The Tech Pack: What It Is and How to Write One for Garment Manufacturing

A garment tech pack is the controlled specification for one style. It tells the development and production route what to make, from fabric and measurements to stitch details, artwork, labels and packing. A sketch may communicate a silhouette. The tech pack records the decisions that make the garment repeatable.

That makes it the working reference for costing, sampling and bulk. If the brief leaves a choice open, each supplier may make a different assumption. The resulting quotations cannot be compared, the first sample may answer the wrong question, and a defect later has no agreed reference. A clear pack does not eliminate development. It gives development a record.

What is a garment tech pack used for?

A tech pack carries a style from first enquiry through approved bulk reference. It gives each participant the same specification and makes changes visible.

At enquiry, it lets a supplier identify missing information before building a cost. During sampling, it records the measurements, construction and materials against which the sample is reviewed. Before bulk, the latest approved revision gives the production route one agreed instruction. This sits at the centre of the wider garment sampling process, where each approval should unlock the next decision.

Stage	How the tech pack is used	Record to retain
Enquiry and costing	States the product assumptions on which fabric, trims and making are priced	Issued revision and open-question list
Development sample	Sets the pattern, materials and construction to be tested	Sample comments against that revision
Pre-production	Consolidates approved fit, colour, artwork, labels and packing	Bulk-approved revision and sealed references
Bulk follow-through	Gives QC a basis for checking the garment and packing	Inspection observations and approved deviations

The pack does not have to predict every answer on day one. Mark unknowns as open, with an owner and due point. A blank field that looks complete invites an assumption without alerting anyone that one has been made.

What must a production-ready tech pack contain?

A production-ready tech pack contains enough detail for a supplier to cost and sample the garment you intend to approve. The exact pages change with the product, but the same categories apply.

Section	What to state	Why it matters
Technical flats	Front, back and detail views showing seams, panels, pockets, closures and topstitching	A fashion image does not establish construction or proportion
Bill of materials	Every fabric, trim, thread, label and packaging component, with its specification	Cost and sourcing depend on the actual component, not its generic name
Measurement specification	Points of measure, base size, grade information where available and tolerances	Fit can be checked consistently across samples and bulk
Construction notes	Seam type, stitch detail, finish, reinforcement and critical make sequence	Visible details and durability are not left to interpretation
Colour and artwork	Colour standard, placement, dimensions, print or embroidery method and scale	Artwork must be assessed on the intended fabric and location
Labels and packing	Artwork, attachment position, fold, bag, carton mark and assortment instructions	The finished garment and its delivery presentation match the order brief

Start with the parts that move cost, fit or appearance. Fabric construction, garment measurements, visible trims and decoration usually need firm decisions early. Less critical information can follow through the sample comments, provided the file shows that it is still open.

How should the bill of materials specify fabric and trims?

The bill of materials, usually called the BOM, should name every physical item that enters the garment or its packing. Each row needs a clear description, placement, colour reference, unit and status. “Cotton fabric” is a category, not a sourcing instruction. Fibre composition, construction, weight, finish and colour route give a mill or supplier something it can identify and cost.

For trims, specify the component as carefully as the fabric. A button needs its material, size, finish, colour, logo treatment if any and position. A zip needs its type, length, tape colour, puller and placement. Thread, elastic, drawcords, labels, hangtags and polybags belong in the same record. If a proposed component is temporary for first sampling, say so. Otherwise a sample substitute can quietly become the assumed bulk choice.

BOM field	Example instruction	Question it prevents
Component	Main body fabric, neck rib, size label or button	Which item is this row describing?
Specification	Cotton single jersey, stated composition and GSM	What material is being costed?
Colour reference	Approved swatch, code or lab-dip reference	Which shade is required?
Placement and consumption	Left chest print; two buttons at cuff; thread used on all seams	Where and how is it used?
Source and approval status	Buyer-nominated, supplier-proposed, approved or pending	Can it be ordered for bulk?

Material detail also makes a quotation comparable. Fabric, trims, garment work, treatments, packing and quality activity all affect an FOB build-up. How a garment FOB price is built explains why a low figure can reflect a different assumption, not the same garment at a lower cost. A mill may also set a minimum by construction, colour or finish. Those minimums are set per style and confirmed at enquiry, so the BOM should be considered alongside range quantities and colourways. Fabric minimums are easiest to solve while the material plan can still change.

How do points of measure and tolerances control fit?

Points of measure, or POM, turn fit from a visual opinion into a checkable specification. The table identifies where each measurement is taken, gives the target for a named base size and states the permitted tolerance. A measurement name alone is insufficient: the method must be clear enough that two people measure the garment the same way.

Use a technical flat with numbered arrows beside the POM table. Define details that can vary, such as whether chest width is measured one centimetre below the armhole, whether a waistband is relaxed or stretched, and how a curved hem is taken. Grade rules may be added once the base fit is settled. Do not bury a fit-critical change in an email if it changes the table.

