Article: The Bulk Buyer's Guide to Katdana Embroidery Fabric Wholesale
The Bulk Buyer's Guide to Katdana Embroidery Fabric Wholesale
Wholesale Reference Guides · 10 minute read · Updated 19 October 2026
A label sent back forty gowns last winter. The complaint on the docket said the beadwork was falling off. It was not falling off. One thread had snapped near a side seam during trial, then the whole row of beads had walked off the cloth like a zip opening.
The work was fine. The attachment was wrong for a garment pulled over the head. Nobody at the buying stage had asked how the beads were held on, because everybody was looking at the front. That is the whole lesson of this cloth.
Quick answer: In katdana fabric wholesale you are buying the bead, not the cloth. Three things decide whether a lot behaves. Weight, since beads add 40 to 220 grams a metre. Attachment, since one broken thread on an aari chain sheds a whole row. Plating, since the colour is a coating that dulls under steam. Run the five tests below in that order, then record the bead lot as well as the dye lot. Live designs sit in the katdana collection.
The order to test in, not the order you want to test in
- The reverse face. Five seconds. A continuous chain line means aari, separated marks mean lock stitch. Wrong answer for your garment, stop here.
- The shed test. Half a metre face down on dark cloth, rub the reverse ten seconds, count what fell. More than three or four beads, send it back.
- The damp rub. Twenty beads with a damp white cloth. Any colour transfer means soft coating plus a season of dulling.
- The steam hold. Iron ten centimetres above the swatch, fifteen seconds, then strong light. Cheap plating goes cloudy or milky.
- The overnight bag. A cutting sealed with a damp tissue until tomorrow, because trapped humidity does what perspiration does.
On beadwork, the front is the last thing you check.
Katdana is a bead, not a stitch
Buyers often use katdana loosely to mean any shiny surface work. Being precise matters at a counter because it changes what you inspect. Katdana is a small cut metallic bead, usually a short tube or a faceted grain of one to three millimetres, threaded onto the cloth rather than stitched with thread alone.
Compare it to the two things it usually sits beside. A sequin is a flat pierced disc that lies against the cloth, so it flashes in wide sheets of light. A katdana stands slightly proud of the surface, so it catches light in small hard points and reads as texture from close range yet as a shimmer from across a room. That standing profile is also why katdana snags on lining, on other garments in a rail plus on jewellery in a way a flat sequin does not.
Practically, this means a katdana piece needs a smoother lining than a sequin piece, needs more hanging room in your rail plus needs a garment bag at dispatch. Boutiques that treat the two identically get more counter returns on katdana.
Weigh the thaan before you cost the garment
This is the single number the trade skips. Bead work is added mass sitting on a cloth that was never engineered to carry it.
Light scattered katdana adds around 40 to 70 grams a metre. Row work along borders adds 80 to 130. All-over dense fills push 150 to 220. Put that on a net ground of about 30 to 45 GSM plus you have more than tripled the weight of the cloth. The garment consequence is immediate. Sleeves drop. Yokes sag away from the shoulder. A flared panel that swung in the sample hangs straight in production.
Do this at the counter. Ask for the finished GSM of the beaded cloth rather than the GSM of the base. If the supplier only knows the base figure, weigh a cut half-metre on a kitchen scale, double it, then compare against the plain cloth. Any gain over about 100 grams a metre means you should be budgeting for a firmer lining, a canvas or fusing at the shoulder plus possibly a stay tape at the yoke seam. Build that into the garment cost sheet before you quote a retail price, not after your tailor complains.
How the bead is held on plus why one broken thread runs
Two attachment systems dominate, with very different failure behaviour.
Aari chain stitch. A hooked needle pulls a continuous thread through the cloth in a chain, catching beads as it goes. It is fast, it is economical plus it is what most volume katdana uses. The weakness is structural. Because it is one continuous chain, a break anywhere in the row lets the chain pull back like a knitted stitch dropping, so beads shed in a line rather than singly.
Lock stitch or hand knotting. Each bead is secured with its own stitch or the thread is knotted at intervals. It costs more per metre plus takes longer. The payoff is that damage stays local. One bead comes off, the rest hold.
