Glossary

This is a working glossary of terms we use across our coverage. Definitions are editorial — meaning we use the term as defined here. Industry jargon that doesn't appear in our writing is not listed.

Note: a fuller version with citations is in our GitHub repo. This page is the reader-facing subset.

Industry

Anchor tenant

A large factory in a regional cluster whose presence attracts smaller suppliers and supporting services. Example: Guangwei in the Weihai reel cluster.

Cluster

A geographic concentration of factories and supporting businesses in the same industry subcategory. Chinese tackle clusters are typically organized around one anchor tenant plus 20–100 mid-tier and tier-3 suppliers.

ODM / OEM

ODM — Original Design Manufacturer. Factory designs and produces the product; the buyer puts their brand on it.
OEM — Original Equipment Manufacturer. Factory produces to the buyer's specification.

Tier-1 / Tier-2 / Tier-3

Industry-internal classification of factories by capability. Tier-1: largest, most automated, often publicly listed. Tier-2: mid-sized, capable of full ODM/OEM, 200–1,000 employees. Tier-3: smaller, often single-process (e.g., blank manufacturer, paint shop).

Trade & Tariff

FOB / CIF / DDP

FOB (Free On Board) — seller delivers goods to the port of shipment. CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) — seller pays transport to buyer's port. DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) — seller delivers to buyer's door, including duties.

Section 301

US trade remedy imposing additional duties on China-origin goods. Most fishing tackle falls under List 4A at 7.5% additional.

HS Code / HTSUS / TARIC

HS Code is the international 6-digit classification. HTSUS is the US 10-digit extension. TARIC is the EU 10-digit extension. Fishing tackle is HS chapter 9507.

CBAM

EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. Prices the carbon content of certain imports. Affects carbon-fiber rod blanks from 2026.

ICP filing

China's unified social credit code (统一社会信用代码). Publicly searchable; the primary due-diligence source for verifying a factory's legal identity. See our ICP filing guide.

AQL

Acceptable Quality Level. Statistical sampling standard (ISO 2859-1 common). The buyer and factory agree on an AQL; inspectors reject lots that exceed it.

Products

Baitcasting reel / Baitcaster

Reel mounted on top of the rod, spool parallel to the rod. Used for casting lures with precision. Distinct from spinning reels (spool perpendicular).

Spinning reel / Spincast reel

Spinning: spool perpendicular to rod, mounted below. Easier to use. Spincast: closed-face, easiest to use, lowest precision.

Rod blank

The unfinished carbon or fiberglass tube that becomes a fishing rod. Sold to rod assemblers who add guides, handle, reel seat.

Modulus (24T / 30T / 40T)

Stiffness of carbon fiber, in tons per square mm. Higher = stiffer, lighter, more brittle, more expensive. 24T is most common; 40T+ is premium.

PE braid / Mono / Fluoro

PE braid: polyethylene (Dyneema / Spectra), high strength-to-diameter. Mono: nylon single-strand, most common. Fluoro: PVDF single-strand, nearly invisible, more expensive.

Production

MOQ

Minimum Order Quantity. The smallest order a factory will accept for a given product.

Lead time

Time from order placement to delivery. Includes production + shipping.

Inline inspection / PSI

Inline: inspection at ~50% production complete. Catches problems early. PSI (Pre-Shipment Inspection): inspection of 100% complete, packaged goods before they leave the factory.

Chinese terms

产业带 (chǎnyè dài)

Industrial belt / cluster. The geographic concentration of related factories.

威海南海新区

Weihai Nanhai New Area. The specific sub-cluster where Guangwei and many baitcasting reel factories are located.

渔具 (yújù) / 钓具 (diàojù)

渔具: fishing tackle (literal: "fishing implements"). 钓具: alternative term, more common in Japan-context discussions.

代工 (dàigōng)

OEM / contract manufacturing.

跨境电商 (kuàjìng diànshāng)

Cross-border e-commerce.

Found a term we should define? Suggest it.