Wholesale Sunglasses & Plano Eyewear Supplier
What the frame is made of and what the lens is made of decide how a pair of glasses feels, how long it lasts and what it costs to buy wholesale. Here is the short version for buyers.
CR-39 (resin) — The workhorse. Light, optically good and inexpensive — the default for most plano and fashion frames.
Polycarbonate — Impact-resistant and thinner than CR-39. The usual choice for sports and children’s eyewear, and for anything sold against an impact standard.
TAC (polarized) — A laminated polarizing film used in sunglasses. Cuts reflected glare from water, snow and roads — a strong selling point in outdoor markets.
Nylon — Tough and flexible, often found in wrap and sport styles where the lens must survive flexing.
Glass — Optically excellent but heavier and more fragile. Rare in wholesale fashion eyewear outside specialist lines.
Acetate — Plant-based plastic, warm to the touch, holds colour richly and can be polished. The premium look most fashion frames aim for.
TR90 / TR-90 — A lightweight, flexible memory plastic. Bends rather than snaps, which makes it a favourite for budget fashion and kids’ frames.
Metal and stainless steel — Slim, strong and adjustable. Common in aviator and half-rim shapes; stainless resists corrosion better than plated alloys.
Aluminium — Very light, used in sport and streetwear styles where low weight matters more than rigidity.
Titanium — Strongest per gram, hypoallergenic and the most expensive. Usually reserved for premium lines.
Wood and bamboo — Niche, distinctive and market-specific. Sell well in gift and eco-conscious channels.
UV400 — Blocks UVA and UVB up to 400 nm. Treat this as the baseline claim for sunglasses, not a premium extra.
Polarized — Removes glare rather than just darkening. Easy to demonstrate to a customer, which makes it an easy upgrade to sell.
Mirrored — A reflective coating on top of the tint. Mostly a fashion and performance signal.
Gradient — Tint fades from dark at the top to light at the bottom. Popular in fashion sunglasses.
Anti-reflective (AR) — Reduces reflections on the back surface; common on clear and blue-light plano lenses.
Blue-light filtering — Reduces the blue part of the spectrum. A popular retail story for plano lenses; the claim you can make depends on your market, so confirm at enquiry stage.
For wholesale buying, three things decide whether a style reorders: hinge quality (metal core or plain pin), lens thickness and tint consistency, and whether the finish survives handling. A cheap frame that cracks at the hinge costs you far more in returns than it saves on the unit price. Ask us for a sample before you commit to volume — that is exactly why we keep minimums low.
Tell us the styles you are considering. Samples and a wholesale quotation are available within 24 hours.