Check this on the reverse face. An aari chain shows a clear continuous chain line running behind each bead row. Lock stitching shows separated stitch marks with no chain. If you are buying for pull-on styles, kidswear, rental wear or anything with a heavy trial cycle, pay the extra for lock stitching on the stress areas at minimum. If you are buying aari chain for volume, ask the karigar to tie off at intervals rather than running a whole panel on one thread, then tell your tailor to backstitch the row ends before cutting so the chain cannot open at a raw edge.
The swatch test sequence before you book
Everything above is diagnosable from a swatch. The order you run the tests in matters. Done in the wrong order you waste a visit. Done in the order set out in the box at the top of this page you can clear or reject a lot in a single sitting, because each test rules out a different failure.
The reverse face comes first for a reason. It is the only test that can end the conversation on its own. If the attachment method is wrong for the garment you are making, nothing else about that lot matters and there is no point rubbing beads onto a dark cloth. The shed test comes second because it tells you about workmanship rather than materials, so a weak result sends the whole lot back rather than changing how you handle it. The damp rub, the steam hold plus the overnight bag are all plating tests, in rising order of how long they take.
Four of those five are done before you leave the counter. Only the overnight bag needs a day, which is why it is worth asking for a cutting on your first visit rather than on the one where you place the order.
Katdana qualities on a Delhi counter
Bead density plus the ground underneath it are what separate one quality from the next. This is roughly how the range runs at a counter.
Katdana qualities by bead density, at a glance
| Quality | Ground | Added weight per metre | Best garment use | Where it sits on the counter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scattered katdana on net | Soft net | 40 to 70 g | Dupattas, overlay panels | The entry quality, lowest on the range |
| Border row work | Georgette | 80 to 130 g | Sarees, kurta hems | A step up, still a volume buy |
| Katdana with faux mirror | Organza or net | 110 to 160 g | Festive lehenga panels | Mid band, two materials to grade |
| All-over dense fill | Net or georgette | 150 to 220 g | Bridal cholis, gown bodices | Upper band, bead count drives it |
| Katdana on silk ground | Silk or silk blend | 140 to 200 g | Bridal sets, label collections | Top of the range, ground plus bead both priced |
Net carries the majority of katdana production because it is light enough to absorb the added mass without becoming a board. If you are matching ground weight to bead density for the first time, work through the live net qualities on the counter before you settle on a base. Ask for current rates against each quality on the day you book, since bead work pricing moves with bead supply rather than with cloth.
Plating, steam plus perspiration: where the shine goes
Katdana colour is a surface coating on glass or plastic. It is not dyed through. That means it can be lost, plus the ways it gets lost are all inside your control.
The damp rub, the steam hold plus the overnight bag tell you the grade before you commit. What follows from a weak result is just as important as the test itself.
Two practical rules apply to every lot regardless of grade. Never let a katdana garment take direct iron contact, since heat plus pressure kills plating faster than anything else. Press from the reverse with a cloth barrier or steam it hanging. Second, tell your retail staff to advise dry clean only plus storage in a breathable cover rather than plastic, because sealed plastic holds moisture against the coating.
Order tiers, cutting wastage plus reorder matching
How the rate behaves across quantity is worth understanding before you decide what to commit to on a first order.
How katdana rates behave across order size
| Order tier | Typical quantity | How the rate behaves | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample cut | A metre or three | Closest to retail | Designers testing drape under added weight |
| Small bulk | A single thaan (about 18 to 22 m) | The first real step down | Boutiques trialling one design |
| Trade bulk | Several thaans of one design | Where the sharper band opens | Resellers, festive labels |
| Design booking | A full run held for one label | Karigar-linked rate on request | Exporters, labels locking a motif |
Cutting wastage on katdana is higher than buyers expect because a marker cannot be laid straight through a bead line. Every cut has to fall in a gap or the beads must be picked out first, which is slow hand work. Scattered designs waste the least. Row or border work wastes the most, since panels must be placed against the border rather than nested efficiently, so the loss roughly doubles against a scattered design. Cost that into your metre requirement rather than discovering it at the cutting table.
Matching a katdana reorder once the bead lot has moved
On a plain or printed cloth a reorder problem is a dye lot problem. On katdana you have two lots to match rather than one, because the beads arrive in their own lots and the metallic tone of a gold or a silver can step between them even when the ground shade matches perfectly. Under showroom lighting that bead step is more visible than a fabric dye lot step, because a metallic surface reflects the light rather than absorbing it. Two golds half a tone apart look like a mistake. Two creams half a tone apart often do not.
