How To Create a Tech Pack for Clothing Manufacturing (Guid)

A tech pack is a manufacturing contract, not a mood board. When it's clear, you get a fast quote, an accurate first sample and a bulk that matches your sales samples. When it's vague, you get emails asking questions, delays in sampling and inconsistent bulk.

1. Build a Complete Bill of Materials (BOM)

Your Bill of Materials (BOM) lists every component used in the garment—from fabric and rib to labels, drawcords, zippers and packaging. Missing information creates delays during costing and sampling.

• Placement — body, sleeve, hood, pocket, back neck.
• Fabric composition and construction — e.g. 100% cotton, 380 GSM brushed French terry.
• Colour / Pantone (TCX for fabric, TPG for surface).
• Supplier or "factory nominated" if you are open to the factory sourcing.
• Certification requirements — GOTS, OEKO-TEX, BCI, GRS if applicable.

2. Define Accurate Garment Measurements (POM)

List every measurement you care about, in centimetres, in a graded size chart. Then set a tolerance — for example ±1 cm on body length and ±0.5 cm on chest. Without tolerances the factory has to guess how strict you are, and QC arguments happen after the container is packed instead of before.

3. Specify Every Construction Detail

Construction callouts tell the production team exactly how each part of the garment should be sewn. Include stitch types, SPI, seam construction, bartacks, reinforcement points and finishing methods.

• Single-needle lockstitch at 12 SPI on visible seams.
• Overlock 4-thread on internal seams.
• Coverstitch 5/16" on hems.
• Bartack at pocket corners and drawcord exits.

4. Define Labels, Trims & Branding Placement

Every label, tape, drawcord tip, zipper puller and rivet gets a spec on the trim card, with placement dimensions from a fixed reference — usually the high point shoulder (HPS) or centre back neck (CBN). "2.5 cm below HPS on centre back" is buildable. "Under the neck" is not.

5. Care instructions and packaging

State the care label language(s), regional compliance (US FTC, EU 1007/2011, UK textile labelling), and packaging spec — poly bag mil thickness, hang tag placement, size sticker, master carton dimensions, pcs per carton.

6. Approval checkpoints you should demand

Bake these into the timeline before you sign anything:

1. Lab dip approval for each dyed fabric.
2. First proto (fit and construction).
3. Size set (grading check).
4. PP (pre-production) sample in bulk fabric, trims and labels — the gold seal.
5. Top-of-production sample from the actual bulk cut.

The five-minute self-check

Before you send a pack, ask: could a stranger who has never met you cost it, cut it and stitch it based on this document alone? If the answer is no, the pack isn't done. Every ambiguity you leave in becomes a delay or a defect later.