What a tech pack does
A tech pack is the written and drawn definition of one garment style. A factory uses it three times: to quote, to make the first sample, and later as the reference that quality control measures bulk production against. If a detail is not in the tech pack, the factory fills the gap with its own default, and you find out when the sample arrives.
It is not the same thing as a pattern. The pattern is the set of shapes the fabric is cut from, as paper or a digital file. The tech pack describes the finished garment those shapes should produce: its measurements in every size, its materials and its construction. Many factories draft the pattern from your tech pack plus a reference garment, so the two travel together.
Most tech packs are a single PDF built from a vector drawing program and a spreadsheet, with one style per document and one page per topic. The pages below are the usual set. Fill them in this order, because each one depends on the one before.
| Page | What it holds | Who relies on it |
|---|---|---|
| Cover | Style number, name, drop, version, date, size range, sample size, contacts | Everyone, for matching documents to samples |
| Flats | Front, back and detail drawings with callouts | Pattern maker, sample room |
| Bill of materials | Every fabric, trim, label and packing item, per colorway | Purchasing, costing |
| Measurement spec | Points of measure, methods, tolerances, graded sizes | Pattern maker, QC |
| Construction | Seams, stitch types, hems, finishing details | Sewing line |
| Colorways | Which color of which material goes where | Purchasing, dye house |
| Artwork and decoration | Placement, size, method, files | Decorator |
| Labels and packing | Label positions and content, hang tag, fold, polybag, carton | Finishing, packing |
| Revision log | What changed, when and why | Everyone |
Step 1: Cover page and flats
The cover page carries the identifiers that stop mistakes: a style number that never changes, the style name, the drop or season, a version number and date, the size range, the sample size, the main fabric in one line and the contact who approves changes. Put the style number and version in the footer of every page.
Flats are technical drawings, not fashion illustrations. Draw the garment laid flat, front and back, to proportion, in black line with no shading. Show stitch lines as dashed lines where topstitching is visible. Then add detail views at a larger scale for anything a sewer needs to understand: the inside back neck, the pocket opening, the hood seam, a cuff, a zipper end.
Callouts point from the drawing to a short instruction: "1x1 rib, 1 inch finished height", "twin-needle coverstitch hem", "metal eyelets, matte black". Number the callouts so comments can refer to them. A good test: someone who has never seen your reference garment should be able to describe it from the flats alone.
Step 2: The bill of materials
The bill of materials (BOM) lists every physical component of the finished, packed garment. Leave nothing out, because anything missing is either not ordered or substituted with whatever the factory has.
| Item | Placement | Description | Supplier and reference | Color per colorway | Qty per garment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shell fabric | Body, sleeves, hood | Fleece, cotton/poly, finished weight in GSM | Mill and article number | One per colorway | Yield from marker |
| Rib | Cuffs, hem | 2x2 rib with spandex | Mill and article number | Dyed to match shell | Yield from marker |
| Thread | All seams | Spun polyester | Thread maker and ticket | Match or contrast | By length |
| Main label | Center back neck | Woven, end fold | Label supplier | One per colorway | 1 |
| Care and content label | Left side seam | Printed satin | Label supplier | White | 1 |
| Drawcord and tips | Hood | Flat cord, metal tips | Trim supplier | Per colorway | 1 |
| Hang tag and fastener | Through main label | Printed card, plastic fastener | Printer | Standard | 1 |
| Polybag and size sticker | Packing | Self-seal bag, printed sticker | Packaging supplier | Clear | 1 each |
The quantity for fabric comes from the marker (the cutting layout), so the factory usually fills in yield. Everything else you can complete yourself. Add a column for who supplies each item if the job is CMT, where you buy some materials and the factory buys others.
Trims deserve early attention. Woven labels, custom drawcords, branded zipper pulls and printed polybags each have their own minimums and lead times, and the sample cannot be finished without them. The private label guide covers labels and packaging in detail, and the fabric guide explains how to specify the fabric line.
Step 3: Measurement spec and grading
The measurement spec, often called the spec sheet or POM sheet, lists each point of measure (POM): a code, a name, exactly how to measure it, a tolerance, and the measurement in every size. The size you sample in is the base size, and the others are produced by grading, which applies a set increment per size to each point.
Write the method for every point, because "chest" means different things to different people. Define the high point shoulder (HPS), where the shoulder seam meets the collar, as the start of length measurements. Say whether a measurement is taken flat or as a circumference, relaxed or stretched.
