A time and action (T&A) calendar for brands and importers. Choose overseas or domestic production, enter your date, and get every milestone.
Late goods mean missed delivery windows, canceled orders and markdowns. A T&A calendar shows what has to happen, and by when, for your product to reach the warehouse on time. This Apparel Search planner works backward from the date you need goods, or forward from the day you start, and adds a cushion for delays. All calculations run in your browser, and nothing you enter is saved.
Your plan
Days per step
Your schedule
Step
Starts
Done by
Days
Why a T&A calendar matters
Protects delivery dates. Retailers penalize late shipments. Seeing the latest start date for each step shows where a plan is already too tight.
Keeps factories and teams aligned. Download a calendar file so approvals, inspections and shipping dates appear in everyone's calendar.
Makes overseas risk visible. Ocean transit, port offloading and customs are the steps that slip. The delay buffer gives you room for them.
Ocean and truck transit count every calendar day, weekends included. Other steps follow the working-day setting. Durations are starting points based on typical timelines, so replace them with figures from your own factories and shippers. Factory closures such as Lunar New Year are not calculated, so check them with your supplier.
How to build a T&A calendar for apparel production
Choose overseas or domestic production, then choose whether to plan backward from a delivery date or forward from a start date.
Enter the date, and decide whether the office, factory and customs steps count working days only.
Adjust the days for each step to match your factory, mill and shipper, and set a buffer for delays.
Review the milestone table, then download it or add the dates to your calendar.
How the timeline is calculated, with an example
Method. Planning backward, each step ends where the next one begins, and the tool subtracts each step's days from the delivery date. Planning forward, it adds them. Transit steps count every calendar day. Other steps count calendar days, or working days (Monday to Friday) if you choose that option.
Example. The default overseas steps (design 14 days, sampling 35, fabric 30, production 35, inspection 5, factory to port 5, ocean transit 30, port 4, customs 3, delivery 4 and a 10-day buffer) add up to 175 calendar days. To have goods in your warehouse by December 1, the plan has to start around June 9. These durations are placeholders, so replace them with your own suppliers' lead times.
Key terms
T&A calendar: a time and action calendar: a schedule of milestones with a due date for each.
Lead time: the time a supplier needs to complete a step, such as fabric delivery or production.
Sample approval: the point where a sample is reviewed and accepted so production can proceed.
Ex-factory date: the date goods are ready to leave the factory.
Buffer: extra time built in to absorb delays.
Transit time: the days goods spend moving between locations, including weekends.
Getting the most from the Production Timeline Planner
Start from the delivery date. Working backward shows the latest date each step can start.
Use real lead times. The defaults are placeholders, so replace them with figures from your factory, mill and shipper.
Keep a buffer. Sample approvals, fabric delays and port congestion are common causes of late goods.
Check factory closures. Holidays such as Lunar New Year can pause production, and this planner does not calculate them.
Frequently asked questions
What is a T&A calendar?
A T&A (time and action) calendar is a schedule of the milestones needed to deliver a product, with a due date for each, such as sample approval, fabric arrival, production, inspection and shipping.
How early should I start production planning?
It depends on the product, factory, fabric and shipping method. Use the lead times your suppliers actually quote, then add a buffer for delays.
Does the planner count weekends?
Transit steps always count calendar days. For the other steps you can choose to count working days only (Monday to Friday).
Related Apparel Search tools
Garment Cost Sheet: build up the cost of one garment from fabric, trims and labor.
Landed Cost Calculator: add freight, duty and fees, then set wholesale and retail prices.