China sourcing — every guide, article, and reference in one place
The full Ériu library, organised by what you're trying to do. Whether you're new to factory-direct sourcing, comparing modular-home models, sizing your landed cost, or vetting a specific category — the relevant guide is below.
Last reviewed:
The three pillar guides
How It Works — the full sourcing process
The four-step pipeline from your brief to factory-vetted, QC-inspected goods landed in Ireland.
Open the guide → StrategyWhy Buy Direct? — the cost argument
Three China sourcing markup layers you currently pay — and how factory-direct removes them.
Open the guide → NetworkOur China Network — Zhengzhou + Shenzhen
Where the team is, how the central-China and Guangdong bases combine, and what each one is best at.
Open the guide →Everything on Irish modular homes
The new Exempted Development Regulations changed the auxiliary-dwelling market overnight. These guides cover models, layouts, compliance, and cost.
Modular home models — overview
Compare 20ft, 30ft, 40ft and 20FT700 across dimensions, container loading, internal area and best use.
Open the guide → Floor PlansFloor plans across all four models
Standard 1-bed, 2-bed and 3-bed layouts plus shell options.
Open the guide → Use CaseBack-garden homes in Ireland
How the new exemption changes what is possible in a typical Irish back garden.
Open the guide →Sizing the project and verifying the factory
Irish building regs and the planning exemption
Irish building regulations for modular homes
TGD Parts A to M as applied to expandable container homes for Irish supply.
Open the guide → PlanningModular auxiliary dwellings in Ireland
The 21 April 2026 Exempted Development Regulations and what they mean for back-garden dwellings.
Open the guide →Category-specific sourcing intel
Each category page covers the dominant Chinese cluster, lead times, MOQ ranges, compliance refs, and Irish landed-cost positioning.
- Electronics & Technology Shenzhen is the electronics manufacturing capital of the world. Huaqiangbei — the world's largest electronics market, covering over 100,000 sq metres — is where every major global brand sources components, accessories, and finished goods. Ériu Sourcing operates a permanent base in Shenzhen with direct factory access across consumer electronics, IT hardware, cables, and smart devices.
- Furniture & Furnishings Foshan in Guangdong Province is the world's largest furniture manufacturing cluster, producing an estimated 30–40% of all furniture exported globally. Every major furniture style — residential, commercial, hospitality, outdoor — is produced here at scale. Ériu Sourcing operates from Shenzhen, 45 minutes from Foshan, with direct factory relationships built over 18 years.
- Construction & Building Materials China is the world's dominant producer of building materials — from aluminium extrusions and ceramic tiles to sanitaryware and insulated panels. Ireland and the UK import billions in construction materials annually from Chinese manufacturers, typically through several layers of European intermediary. Ériu Sourcing removes those layers entirely, with CE compliance verified at source before shipment.
- Hospitality Fit-Out Ireland's hospitality sector — hotels, restaurants, pubs, and serviced apartments — imports enormous volumes of furniture, lighting, ceramics, and tableware, overwhelmingly sourced through European intermediaries who buy from China and add 60–120% margin. Ériu Sourcing removes that intermediary entirely: hotel bedroom packages, restaurant seating, bar counters, and commercial lighting sourced directly from Foshan and Zhongshan factories at the same prices five-star hotel chains pay their direct suppliers.
- Pet Supplies & Accessories Guangzhou and Zhongshan in Guangdong Province produce the majority of the world's pet accessories. Every major global pet retail brand — including brands sold in Irish pet chains — sources from this cluster. The same factories supply Pets at Home, PetSmart, and Zooplus at trade prices that, by the time they reach Irish retailers, carry three layers of distributor margin. Ériu Sourcing provides direct access to the same factories.
- Modular Buildings & Sandwich Panels Chinese manufacturers produce the majority of the world's steel-frame modular buildings and insulated sandwich panels — supplying construction projects across Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. Ireland imports significant volumes of modular structures and insulated panels, typically through UK or European intermediaries at substantial markup. Ériu Sourcing sources directly from CE-certified Chinese manufacturers with full structural documentation provided.
- Machinery Inland China is the production base for the world's heavy machinery — concrete pumps and cranes out of Changsha, jaw and cone crushers out of Zhengzhou, agricultural tractors out of Luoyang, crawler excavators and earthmoving out of Xuzhou, forklifts and warehouse equipment out of Hefei. Each cluster comprises dozens of manufacturers — Ériu Sourcing evaluates the right factory for each buyer brief on capability, lead time, MOQ, and price, rather than pushing a single brand. Our Zhengzhou base sits at the geographic centre of this belt, with every major cluster within four hours by high-speed rail.
- Commercial Inflatables Henan Province — particularly the Zhengzhou and Xinxiang corridor — is China's dominant cluster for commercial inflatables. Bounce houses, inflatable obstacle courses, commercial water-park installations, advertising inflatables, and inflatable event domes are produced here at world-export scale. Ériu Sourcing operates from Zhengzhou with direct factory access for Irish event-hire businesses, holiday-park operators, water-park developers, and outdoor leisure businesses sourcing commercial-grade inflatable equipment.
- Industrial Cutting Tools Henan Province produces approximately 80% of China's lab-grown diamond output, with Zhecheng County and Xuchang City sitting at the centre of a 100-billion-yuan superhard-materials industrial cluster. The cluster has integrated forward from raw diamond synthesis into industrial cutting tools — saw blades, core drilling bits, CBN inserts, segmented grinding discs, and diamond wire — supplying machine shops, stone fabricators, and construction contractors globally. Ériu Sourcing accesses the cluster direct for Irish and UK trade buyers seeking quality-value B2B cutting tooling.
Recent articles
The real landed cost of importing from China to Ireland
Irish importers consistently underestimate the true landed cost of goods from China. This guide breaks down every cost — freight, duty, VAT, inspection, agent fees — with real numbers.
Read the article → Quality ControlPre-Shipment Inspection China: How Irish Importers Check Quality Before It Ships
How to inspect goods at a Chinese factory before they ship. AQL sampling, defect classifications, what a QC inspector checks, and what happens when goods fail. A complete pre-shipment inspection guide for Irish importers.
Read the article → Regulations ExplainedIreland's April 2026 Back-Garden Home Rules, Explained
What changed on 21 April 2026 when the Exempted Development Regulations reached Cabinet — the 45 m² auxiliary habitable dwelling, the Rent-a-Room yield, and what planning exemption does and doesn't mean for your project.
Read the article → Cost & EconomicsHow to pay Chinese suppliers safely from Ireland: T/T, L/C, and avoiding scams
A complete guide to paying Chinese suppliers safely for Irish importers. T/T vs Trade Assurance, avoiding invoice interception scams, and reducing FX fees.
Read the article → Complete GuideHow to source products direct from China to Ireland in 2026
A practical guide for Irish businesses on sourcing products factory-direct from China in 2026. Factory identification, QC, CE compliance, freight, and landed cost — step by step.
Read the article → Compliance & RiskCE marking and China imports: what Irish businesses get wrong
CE marking on China imports is widely misunderstood by Irish businesses. What you need to know before you import — and what gets goods detained at Dublin Port.
Read the article →Looking for a one-line answer?
If you have a specific question — about process, pricing, QC, compliance, modular-home regs, or shipping — the FAQ hub aggregates the most-asked questions across the site in one place.
Send the brief. We come back with a plan.
Product, quantity, timeline. WhatsApp or email. Ten minutes of your time is enough.