How to Write a Tech Pack for Garment and Home Textile Manufacturing

A textile Tech Pack is the factory-facing specification document that determines how accurately a factory can quote and how many sampling rounds are required before bulk production. A complete Tech Pack covers: fabric composition with GSM ±5% tolerance, Pantone TCX colour references, ISO stitch-type codes with stitches-per-inch range, a graded measurement chart with per-point tolerances, care label content for the destination market, and the required AQL inspection level. Factories supplied a complete Tech Pack before enquiry quote more accurately, sample fewer rounds, and produce bulk goods that pass inspection the first time.

The Nine Sections of a Factory-Ready Tech Pack

1. Cover page

• Style name and number, season, date and version number (version control matters — factories must know which revision is live)
• Product category, brief description and a hero image or technical sketch
• Your company contact for technical questions

2. Technical flats

Front and back line drawings (not photos) with call-outs for every construction detail: seam types, stitch placements, pocket positions, closures. For home textiles, a dimensioned drawing showing hems, borders and any decorative elements.

3. Bill of Materials (BOM)

4. Measurement chart

Every point of measure (PoM) with a how-to-measure description, the value per size, and a tolerance column. Without tolerances, the chart is unenforceable at inspection.

5. Construction specification

• Stitch types per seam (e.g. shoulder: 4-thread overlock with tape; hem: twin-needle coverstitch)
• Stitches per inch/cm (typical knitwear: 10–12 SPI) — this is checkable at inspection
• Seam allowances and any reinforcement (bartacks at pocket corners, stress points)

6. Artwork & decoration

Print/embroidery artwork as vector files, exact placement measured from fixed reference points (e.g. '7 cm below HPS, centred'), dimensions, colour references per channel, and the technique (screen print, DTG, embroidery thread colours). Include a wash-durability requirement for prints.

7. Colourways

Each colourway with Pantone TCX references for fabric and every trim. State the approval method: lab dips against Pantone under D65 lighting, with your tolerance (e.g. grey scale 4–5).

8. Finishing & packing

• Garment finish (enzyme wash, silicone softener, compacting for shrinkage control)
• Folding dimensions, polybag size and warning print, ratio packing per carton (solid size or assorted)
• Carton specifications and shipping mark layout

9. Quality & compliance requirements

• AQL level for final inspection (e.g. 2.5 major / 4.0 minor, Level II)
• Shrinkage tolerance and test method (e.g. ≤5% after 3 domestic washes, ISO 6330)
• Colour fastness minimum grades (wash, rubbing, light) and required certifications (OEKO-TEX etc.)

The Five Most Expensive Tech Pack Mistakes

1. 1No tolerances — every measurement dispute becomes an argument instead of a table lookup.
2. 2Photos instead of flats — factories guess at construction, and you pay for the guess in sampling rounds.
3. 3Missing care-label content — goods arrive unsellable in your market until relabelled.
4. 4Pantone references from a screen instead of TCX swatches — lab dips bounce twice and cost you 2–3 weeks.
5. 5No version control — the factory sews revision 2 while you inspect against revision 3.

For buyers receiving a Tech Pack from a supplier rather than writing one, see our guide on how to read a textile Tech Pack — covering the key sections to validate before approving a factory submission.

Include certification requirements (OEKO-TEX, GOTS, BSCI) in section 9 of your Tech Pack — mills can only be matched to your order if the certification scope is specified upfront. Submit your Tech Pack or specifications via the sourcing RFQ form.