How a hoodie is made — every step, in our factory in Lahore
A hoodie passes through eleven stations between a roll of fleece and a carton. Most of them are invisible to the brand that ordered it, and most of the quality is decided at the ones nobody photographs. This is the whole sequence as it runs on our floor, with the time each step takes and where an order goes right or wrong.
- 50
- Piece minimum, mixed sizes
- 7–10
- Days at our fastest
- Lahore
- Our own factory, one roof
- 97
- Countries we ship to
The eleven stations
A 500 gsm classic hoodie with an embroidered chest logo and a screen-printed back, 200 pieces. Roughly ten working days from approved sample to sealed cartons.
Fabric in, inspected
Rolls of brushed-back cotton fleece arrive from the mill, dyed to the stock shade or, for a custom colour, to the approved lab dip. Each roll is checked on a four-point inspection frame for holes, stains, shade variation and weight — a 500 gsm order that arrives at 470 goes back. Half a day.
Relaxing
Fleece is knitted under tension and will shrink if cut too soon. Rolls are opened and left flat for 12–24 hours so the fabric settles before it is cut. The step most often skipped by factories in a hurry, and the cause of most 'it shrank' complaints.
Marker and lay
The pattern pieces for every size are arranged on a digital marker to use the fabric with least waste, then the fabric is laid in layers — 30 to 60 plies of fleece — on the cutting table. The size breakdown you gave us decides the marker; changing sizes after this point means re-cutting.
Cutting
A straight-knife or band-knife cuts through the plies along the marker. Front, back, sleeves, hood panels, pocket, cuffs and hem rib. Pieces are bundled by size with a ticket. One to two hours for 200 hoodies.
Decoration on flat panels
This is where we differ from a print shop: the chest panel is embroidered and the back panel is screen-printed while they are still flat pieces, before any seam exists. Flat panels hoop and print more accurately than a finished garment, and a misprint costs a panel, not a hoodie. Strike-off and stitch-out were approved at sample stage.
Sewing
Overlockers join the shoulders, set the sleeves and close the sides; a flatlock or coverstitch finishes the hem and cuffs; the hood is lined, joined and attached; the pocket is set and bar-tacked at the corners; the drawcord goes in through metal or fabric eyelets. Eight to twelve operators on a line, roughly 20–25 minutes of machine time per hoodie across the line. Two to three days for 200.
Labelling
The woven neck label is sewn into the back-neck seam and the care label into the side seam — during sewing, not after, so they sit flat and straight. This is why we ask for label artwork before cutting starts.
Trimming and inspection
Every hoodie is trimmed of loose threads, turned, and inspected against the spec: measurements on a sample of each size, seam quality, decoration placement within tolerance, no marks. Pieces outside tolerance are repaired or rejected. This is the step that decides whether 200 hoodies match each other.
Pressing and finishing
Steam pressing to set the shape and remove creases from sewing. Garment-dyed pieces have already been washed and softened; stock-colour fleece is pressed only.
Folding and polybagging
Folded to a standard size, with a size sticker, into an individual polybag. Hangtag attached first if specified.
Cartoning and dispatch
Packed by size into 5-ply cartons, 20–25 hoodies each, with carton marks showing the order, size, count and carton number. Loaded for the courier or forwarder with a packing list that matches the cartons. Photographs sent before sealing.
Where quality is actually decided
Not at the end. Final inspection catches faults; it cannot create quality. The three steps that decide whether a hoodie is good are fabric inspection, relaxing, and decorating on flat panels — all before a single seam is sewn. A factory that skips relaxing to save a day ships hoodies that shrink. A factory that prints on finished garments ships placements that wander.
The other decider is the sample. A pre-production sample sewn on the same line, from the same fabric, with the real decoration, is the only reliable predictor of the bulk. We do not go to bulk without one approved in writing, and the changes made at sample stage — the number font, the placement height, the drawcord colour — are the ones that would have been expensive later.
What takes the time
Sewing and decoration are the bulk of the calendar; cutting is fast. A custom dye lot adds roughly 7–10 days for the lab dip and the mill's dyeing before anything starts; custom fabric adds a mill lead time on top. The 7–10 day figure we quote is for decorated stock-colour garments from approved sample; 10–14 working days is cut-and-sew. Both assume the artwork, sizes and label files were locked before cutting — the most common delay is a size change after the marker is made.
Why we show you this
Because the difference between a manufacturer and a reseller is that a manufacturer can. Every station above is in our unit in Lahore, and a video call from any of them is a message away. The brands who understand what happens between the roll and the carton write better tech packs, lock their sizes earlier, and get better hoodies.
Common questions
- How long does it take to make a hoodie?
- Roughly 20–25 minutes of machine time per piece across the line, and 7–10 working days for a 200-piece run from approved sample, including decoration, inspection and packing.
- Do you print before or after sewing?
- Before, on flat panels. It is more accurate, and a misprint costs a panel rather than a finished hoodie. Print shops decorate finished garments because they did not sew them.
- What is fabric relaxing and why does it matter?
- Letting knitted fleece rest flat for 12–24 hours after unrolling so it recovers from knitting tension before cutting. Skipping it is the main cause of hoodies that shrink after the first wash.
- How do you check quality?
- Fabric inspection on arrival, a pre-production sample approved in writing, in-line checks during sewing, and a final inspection of every piece against the specification with measurement audits per size.
- Can I change sizes after ordering?
- Before the marker is made, yes. After cutting, a size change means re-cutting, which costs fabric and days. Lock the size breakdown with the sample approval.
- When are labels sewn in?
- During sewing — the neck label into the back-neck seam, the care label into the side seam. That is why label artwork is needed before cutting starts.
- Can I visit or watch production?
- Yes — a video call from any station the same day, or a visit to the unit in Lahore whenever suits.
- What is the difference between this and a print shop?
- A print shop buys a finished blank and decorates it. We make the garment — fabric, cut, sew, decorate on flat panels, label, finish — which is why the fit, fabric and colour can be yours.
Where this applies
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Order a hoodie run
Choose the fleece weight, the decoration and the quantity — the calculator prices it live — or send the design and we will sample it on the line.
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