A clothing factory can sometimes give a rough price from a sketch and a reference sample. It cannot give a well-supported production quote without knowing what it is being asked to make. The gap between those two numbers is often a missing material, an undefined seam, an ambiguous measurement or a packaging detail that was never priced.
A tech pack for clothing is the working set of product instructions that reduces those unknowns. It does not need a particular software subscription or a fixed page count. It needs enough controlled information for the manufacturer to state a price, identify assumptions, develop a sample and reproduce the approved result.
What a tech pack is, and what it is not
A technical package commonly brings together flat drawings, construction details, a bill of materials (BOM), a measurement specification, colourways, labels, packaging and revision history. A measurement spec sheet is one component of that package, not a substitute for every other component. Techpacker’s spec-sheet explanation makes this distinction in the context of garment development.
A mood board communicates a visual direction. A reference garment demonstrates one physical interpretation. Neither necessarily states the approved fabric composition, stitch construction, size grading or packaging requirement. A factory can work from references, but it should document what it inferred and what remains to be confirmed.
There is no universal rule that every tech pack must contain ten pages or a prescribed list of fields. A plain jersey T-shirt and a taped-seam performance jacket require different levels of detail. The practical test is whether the relevant manufacturing and costing decisions are explicit.
Start with a controlled style header
Give every file a style number, descriptive style name, season or programme if relevant, colourway identifiers, size range, measurement units, revision number, issue date and responsible approver. Add a concise change log. If a factory receives three files called “final”, “final-new” and “final-approved”, it should not have to guess which controls production.
Specify the purpose of the release: quotation only, first sample, fit revision, or approved for bulk. A quotation-stage document can legitimately contain open items. Those items must be flagged rather than presented as confirmed specifications.
Technical flats: show what a photograph hides
Provide clear front and back flats, and side or close-up views where needed. Call out pocket positions, plackets, seam lines, rib widths, cuff construction, closures, panels, lining, decorative details and any asymmetry. Label the location of each detail on the drawing so the construction notes can be matched to a visible part.
A photo can help communicate drape or styling, but perspective, lighting and folds conceal construction. If a reference sample is supplied, note which details to retain, which to change and which remain unapproved. Distinguish observed sample dimensions from target dimensions.
Bill of materials: list everything the factory must source
The BOM should include shell fabric, contrast fabric, lining, rib, interlining, thread, buttons, zips, elastic, labels, hangtags and packaging where applicable. Each line should have an identifier, specification, colour, unit, intended location, supplier reference if fixed, and an owner for confirmation. Add expected consumption when known; mark it as provisional when marker planning has not been completed.
| BOM field | Example entry | Open question if absent |
|---|---|---|
| Shell material | Cotton jersey, specified composition and target GSM | Which fabric and finishing route is being priced? |
| Neck rib | Separate rib code, colour and finished width | Same fabric as body or a different component? |
| Thread | Colour reference and construction requirement | What sewing appearance and strength are expected? |
| Care and brand labels | Artwork version, substrate, dimensions and placement | Who supplies labels and which market text is approved? |
| Packaging | Fold method, bag specification and carton ratio | Does the price include retail-ready packing? |
Do not confuse a material’s specification with its purchase quantity. Fabric consumption depends on pattern pieces, cuttable width and the cutting marker. Our fabric specification checklist covers the properties a material description should control.
Measurement chart: define the point before the number
Every point of measure (POM) should have a name, a diagram showing where the measurement begins and ends, a unit, the reference size, the target measurement and an agreed tolerance. Record whether a width is measured flat across one side or around the full circumference. For elasticated areas, specify relaxed or stretched state. For washed garments, specify whether the measurement applies before or after washing.
Grade rules describe how a POM changes between sizes. Do not assume that every dimension grows by the same increment or that a supplier’s house size chart matches the brand’s target. A base-size sample alone cannot establish a full graded size range.
| POM | Measurement convention | Example specification field |
|---|---|---|
| Chest width | Flat, measured a stated distance below armhole | Target by size, tolerance, reference state |
| Body length | High point shoulder to hem, along specified line | Target by size, tolerance, wash state |
| Sleeve length | Named start and end points | Target by size, tolerance, method |
| Neck opening | Flat width or circumference explicitly named | Target by size, tolerance, stretch condition |
These are field examples, not a universal measurement chart. Tolerances should be agreed for the product and measurement method rather than copied from another brand’s specification. For the relationship between POMs, reference state and limits, see garment measurement tolerances.
