What is the minimum order quantity for custom clothing?
Fifty pieces per design, mixed freely across sizes and stock colours. Medical scrubs start at 100 because of the fabric run. A custom dye lot — a colour dyed to order rather than taken from stock — needs 300 pieces. Selected stock items are available from a single piece through print on demand.
What the 50 can and cannot include
The 50 is per design and per garment. It can be spread across the whole size range from XS to 3XL at no extra cost, and across stock colours — where an order spans several colours we can usually work to 30 pieces per colour. It cannot be spread across garment types: fifty t-shirts and fifty hoodies are two runs of fifty, not one order of a hundred, because each garment needs its own setup.
A custom colour is the exception. Dyeing to a Pantone is done at the mill, to order, and the mill's minimum is what sets ours: 300 pieces of that colour. Below that we match as closely as possible from stock colours and show you the swatch before you decide.
Minimums by category
| Category | Minimum |
|---|---|
| T-shirts, longsleeves, polos | 50 per design, mixed sizes and stock colours |
| Hoodies, sweatshirts, zip hoodies | 50 per design, mixed sizes |
| Caps, tote bags, accessories | 50 per design |
| Jackets and outerwear | 50 per design |
| Medical scrubs | 100 per design |
| Custom dye lot, any garment | 300 pieces of that colour |
| Custom fabric developed from scratch | 300 metres, roughly 300–500 garments |
| Print on demand, selected stock items | 1 piece |
Why the number is 50
A production run carries fixed costs that do not shrink with quantity — setting a cutting table, threading and calibrating machines, digitising artwork, mixing colour, running the first pieces to check them. Spread across 50 garments those costs are reasonable; spread across five they are most of the price. Fifty is the point below which we would be charging you mostly for setup, which is why it is where the minimum sits.
Related questions
- Can I mix sizes within the 50?
- Yes, freely, from XS to 3XL at no extra cost.
- Can I mix colours within the 50?
- Yes, across stock colours, usually to 30 pieces per colour. A custom dye lot needs 300 pieces of that colour.
- Is the minimum lower on repeat orders?
- Often. Once a design's pattern, artwork and colour are approved, the setup has been paid for and we can be more flexible.
- What if I need fewer than 50?
- Ask — a stock blank with simple decoration can sometimes be quoted at a higher per-piece price, and print on demand covers the rest.
Where to go next
More questions on ordering
Can I order fewer than 50 pieces?
Sometimes — it is worth asking rather than assuming. A smaller run can work where the garment is a stock blank, the decoration is simple…
How long does a custom clothing order take?
As fast as 7–10 days on a straightforward run — decorated stock garments, artwork approved, sizes locked. More involved work — cut-and-sew…
When does the lead time start?
When artwork is approved and the production deposit is received — not when you first make contact, and not when the quote is sent. Those…
Ask us the rest
Send the garment, the quantity and any date you are working to. A real price and a mockup come back, usually within a working day.
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