POM entry	Base-size target	Tolerance	Measurement method
Half chest	52 cm	±1 cm	Laid flat, measured 1 cm below armhole
Body length	70 cm	±1 cm	High point shoulder to hem
Sleeve length	22 cm	±0.7 cm	Shoulder seam to sleeve opening
Neck width	18 cm	±0.5 cm	Inside edge to inside edge, laid flat

The numbers above illustrate the format, not a standard for every garment. Fit, fabric behaviour and construction determine sensible tolerances. Stretch fabric, washed denim and tailored structures need different measurement instructions. The key is that the approved sample and the bulk check use the same method, the same base size and the same revision.

How should construction, artwork, labels and packing be recorded?

Construction notes should identify the details that change look, performance or cost. Name the seam and stitch treatment, edge finish, reinforcement, pocket shape, placket construction and any wash or surface effect relevant to the style. Place notes on a detail flat where possible. A note such as “premium finish” cannot be sampled or inspected; “single-needle topstitch, 3 mm from edge” can.

Artwork needs its own instruction block even when it seems straightforward. Include the current artwork file name, print or embroidery method, placement point, dimensions, orientation, colours and any acceptable variation agreed for the process. A strike-off or embroidery sample on the intended fabric is the useful approval reference. It reveals opacity, hand, scale and registration in the material that will be used, not on a screen or paper proof.

Colour follows the same principle. Record the physical standard or approved lab dip, the material it applies to and the revision that approved it. Colour, fabric and finish interact, so approval of a swatch does not automatically approve the same colour on every component.

Labels and packing should be specified as production instructions. Keep the garment label artwork, placement, attachment method, size sequence, hangtag details, fold diagram, bag specification, carton marks and size assortment in the pack or in clearly linked appendices.

Separate market-specific label content from brand and retailer instructions. The buyer’s compliance team or destination-market brief should supply the content for the intended sale. The tech pack then identifies the approved artwork, attachment point and governing revision.

Packing needs the same discipline. State the fold, tissue or insert where used, polybag size and warning text if supplied, carton dimensions or limits where agreed, carton marking artwork and the colour-size ratio. If the order has retailer routing guidance, link or attach the current document and mark its status. A packing sample can settle details that words alone do not show.

How is a tech pack controlled through sampling and bulk?

The buyer owns approval of the tech pack. The development partner or supplier may help build the document, raise technical questions and propose workable alternatives, but the approved revision must be clear before materials are committed for bulk. Each sample round should produce either a new revision or an explicit record that the previous revision remains current.

Use one master file and a short revision log. Give every issued version a date, revision number and reason for change. Consolidate feedback before it is sent out. Three separate comment emails can result in three different interpretations, especially where a fit adjustment also changes a pattern, fabric consumption or print placement.

Revision event	What changes in the pack	What should be confirmed
First sample comments	Fit, material alternatives, construction questions and colour direction	Which points are approved, revised or still open
Fit approval	POM table, grade direction and pattern-dependent details	The measurement revision used for the next sample
Pre-production approval	Final BOM, artwork, labels, packing and construction	The exact bulk reference and any sealed samples
Bulk deviation	A necessary authorised change to material, construction or packing	Written approval, affected quantities and inspection reference

This is why version control is commercial as well as technical. A late change may affect fabric booking, trim availability, consumption and the critical path. Recording the decision early allows the parties to cost and schedule its effect. Leaving it as an informal instruction can produce a bulk garment that matches somebody’s message but not the approved production reference.

How does a clear tech pack improve costing and quality control?

A clear tech pack fixes the inputs before suppliers build their numbers and defines the reference against which completed work is checked. State the specification, record approval and make changes traceable.

For costing, ask suppliers to identify assumptions and open items. If a fabric is provisional, a trim is awaiting approval or a packing instruction is missing, the quotation should say so. This also makes it easier to compare development routes in a full-package programme or a private-label programme.

For quality, the pack should travel with the sealed sample, current BOM and approved artwork. Inspection can then check the finished garment against agreed measurements, materials, construction, appearance and packing, to the buyer’s agreed AQL. A tech pack is not a substitute for an inspection plan. It is the document that makes the plan specific to the style.

Short FAQ

Do I need a tech pack to request a sample?

Yes, for any style that has its own fit, materials or construction. A concise initial pack can support the first development sample, with open items clearly marked. The more complete the specification, the more useful the sample and costing will be.

What is the difference between a tech pack and a design?

A design communicates the intended look. A tech pack gives the production instructions: materials, measurements, construction, artwork, labels and packing. Both can be needed for a new style.

Can a supplier help write the tech pack?

Yes. A supplier or development partner can convert a brief into technical flats, a BOM and measurement tables, then raise questions that need a buyer decision. The buyer should approve the controlled version used for sampling and bulk.

How often should the tech pack be updated?

Update it whenever an approved change affects the garment, its materials, artwork, labels or packing. Issue a revision after each meaningful sample decision and freeze the bulk version before production materials are committed.

The document that prevents expensive guesses

A tech pack is the agreement between design intent and execution. Its value is visible when a cost sheet is built on known materials, a revised sample carries the last approved comments and bulk QC can check one defined reference.

Make the pack specific where a wrong assumption changes cost, fit, appearance or delivery. Mark the remaining decisions as open, close them through sampling and issue one final bulk revision. That discipline gives every participant the same garment to make.