Construction details: write instructions that can be checked
Specify seam and stitch requirements where they affect appearance, performance or price. Depending on the style, this may include seam type, stitch class, stitch density, seam allowance, topstitch distance, hem depth, reinforcement, bonding, pressing and finishing. Do not use “standard stitching” as the only instruction for a detail that materially affects the product.
Also identify the intended finish of raw edges, placement of labels, attachment of hardware, and acceptable visual alignment. A factory may propose a different construction to meet the target price, but the alternative should be recorded and approved rather than silently substituted.
Artwork, colourways and placement
For prints or embroidery, include artwork files or controlled references, dimensions, colour references, placement coordinates and acceptable variation. A single product photo is rarely enough to position artwork consistently across sizes. Specify whether placement is measured from a seam, centre front, neckline or another repeatable landmark.
Colourway tables should identify which materials and trims change with each colour, and which stay the same. If lab dips, strike-offs or print samples require approval, name the approval stage and the reference used for comparison. A visual colour description such as “deep navy” is not a reproducible production instruction.
Labels, packaging and destination-market checks
Keep care, fibre-content and country-of-origin information separate from creative branding until the destination-market requirements are checked. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission’s textile-label guidance explains disclosures for many covered products; the FTC care-label guidance addresses care instructions. Other markets may have different rules.
The tech pack should identify the destination markets, required label languages, approved artwork and placement, packaging components, carton markings, packing ratios and who is responsible for regulatory review. A tech pack is a communication record; its presence does not itself certify compliance.
What the factory needs for a defensible quote
Not every detail must be final before an indicative quote. But the parties should distinguish confirmed, assumed and excluded items. This prevents a price based on generic fabric and basic packing from being compared with one based on approved branded trims, special finishing and retail packaging.
| Quotation input | What to confirm | If unresolved |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric | Composition, construction, width, GSM or weight basis, finish | State assumed fabric and substitution limits |
| Construction | Panels, seams, hardware, wash or print processes | List unpriced or provisional operations |
| Quantity | Total units, size ratio, colour split, delivery batches | State volume assumptions |
| Packaging | Labels, bags, hangtags, carton and packing ratio | State included and excluded materials |
| Delivery terms | Incoterm, destination, timeline, sample charges | Separate production cost from freight and duties |
Record the quotation date, currency, validity period and the technical revision to which the price applies. A later revision to the BOM or construction may justify a revised quote. The garment production workflow explains how these approvals carry into manufacturing.
Sample comments and revision control
When a sample arrives, log comments against the relevant POM, construction detail, artwork or material line. Separate observed measurements from the target specification. For each change, record the old value, new value, reason, approver and effective revision. A supplier should not need to reconstruct approvals from a long email thread.
Before bulk production, verify that the latest tech pack agrees with the approved sample, material approvals, colour references and size set. This is a different task from assembling the document. Our pre-production approval guide addresses the approval gate rather than the contents of the tech pack itself.
Pre-send checklist for a clothing tech pack
- Does the file show one controlling style ID, revision, date and purpose?
- Can a pattern maker interpret every important detail from the flats and notes?
- Are all shell fabrics, trims, labels and packaging items present in the BOM?
- Do POM diagrams specify measurement endpoints, units, state and tolerances?
- Are colourways and artwork linked to controlled references?
- Are size ratios, quantities, destination markets and delivery assumptions recorded?
- Are open questions visibly labelled, with an owner and a date for resolution?
- Does the quote explicitly refer to this revision and list exclusions?
- Is there a place to record sample comments and subsequent approvals?
A factory-ready tech pack is not the longest possible document. It is the version in which costly assumptions have been made visible, resolved or deliberately priced as assumptions.
Sources and editorial scope
Practical document structures were cross-checked against Techpacker: What Is a Tech Pack? and Apparel Search’s tech-pack builder. The legal-label section is limited to the cited FTC guidance; it is not a complete compliance determination for every product or destination market. No fixed page count, sample-revision rate or standardised tolerance is claimed.
