled export carton. For single rugs, air freight is typically 5–10 days to most destinations. Sea freight takes 25–45 days but costs significantly less for large orders.

Shipping costs depend on destination and weight. We provide a full landed-cost breakdown including freight, insurance, and customs documentation before you commit.

Total Timelines Summary

• Brief to design approval: 1–2 weeks
• Sample weaving and approval: 2–3 weeks (optional)
• Production: 6–20 weeks depending on quality
• Finishing: 1–2 weeks
• Freight: 1–6 weeks depending on mode

Typical total for an 8×10, 150 KPSI wool rug: 3–5 months from brief to doorstep.

Cost of a Custom Commission

Custom does not mean expensive. The price drivers are material and KPSI — not the customisation itself. A custom-sized rug at standard dimensions costs essentially the same as the same rug in a standard size. Design customisation adds the cost of the design process (₹3,000–10,000 for a custom point paper drawing, often waived on larger orders).

See our handmade wool rug price guide for baseline price ranges.

Final Thoughts

A custom handmade rug is the most personal object you can put in a room. It is made specifically for your space, your colours, your taste — and it will outlive most of the furniture around it.

At AJAYPEE CARPETS, we have been producing custom commissions for hotels, designers, and private buyers since 1987. Start the process at our custom orders page — we respond within 24 hours with a specification questionnaire and preliminary pricing.