Canton Fair phases explained: which phase has your goods

The 140th Canton Fair runs in three phases from 15 October to 4 November 2026, each with different products. Which phase has your goods, with dates.

The 140th Canton Fair runs from 15 October to 4 November 2026, but it is not one continuous exhibition.

It is three separate phases.

Each phase shows different products.

So before booking a flight from Nigeria, answer one question:

Which phase has what you actually want to buy?

The official 2026 dates are:

Phase 1: 15–19 October
Phase 2: 23–27 October
Phase 3: 31 October–4 November

The Fair opens daily from 9:30am to 6:00pm at the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou.

Phase 1: Electronics, machinery, power and vehicles #

15–19 October 2026

Phase 1 is for products with:

motors, circuits, machinery or industrial use.

It includes:

• generators
• solar equipment
• inverters
• batteries and new energy
• household appliances
• consumer electronics
• electrical products
• lighting
• industrial machinery
• processing equipment
• agricultural machinery
• construction machinery
• tools
• hardware
• vehicles
• motorcycles
• bicycles
• auto parts
• industrial automation
• smart manufacturing

The organiser calls Phase 1 Advanced Manufacturing and specifically places electronics, appliances, machinery, vehicles, auto parts, lighting, electrical products, new energy, hardware and tools in this phase.

Who should come for Phase 1? #

If your Nigerian business is mainly:

electronics, generators, solar, machinery, auto parts, tools or hardware,

this is your phase.

You probably do not need to stay for the other two unless you also trade in unrelated categories.

Phase 2: Building, furniture and household products #

23–27 October 2026

Phase 2 is for the:

house, building and home-goods trade.

Products include:

• tiles
• building materials
• sanitary ware
• furniture
• kitchenware
• tableware
• household products
• ceramics
• glassware
• home decorations
• gardening products
• gifts
• festival products
• watches
• eyewear
• fashion jewellery
• woven and rattan products

The official theme is Quality Home Life, covering Building & Furniture, Housewares, and Gifts & Decorations.

Who should come for Phase 2? #

This phase is useful if you supply:

building projects

hotels

apartments

furniture businesses

homeware stores

or:

gift and decoration shops.

For Nigerian building-material buyers, Phase 2 also combines well with a trip to Foshan, where many furniture, ceramic, sanitary and home-product suppliers are based.

Phase 3: Clothing, textiles, shoes, bags and toys #

31 October–4 November 2026

Phase 3 is mainly about:

what people wear, use personally or buy for children and leisure.

Products include:

• men's and women's clothing
• children's clothing
• underwear
• sportswear
• textile fabrics
• textile raw materials
• shoes
• bags and luggage
• home textiles
• carpets
• toys
• baby and maternity products
• stationery
• food
• sports goods
• travel products
• personal-care products
• medicines
• health products
• medical devices
• pet products

The organiser calls Phase 3 Better Life, with Fashion, Health & Recreation, and Toys, Children, Baby & Maternity among its main areas.

Who should come for Phase 3? #

Come for Phase 3 if your main business is:

clothing, fabric, shoes, bags, toys, baby products or related consumer goods.

For many fashion traders from Aba, Onitsha, Lagos and Kano, this is the most relevant phase.

The easiest way to choose your phase #

Think of it this way:

Phase 1 — Things that power, move or manufacture

Electronics, generators, solar, machinery, vehicles, auto parts, tools.

Phase 2 — Things that build or furnish a home

Tiles, sanitary ware, furniture, kitchenware, household goods, gifts and decorations.

Phase 3 — Things people wear, carry, eat or use personally

Clothes, fabric, shoes, bags, toys, baby goods, food and health products.

That is enough to choose correctly in most cases.

What happens between the phases? #

There is no normal Canton Fair exhibition during:

20–22 October

and:

28–30 October.

Those are changeover days while one group of exhibitors leaves and the next one sets up. The official Fair schedule identifies those dates as dismantling and setup periods.

Do not book a Guangzhou trip expecting to attend the Fair on 21 or 29 October.

Use those days for:

• Guangzhou wholesale markets
• supplier meetings
• factory visits
• Foshan
• Zhongshan
• Dongguan
• Shenzhen

For a serious buyer, the gap between phases can be just as useful as the Fair itself.

What if you buy products from two phases? #

Attend both if the numbers make sense.

For example, someone buying:

generators + clothing

could do:

15–19 October: Phase 1

20–30 October: markets and factory visits

31 October–4 November: Phase 3

But do not stay in Guangzhou for three weeks simply because all three phases exist.

Hotel, food and transport add up.

