Chinese holidays and production planning
Last updated September 27, 2026
OpusFab’s production facility is in China, and Chinese public holidays affect manufacturing and shipping schedules each year. Most holidays only pause work for a day or two, but two of them shut down production for a week or more. If your project has a deadline, check this calendar before you order.
The two that matter most
Chinese New Year (late January or February). The biggest disruption of the year. Factories across China close for one to two weeks, and many workers travel home for longer, so capacity ramps down before the holiday and takes time to return to full speed afterward. Expect production to slow one to two weeks before the holiday and lead times to stretch for a similar period after it. If you need parts in February or early March, order well ahead.
Golden Week (October 1 to 7). The National Day holiday. Production closes for about a week, and like Chinese New Year there is a rush before the break and a backlog after it. If you need parts in October, place your order by mid-September.
Other holidays through the year
These are shorter, typically one to three days of closure, and usually add only a small delay:
- Qingming Festival (early April)
- Labour Day (May 1, usually several days)
- Dragon Boat Festival (June)
- Mid-Autumn Festival (September or early October, occasionally adjacent to Golden Week)
Holiday dates for 2026 to 2028
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese New Year | Feb 15 to 23 | Feb 6 (Sat) | Jan 26 (Wed) |
| Qingming Festival | Apr 4 to 6 | Apr 4 (Sun) | Apr 4 (Tue) |
| Labour Day | May 1 to 5 | May 1 (Sat) | May 1 (Mon) |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 19 to 21 | Jun 9 (Wed) | May 28 (Sun) |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 25 to 27 | Sep 15 (Wed) | Oct 3 (Tue) |
| National Day Golden Week | Oct 1 to 7 | Oct 1 to 7 | Oct 1 to 7 |
The 2026 dates are the official State Council schedule. The 2027 and 2028 columns show the festival dates from the lunar calendar; the exact break arrangements for those years are announced near the end of the prior year, and adjacent weekends are often folded in to make longer breaks. In 2028, Mid-Autumn (Oct 3) falls inside Golden Week, so expect one merged closure of around eight days.
Shipping is affected too
DHL and other carriers also operate reduced schedules during these holidays, so a part finished just before a closure may not move until after it. Factor both the production pause and the shipping pause into your plan.
How to plan around them
- Check the holiday calendar before committing to a deadline in February, March, or October.
- Order early. Two to three weeks of buffer around Chinese New Year and one to two weeks around Golden Week is sensible for critical parts.
- Use Expedited production speed if you are ordering close to a holiday, but remember it cannot make up for a full closure.
- If your timing is tight, ask before you order. Request a custom quote and note your deadline, or contact support, and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable.
For how lead times are calculated in normal weeks, see Lead times.