How to make a tech pack — and what to send if you don't have one
A tech pack is the document a factory builds your garment from. Most first orders we receive do not have one, and that is fine — we build it with you. But if you want to make one, here is exactly what goes in it, section by section, and which parts actually matter.
- 50
- Piece minimum, mixed sizes
- 7–10
- Days at our fastest
- Lahore
- Our own factory, one roof
- 97
- Countries we ship to
What a tech pack is
A tech pack — technical package — is the specification for one garment: what it is made of, how it is constructed, what size it is, what goes on it and where, how it is labelled and how it is packed. It is written so that a factory that has never spoken to you can make the garment correctly. Brands that work with several factories rely on it; brands working closely with one factory often build it together.
A good tech pack removes ambiguity. A bad one — or none — means the factory guesses, and every guess is a chance to be wrong in a way you discover after 200 pieces are sewn.
For decorated stock garments — our blank tee with your print — a full tech pack is unnecessary. The garment already exists; you need only specify the decoration. For cut-and-sew garments made from scratch, the tech pack is the garment.
The sections of a tech pack, in order
This is what ours contain and what we ask for from a brand that has one. Every section answers a question the factory would otherwise have to ask.
Cover: style, season, contact
Style name and number, the season or drop, your contact, the date and revision number. Revisions matter — a factory working from rev 2 when you are on rev 4 is how mistakes happen.
Flat sketches
Front and back technical drawings, not fashion illustrations. Line drawings showing seams, pockets, plackets, hems. Call-outs pointing to construction details.
Bill of materials
Every material and trim: body fabric with composition and weight, rib, thread, drawcord, zip, buttons, interlining, labels, hangtag, polybag. Supplier reference or a spec for each.
Measurement specification
A table of finished-garment measurements per size — chest, body length, sleeve length, shoulder, hem, cuff — with a tolerance for each. This is the section factories look at first.
Construction details
Seam types, stitch types, stitches per inch, seam allowances, where the garment is bar-tacked or reinforced. Where a photo of a reference garment says it better, include one.
Colourways
Each colour combination with Pantone TCX references for fabric and trims. One row per colourway.
Artwork and placement
Each print or embroidery: the artwork file name, technique, dimensions, colours as Pantone references, and position measured from a fixed point on the garment — centimetres below the collar seam, from the centre front.
Labels and packaging
Neck label type and artwork, care label content, hangtag, folding method, polybag size, carton quantity and markings.
Size breakdown and quantity
How many of each size in each colourway. This drives the cutting marker and the fabric order.
The three sections that matter most
Measurements. A factory can infer a lot from a sketch and a reference garment, but it cannot infer a body length. If you send one thing, send the measurement table — or a garment you like, which we will measure and pattern from.
Fabric. Composition and weight in grams per square metre. 'Heavyweight cotton' means nothing; '100% cotton, 270 gsm, ring-spun jersey' means one thing. If you do not know, tell us what the garment is for and we will recommend.
Artwork placement. Not 'logo on chest' but 'logo 9 cm wide, 7 cm below the shoulder seam, 5 cm from centre front'. Placement measured from a seam is the difference between fifty consistent garments and fifty slightly different ones.
What to send if you do not have a tech pack
A garment you like. Send it to us physically or send clear photographs of it laid flat with a tape measure in frame. We take it apart, pattern it and quote against the actual thing — measurements, seam construction, fabric weight and all. This is how most of our cut-and-sew orders begin.
Your logo as a vector file, or the best version you have. Where you want it and roughly how big. A quantity and a rough size breakdown. Your deadline.
From that we produce the specification and send it back for approval before sampling. You end up with a tech pack; you simply did not have to write it.
Tech pack versus a reference garment — what each gives the factory
| Need | Full tech pack | Reference garment + notes |
|---|---|---|
| Measurements | Written per size | Measured from the sample, graded by us |
| Fabric spec | Stated | Identified by us from the sample, confirmed with you |
| Construction | Specified | Copied from the sample |
| Artwork placement | Dimensioned | Marked on a photo, dimensioned by us |
| Time to quote | Same day | One to two days |
| Best for | Brands with a designer or several factories | First orders, one factory |
Tech packs and the Studio
Our pricing calculator already captures the garment, the decoration, the placement and the quantity for a quote. The next step is for that same information to produce the production tech pack automatically — so an order configured online arrives on our floor as a specification, with nothing retyped between the customer and the line. That is what makes a 50-piece order accurate as well as possible.
Common questions
- Do I need a tech pack to order from you?
- No. Most first orders arrive as a garment photo, a logo and a quantity. For cut-and-sew we build the tech pack with you from a reference garment; for decorated stock garments it is not needed.
- What software do I use to make a tech pack?
- Anything that produces a clear document — Illustrator for the sketches, a spreadsheet for measurements and the bill of materials, exported as a PDF. Purpose-built tools exist but are not necessary.
- What is a bill of materials?
- The list of every material and trim in the garment — fabric, rib, thread, zips, labels, packaging — with a specification or supplier reference for each.
- What measurements do you need?
- Finished-garment measurements per size: chest, body length, sleeve length, shoulder width, hem and cuff width at minimum, each with a tolerance. Or a garment we can measure.
- How do I specify artwork placement?
- Dimensions of the artwork and its position measured from a seam — for example 'centred, 8 cm below the collar seam'. Not 'on the back'.
- What is a Pantone TCX reference?
- The textile colour standard. TCX references are cotton swatches and are what dye houses match to. Coated and uncoated print references (C and U) are for paper and can shift on fabric.
- Can you make a tech pack for me?
- Yes — it is part of every cut-and-sew order. Send a reference garment or photographs with measurements and we produce the specification for your approval before sampling.
- What tolerance should I allow on measurements?
- Plus or minus 1 to 1.5 centimetres on most measurements is standard for knits. Tighter tolerances are possible on wovens; looser on garment-dyed pieces, which shrink in dyeing.
Where this applies
Related guides
How much does it cost to start a clothing brand?
Most guides say $7,000 to $15,000. That number bundles design agencies, branding and marketing. The manufacturing part — the garments themselves, made properly…
What is MOQ, and what does a 50-piece minimum actually mean?
MOQ — minimum order quantity — is the first number a clothing manufacturer will give you and the one most new brands misunderstand. Here is why the minimum…
DTF vs DTG vs screen printing — which one should you choose?
Three methods print most of the world's custom t-shirts and hoodies, and each is the right answer to a different question. We run all three on the same floor…
Send what you have
A garment you like, your logo and a quantity is enough to start. We will build the specification and quote within a working day.
Get a quote