Short answer
A tech pack is the written specification a factory builds from: what the garment is, how it is measured, what it is made of, and how it is finished. It needs nine things — a technical drawing, a measurement chart by size, a bill of materials, construction details, trim specifications, decoration artwork, a size and colour breakdown, packaging instructions, and a clear approval. A factory can start from less than that, but every gap becomes a question during sampling.
Key points
- The technical drawing and the measurement chart are the two sections that cannot be approximated.
- A measurement chart specifies garments at a named size — not "the medium" — with every measurement a grader will check.
- Bill of materials covers trims, thread, labels and packaging, not just the main fabric.
- Artwork should be supplied as vector files with fonts outlined, not as flattened images.
- An incomplete tech pack does not get rejected. It gets interpreted, and interpretation is where the cost appears.
A tech pack is the document that stops a factory guessing. It exists because the alternative is a conversation, and conversations resolve differently in every language and every factory.
Buyers often assume a tech pack is a technical drawing. It is much wider than that, and the sections buyers leave out are usually the ones that cause problems.
The nine sections
| # | Section | What it must state | Cost of omitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technical drawing | Proportion and construction, front/back plus detail views | Sample rounds |
| 2 | Measurement chart | Finished-garment measurements by size, in cm, with tolerances | Rework or rejects at inspection |
| 3 | Bill of materials | Main fabric, trims, thread, interfacing, labels, packaging | Wrong components shipped |
| 4 | Construction details | Seam types, stitch class, topstitching, facings | Sample rounds |
| 5 | Trim specification | Label dimensions, material, placement | Misplaced or wrong-size labels |
| 6 | Decoration | Method, artwork, position and ground dimensions | Wrong print placement |
| 7 | Size and colour breakdown | Units per size and per colour | MOQ and cutting plan both fail |
| 8 | Packaging instructions | Folding, poly-bag, tag, carton mark | Retail rejection |
| 9 | Revision control | Version marking and sign-off | Approved sample diverges from bulk |
**1. Technical drawing.** Front, back, and detail views. Its job is proportion and construction — what the silhouette looks like, where a pocket sits, how a sleeve is set. Line quality matters far less than whether the proportions are right and the construction is unambiguous.
**2. Measurement chart.** This is the section that cannot be approximated. Measurements by size, in centimetres, graded across the range, with tolerances.
- Should it be body measurements or garment measurements? **Garment**, measured flat, at a named size. A grading factory works from the finished measurement, not from a body.
- Which measurements? At minimum: chest width, body length, shoulder, sleeve length, sleeve opening, hem width, neck width, neck drop. Add whatever is specific to your garment.
- What tolerances? Usually ±0.5 cm on knitwear, ±0.3 cm on shirting. A chart without tolerances is a wish.
**3. Bill of materials.** Everything the garment is made from and with — main fabric, trims, thread, interfacing, labels, packaging. Bends, zips, buttons and hardware all belong here, with specification and colour.
**4. Construction details.** How it is put together: seam types, stitch class, topstitching, whether seams are enclosed or overlocked, facing, lining. This is the section buyers skip and then pay for in sampling.
**5. Trim specifications.** Woven label, printed label, care label, hangtag, size sticker, packaging. Dimensions, material, placement, and whether placement is fixed or consistent.
**6. Decoration.** Print artwork, embroidery design, positions and dimensions, and the ground measurements they sit on. Artwork should come as vector files with fonts outlined and images embedded. Flattened JPEGs lose the resolution needed to produce a screen cleanly.
**7. Size and colour breakdown.** How many pieces per size, how many per colour, and the total. This is what determines whether the order can actually be cut efficiently, and it is where MOQ gets real.
**8. Packaging instructions.** How pieces are folded, poly-bagged, tagged and cartoned, and what the carton mark should say.
**9. Approval and revision control.** Who signs off, and what happens when something changes. Version the pack. A tech pack that has been revised three times without marking which is which is how a confirmed sample and the bulk run end up different.
What happens when a section is missing
It gets interpreted. Sometimes the interpretation is what you wanted, and nobody notices. Sometimes it is not, and you find out at the sample stage — which is recoverable — or at inspection, which is not.
The most common costly gaps are construction details, measurement tolerances, and decoration ground positions. All three are cheap to supply and expensive to guess.
A minimum viable version
If you are not ready to write nine sections, this is the version that works:
- 01A sketch or reference garment showing the design
- 02A measurement chart for one size, with the key measurements
- 03Fabric type and colour
- 04Decoration with positions
- 05Size and colour breakdown
- 06Anything you specifically do not want changed
Everything else we can develop with you. Nothing else can be developed for you.
Who should write it
If you have a designer or a pattern maker, have them write it — they will know which questions to answer.
If you do not, ask the factory. Development of a tech pack from a design or reference garment is a normal service and it is quoted separately. It is considerably cheaper than discovering a construction detail after sampling.
Where to go next
Frequently asked questions
What is a tech pack?
The written specification a factory builds from, covering the garment design, its measurements, materials, construction, trims, decoration and packaging. It is the contract between your idea and the garment that ships.
Can a factory make a tech pack for me?
Yes. If you have a design, a reference garment or clear sketches, we can develop the specification. This is a development service and it is quoted separately from production.
Do I need a tech pack to get a quote?
Not strictly — enough detail to describe the garment allows an indicative quote. But production cannot start without a settled specification, so it is better to know sooner.
What format should measurements be in?
A finished-garment measurement chart by size, in centimetres, with every measurement graded across the size range. Factory measurements without tolerances are not a specification.
How detailed should the drawing be?
Front, back and any detail views that differ — sleeve construction, pocket, placket, hood. Proportions and key dimensions matter more than line quality.