So record three things against every katdana booking rather than two. The design number, the dye lot of the ground plus the bead lot reference. Ask for all three on the bill at the time of booking, not later, since a bill written without a bead lot cannot be used to chase a match. Then buy your full season quantity of a design in one release wherever the cash allows, because that is the only reliable way to keep one tone across a collection. If the match has already gone and you are short, do not mix the lots inside a single garment. Use the newer lot on the pieces that stand alone, such as a dupatta or a separate jacket, plus keep the original lot together on the pieces that are seen side by side. A visible step between two garments is survivable. A visible step across one bodice is a return.
Getting katdana through cutting and stitching
At the table, cut single ply only. A stacked lay slides on beadwork plus the beads under the shears will crack. Use a fresh size 90 or 100 needle then change it every two to three garments, because a bead strike blunts a needle instantly and a blunt needle drags the ground. Move the presser foot pressure down so the machine does not ride over a bead line. Where a seam must cross beadwork, pick the beads out of the seam allowance by hand first, then stitch clean cloth to clean cloth and put those beads back by hand afterwards if the design needs continuity. Finish edges with a bias binding rather than an overlock, since an overlock knife will hit beads. Press hanging with steam only.
Where katdana orders go wrong
- Costing it like the base cloth. Added weight of 40 to 220 grams a metre changes lining, support plus wastage. Price the finished cloth, not the ground.
- Buying aari chain work for pull-on styles. One broken thread opens a whole row. Ask for lock stitching or interval tie-offs on stress areas.
- Running the swatch tests out of order. Check the reverse face first. If the attachment is wrong for your garment, nothing else about the lot matters.
- Ignoring plating grade. Damp rub, steam plus overnight humidity tests take a day and prevent a season of dull returns.
- Booking without a bead lot reference. A bill with only a dye lot cannot be used to chase a metallic match.
- Ordering short on a bead design. Bead lots shift tone between runs plus metallic mismatch shows harder than a dye lot. Buy the season in one release.
Questions I get across the table on katdana
What is the difference between katdana and sequin work?
A sequin is a flat pierced disc that lies against the cloth and flashes in wide sheets of light. Katdana is a small cut metallic bead of roughly one to three millimetres that stands slightly proud of the surface, so it reads as texture close up plus as a fine shimmer from a distance. That standing profile makes katdana heavier for the same coverage area, more prone to snagging on lining or jewellery plus more dependent on how it is anchored. It also means a katdana garment needs a smoother lining and more hanging room than a sequin garment.
Does katdana beadwork fall off in wear?
It depends on how the beads are held. Aari chain stitch runs one continuous thread through a row, so a single break lets the chain pull back and beads shed in a line. Lock stitching secures each bead individually, so damage stays local. Check the reverse face for a continuous chain line versus separated stitch marks. Then run a shed test by rubbing a half-metre face down on a dark cloth for ten seconds. More than three or four loose beads means the tie-off is weak.
What quantity should I ask for on a first katdana order?
Across the trade, bead work is quoted by the thaan, which runs to roughly 18 to 22 metres. Buying below a full piece tends to be priced closer to retail than to trade. Rates move again once you take several thaans of one design. A design booking, where a motif is worked only for your label, is a longer lead time because bead work is hand applied plus the constraint is karigar capacity rather than machine time. Ask the counter for the current tiers on the day you book rather than planning against a number from last season.
Can katdana fabric be ironed or washed at home?
No on both counts for anything you sell as occasion wear. Direct iron contact crushes the beads plus destroys the plating, so press from the reverse over a cloth barrier or steam the garment hanging. Home washing loosens tie-offs and lets water sit under the coating, which dulls the metallic finish. Advise dry clean only, storage in a breathable cover rather than a sealed plastic bag plus a garment bag at dispatch so beads do not catch on other pieces in transit.
How do I stop a katdana reorder arriving a shade off?
Record the bead lot reference as well as the dye lot at the time of booking, because katdana has two lots to match rather than one plus the metallic step is the one that shows. Ask for both on the bill while the order is being written, since a bill without a bead lot cannot be used to chase a match later. Then take your full season requirement for that design in one release wherever the cash allows. If you are already short and the lot has moved, keep the original lot together on the pieces that are seen side by side plus put the newer lot on anything that stands alone.
