In short
The Canton Fair (officially the China Import and Export Fair) is China’s largest trade fair, held twice a year in Guangzhou, in spring and in autumn. The 140th session (autumn 2026) runs in three phases at the Canton Fair Complex in Pazhou. Phase 1, 15 to 19 October: electronics, home appliances, machinery, vehicles, hardware, tools, lighting and new energy. Phase 2, 23 to 27 October: kitchenware, household items, ceramics, home décor, gifts, furniture and building materials. Phase 3, 31 October to 4 November: toys, baby products, apparel, footwear, bags, home textiles, stationery, food and pet products. The fair is the fastest way to meet many suppliers. Checking them before you pay is a separate job.
Last updated: 12 October 2026. Our team is at the 140th Canton Fair: contact us to meet in Guangzhou.
This is our running news page on the Canton Fair. We update it for each session with the dates, the phases and practical advice for companies that buy in volume. Asiaction has been sourcing in China since 2008 from its office in Guangzhou, the city that hosts the fair. The advice below comes from our sourcing and supplier verification work, not from the fair’s brochure.
140th Canton Fair (autumn 2026): dates and phases
The autumn 2026 session opens on 15 October. Each phase lasts five days and covers different product families, so choose your phase according to what you buy.
| Phase | Dates | Main products |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 15 to 19 October 2026 | Electronics, home appliances, machinery, vehicles and spare parts, hardware, tools, lighting, new energy |
| Phase 2 | 23 to 27 October 2026 | Kitchenware and tableware, household items, ceramics, home décor, gifts, furniture, building materials |
| Phase 3 | 31 October to 4 November 2026 | Toys, baby products, apparel, footwear, bags, home textiles, stationery, food, pet products |
Between the phases, from 20 to 22 October and from 28 to 30 October, the halls close for booth dismantling and setup. These days are useful for factory visits (see below). For the halls, the full list of sections and the opening hours, check the official Canton Fair website.
Buyer registration and badge
Overseas buyers pre-register online, through the buyer service system on the official website or the Canton Fair app. You create an account, upload an ID and a photo, choose the phases you will attend, then collect your buyer badge on site. If you need a visa for China, the same system issues the invitation letter. The rules can change from one session to the next, so follow the official instructions for the 140th session. Hotels near Pazhou fill up during the fair: book early.
How B2B buyers should use the fair
Nowhere else can you meet so many suppliers in so few days. If one exhibitor does not suit you, others make the same product a few aisles away. But a booth shows how a company presents itself, not who it is legally or where your goods will be made. Five habits make the trip worth it.
- Prepare a brief and your volumes. Before you fly, write down what you buy: materials, dimensions, standards, packaging, yearly volumes, order frequency, target price and dates. Exhibitors take buyers with figures seriously. Vague questions get catalogue prices.
- Shortlist exhibitors before you arrive. The official website lists exhibitors and products by phase. Build a list of companies to see and plan which halls to cover. The complex is huge, and without a list you see many booths but few suppliers that match your needs.
- Find out if you are talking to a factory or a trading company. Many exhibitors are trading companies, and some factories also sell products made elsewhere. Ask directly, ask for the business licence and check that the company name matches the factory address on the quotation. A trading company is not always a problem, but you need to know who produces, where, and who answers for quality.
- Verify a supplier before any deposit. A good meeting, a dinner with the owner and a fine sample prove nothing about reliability. As we already wrote in 2018, unprepared deals with unidentified partners are very risky, and most problems come from distance, language and culture. Check the legal identity in the official register, real production, capacity and certificates, and tie payments to inspections. Our sourcing in China guide explains these checks step by step.
- Visit factories between phases. Keep a day or two, during the setup days or after your phase, to see the production units of the suppliers you spotted. Seeing how they make your product tells you more than any booth. For furniture, the Foshan area next to Guangzhou has many factories and furniture malls (see our furniture supplier guide).
Our office is in Guangzhou, the same city as the fair. Suppliers you meet in the halls can be checked by our team without extra travel on your side.
How Asiaction helps around the fair
Asiaction is a purchasing office in China. We work for the buyer: our fee is paid by the client, never by the supplier. Around the Canton Fair, we can step in before, during or after your visit.
- Sourcing: we contact many suppliers for your product, and many of them fail our checks. You receive a shortlist of 3 to 5 suppliers with their full contacts, so you can meet them at the fair knowing who they are.
- Supplier verification and factory audit: for the companies you met at the booths, we check legal status, registration, production capacity, and legal and judicial records, and we can audit the factory on site. See our supplier verification service.
- Inspections: our inspectors check production at each stage, with reports that include photos, videos and comments. Our quality control guide explains how.
- Order management: once you order, we follow production through to delivery.
If you plan to come to Guangzhou, tell us early. Our team is at the 140th Canton Fair. From our Guangzhou office, we can organise meetings with suppliers that match your needs and help you communicate with them during the fair. If you cannot travel, we can verify the suppliers you found on the official exhibitor list or met at a previous session.
Past sessions
Spring 2025 (137th session): robotics enters the fair
At the 137th session, the Canton Fair opened for the first time an area dedicated to robotics, in phase 1, with service and industrial robots. Among the exhibitors, Unitree Robotics (Hangzhou) showed its Go1 quadruped robot and its G1 humanoid robot. Our takeaway at the time: Chinese manufacturers are moving beyond low-cost production towards automation and smart production, and robotics is becoming a sourcing segment of its own.
Autumn 2018 (124th session): furniture in phase 2
In 2018 we covered the autumn session in a series of posts, with a focus on furniture, one of the largest areas of phase 2: indoor, hotel, office, school, hospital and outdoor furniture, plus semi-finished goods and spare parts. Two pieces of advice from that series still hold. Keep a day or two after the fair to visit the factories you spotted. And if you only buy furniture or home décor, also look at the dedicated furniture fairs in China, such as CIFF and Furniture China.
FAQ
When is the Canton Fair in autumn 2026?
The 140th session takes place in Guangzhou in three phases: 15 to 19 October, 23 to 27 October, and 31 October to 4 November 2026. The halls are closed for setup from 20 to 22 October and from 28 to 30 October.
Which phase should I visit?
It depends on your products. Phase 1 covers electronics, appliances, machinery, vehicles, hardware, tools, lighting and new energy. Phase 2 covers kitchenware, household items, ceramics, décor, gifts, furniture and building materials. Phase 3 covers toys, baby products, apparel, footwear, bags, home textiles, stationery, food and pet products. Check the official site for the exact sections.
How do I get a buyer badge for the Canton Fair?
Pre-register online on the official Canton Fair website or app, upload an ID and a photo, choose your phases, then collect the badge on site. If you need a visa, apply for the invitation letter in the same system.
Are Canton Fair exhibitors real factories?
Some are, and many are trading companies. A booth does not tell you who produces. Ask for the business licence, compare it with the factory address, and verify the company and its production before paying any deposit.
Can Asiaction check a supplier I met at the Canton Fair?
Yes. We verify the company and, if needed, audit the factory, then we can inspect production and manage the order. Our fee is paid by you, never by the supplier. We work with companies that place large, recurring or project orders.
Met suppliers at the Canton Fair, or planning to?
Send us your product brief, your volumes and the suppliers on your list. Our team in Guangzhou will tell you how we would check them before you pay a deposit.