An example of the format for a pullover hoodie, in inches. These numbers only show how a graded spec reads; they are not a recommended fit or a standard tolerance.
| POM | How to measure | Tol. +/- | S | M (base) | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Chest width | Flat, 1 in below armhole, side to side | 1/2 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 |
| B. Body length | From HPS to bottom edge of hem rib | 1/2 | 26.5 | 27.5 | 28.5 | 29.5 |
| C. Sleeve length | Shoulder seam to cuff edge | 1/2 | 23.5 | 24 | 24.5 | 25 |
| D. Cuff opening | Flat, relaxed, edge to edge | 1/4 | 3.5 | 3.75 | 4 | 4.25 |
| E. Hem rib height | Seam to edge | 1/8 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| F. Hood height | HPS to top of hood, flat | 1/2 | 14 | 14.5 | 15 | 15.5 |
Notice that some points grade and some do not: rib heights usually stay the same across sizes, while width and length move. Pick a sensible number of points. Too few and the factory guesses at the shape; dozens of minor points make every QC check slow. For a tee, chest, body length, shoulder, sleeve length, sleeve opening, neck width, front neck drop and rib height cover most of the shape.
Tolerances are the agreed allowed difference between spec and the measured garment. Agree them in writing before sampling. Tighter tolerances on visible, fit-critical points (chest, length) matter more than tight tolerances on points nobody notices. The size chart guide explains how these measurements later become the chart on your product page.
Step 4: Construction details
The construction page tells the sewing line how the garment is assembled. Specify:
- Seam and stitch types. Name them by ISO 4915 stitch class where you can, because factories everywhere recognize the numbers: 301 lockstitch for topstitching and pockets, 401 chainstitch, 514 four-thread overlock for joining knit seams, 406 coverstitch for hems and back-neck tape, 607 flatlock for flat activewear seams.
- Stitches per inch for each operation, and thread type and color.
- Seam allowances and topstitch distance from the edge.
- Hems. Coverstitched, rib-banded or raw; finished hem depth.
- Neck finish. Rib height, whether the back neck is taped, whether shoulders are taped.
- Reinforcement. Bartacks at pocket corners and stress points.
- Hood, pocket and closure build. Single or double-layer hood, two-piece or center panel, eyelet type, pocket shape and opening.
- Body construction. Side seams or tubular, set-in, raglan or drop shoulder.
Mark each detail on the flats with its callout number so the drawing and the instruction cannot disagree.
Step 5: Colorways, artwork and decoration
A colorway page shows each color version of the style as a small table: shell, rib, thread, drawcord, label and decoration color for each colorway. Reference colors by Pantone textile codes (TCX or TPX) rather than screen colors, and say whether the rib is dyed with the body, because separately dyed rib often reads a shade off. The dye house will send lab dips to approve against those references.
For each decoration, give:
- Placement, measured from the HPS down and from center front across. The print placement guide shows common positions.
- Artwork size, and whether it changes by size group.
- Method: screen print, embroidery, puff, DTG or another. For prints, ink type and colors; for embroidery, thread colors and a digitized file.
- Timing: decorated as cut panels before sewing, or as finished garments. Panel printing allows placements close to seams that a finished garment cannot take.
- Final files attached as vector art. The artwork preparation guide covers what printers need.
Ask for a strike-off when the decoration matters to the product: a test print or stitch-out on the actual fabric before bulk.
Step 6: Labels, packing and the revision log
The labels and packing page shows where each label sits (main label at center back neck, care and content label in the left side seam a few inches above the hem, any hem or sleeve woven label), what each label says, and how it is attached. Add the hang tag position and fastener, the fold method and folded size, the polybag size and any printed warning, size stickers, and carton packing: units per carton, size assortment and carton markings.
The revision log is a table on the last page: version, date, page changed, what changed and who approved it. Update the version number on every page when anything changes. After each fit round, the comments go into the tech pack as a new version, not into an email thread, so the document the factory produces from is always the latest agreed one.
Common tech pack mistakes
- Points of measure with no method, so the factory and you measure the same garment differently.
- No tolerances, which leaves QC with nothing to accept or reject against.
- A bill of materials without colors per colorway.
- Flats that no longer match the latest sample because comments were never folded back in.
- Artwork sent as a small screenshot instead of vector files at size.
- Inches and centimeters mixed on one page.
- Labels and packing left out until the pre-production sample, when trims should already be ordered.
- No version numbers, so two people approve different documents.
Tech pack template checklist
Copy this list into your own document and tick each line before sending to a factory.
- Cover: style number, name, drop, version, date, size range, base size, contact.
- Flats: front and back to proportion, detail views, numbered callouts.
- Bill of materials: every fabric, trim, label and packing item with supplier reference, placement, color per colorway and quantity.
- Fabric line: construction, fiber content, finished GSM, width and finish.
- Measurement spec: POM codes, methods, base size, tolerances, graded values for every size.
- Construction: stitch classes, stitches per inch, seam allowances, hems, neck and shoulder finish, reinforcement.
- Colorways: Pantone textile references for every component.
- Decoration: placement from HPS and center front, size per size group, method, colors, vector files, strike-off required or not.
- Labels: positions, content and attachment for each.
- Packing: fold, folded size, polybag, stickers, carton assortment and markings.
- Revision log with the current version on every page.
When every line is ticked, send the pack with a reference garment and read the sampling guide before the first sample comes back.
Useful for: clothing brands, creators.