If your business only needs one phase, attend that phase and use the remaining days for supplier visits.

Search your exact product before booking #

Even after choosing a phase, search the actual product.

The 140th Canton Fair covers about:

1.55 million square metres

with:

32,000 exhibitors

across:

13 major categories and 54 exhibition sections.

That is too large to walk around hoping to find something useful.

Before leaving Nigeria:

1. Search your product on the official Canton Fair platform.
2. Check which phase it appears in.
3. Save relevant exhibitors.
4. Note their booth locations.
5. Build your walking plan before you arrive.

Do this before buying the flight if the product category is unclear.

Do not rely on an old Canton Fair phase list #

The Fair can move categories between phases.

That is why a list from 2022 or 2024 may no longer be reliable.

For the 140th session, the official structure is:

Phase 1 — Advanced Manufacturing

Phase 2 — Quality Home Life

Phase 3 — Better Life.

Always check the current session.

Some products are better sourced outside the Fair #

Canton Fair is excellent for finding suppliers.

It is not automatically the best place to buy every product.

Human hair #

You may find suppliers at the Fair, but Guangzhou's specialist hair markets can offer more depth.

At larger volume, the Xuchang manufacturing cluster becomes even more relevant.

Fashion #

Phase 3 is good for manufacturers.

But Guangzhou's wholesale markets may be better when you want:

ready stock + smaller quantities + many designs.

Electronics #

Phase 1 is excellent for meeting manufacturers.

For components and specialist electronics, Shenzhen can give you deeper sourcing options.

Think of the Fair as:

supplier discovery

then use:

markets or factories

when they make more sense.

Check Nigeria before paying a supplier #

Canton Fair exhibitors are there to sell internationally.

They are not responsible for telling you whether Nigeria allows your exact product.

Before paying a deposit, check:

HS code

Nigeria prohibition status

SON/NAFDAC/NCC or other regulation

Customs duty

landed cost

The fact that a product is displayed at Canton Fair does not mean Nigerian Customs will automatically clear it.

Use our prohibited imports guide and certificate guide before ordering.

How crowded is the Canton Fair? #

Very.

The previous spring session — the 139th Canton Fair — attracted more than 314,000 overseas buyers from 220 countries and regions.

That is why arriving without a plan wastes time.

You cannot realistically walk the whole Fair.

The objective is not:

“See everything.”

It is:

“See the suppliers relevant to my business.”

How many days do you need? #

For one focused product category:

2–3 days can work.

For several related categories:

3–5 days is better.

A good approach is:

Day 1: compare suppliers and prices.

Day 2: return to the strongest suppliers and discuss MOQ, specifications and production.

Day 3: samples, negotiation and factory-visit arrangements.

Do not judge the success of the trip by how many business cards you collect.

Ten properly checked suppliers are more useful than 300 random contacts.

Do not rush to order on the first day #

Fair pressure is real.

You will hear:

“Special Fair price.”

“Price only today.”

“Deposit now.”

Take the quotation.

Photograph the product.

Save the booth number.

Add the salesperson on WeChat.

Then compare.

The Fair is for finding suppliers.

Verification comes before payment.

Plan your visa dates around your phase #

If Canton Fair is the stated reason for your China trip, your travel documents should make sense together.

Your:

invitation

flight dates

hotel reservation

and:

Fair dates

should tell one clear story.

If you only need Phase 3, you do not need to build your application around 15 October.

Our Canton Fair invitation guide explains the invitation process.

Then use the China visa guide for Nigerians.

Save these dates #

PHASE 1
15–19 October 2026
Electronics, generators, solar, machinery, auto parts, hardware, tools and lighting.

PHASE 2
23–27 October 2026
Building materials, furniture, sanitary ware, household goods, kitchenware, gifts and decorations.

PHASE 3
31 October–4 November 2026
Clothing, textiles, shoes, bags, toys, baby products, food and health products.

Daily hours: 9:30am–6:00pm.

The short answer #

If you sell:

generators, electronics, solar or machinery — Phase 1.

If you sell:

building materials, furniture or household goods — Phase 2.

If you sell:

clothes, fabric, shoes, bags or toys — Phase 3.

Check your exact product on the official Canton Fair platform before booking your flight.

Then read how to attend Canton Fair from Nigeria and first time at Canton Fair to plan the rest of the trip.

If you want the Guangzhou visit arranged around the correct phase, wholesale markets and factory visits, see the October buyer delegation.

First published 20 Sep 2026. Last checked 23 Sep 2026 by The ChinaBridge desk. Something here out of date? Tell us in the comments and we will fix it.