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Apparel Search How To
A step-by-step guide to building a tech pack a factory can actually work from.
A tech pack, short for technical package, is the document a factory uses to make your garment. The clearer it is, the more accurate the quote, the closer the first sample and the fewer arguments later. There is no single universal format, but most tech packs cover the same ground. This guide walks through each part in order. For managing tech packs across a collection, see our garment tech pack management guide.
Use the free Tech Pack Builder to fill in each section and download a PDF or Excel file.
Show the front, back and any important details, such as pockets, plackets and cuffs, as flat technical drawings with clean, even lines. Add callouts for key features, and include reference photos if they help explain a look or a finish.
Start with the basics: style number and name, season, brand, size range, base size and version. Consistent names and numbers keep files, samples and quotes from getting mixed up.
Create a bill of materials with every fabric, lining, interlining, thread, zipper, button, label and packaging item. For each, give its description (fiber content, weight, width where relevant), where it goes on the garment, color and the quantity per garment. Supplier names help if you have them.
Compare fabric specifications with the Fabric & Textile Unit Converter, and estimate consumption with the Fabric Consumption Calculator.
Name each colorway and give a color reference, such as a Pantone number or an approved swatch, so the factory matches the color you mean. Note any trims that change by color.
List each point of measure, such as chest, waist, hip, length and sleeve, with the base-size measurement, how it is measured and a tolerance (the plus or minus the factory may vary). Then add grade rules for the other sizes. Be clear whether measurements are flat or full circumference, and in inches or centimeters.
Turn your base measurements and grade rules into a full size chart with the Size Grading Calculator. See our guide to creating a size chart.
Explain how the garment is made: seam types, stitch type and stitches per inch, hem and neckline finishes, closures, pocket construction and any special treatments. Add small diagrams for details that are hard to describe in words.
Show where labels and hangtags are placed, how the garment is folded and packed, and how cartons are packed. Label contents are regulated in many markets, so confirm what applies to yours separately.
Check each page against the others, so the sketch, materials and measurements agree. Keep a revision log and a version number, and send the factory a PDF for reading and an Excel file if it prefers to work in one. After the first sample arrives, update the tech pack with every change.
Plan sampling dates with the Production Timeline Planner.
Most include style information, flat sketches, a bill of materials, colorways, a measurement chart with tolerances, construction details, labels and packaging instructions and a revision history.
Not always, but a tech pack or at least a clear spec makes quotes and samples more accurate, and shows factories you are prepared.
Factories commonly work with PDF and Excel files. Ask your factory what it prefers.
Yes. You can use the free Apparel Search Tech Pack Builder to create one and download it as a PDF or Excel file.
A spec sheet is often just the measurements. A tech pack is the full package of sketches, materials, measurements and construction details.