Insights · 7 min read
How to Write a Tech Pack Factories Can Quote Fast
A weak tech pack does not just slow a quotation down — it guarantees a wrong one. If the factory has to guess at fabric weight or decoration, the price comes back either padded with risk or simply incorrect, and you find out at the sample stage. Here is what actually needs to be in it.
1. Style overview
Style name and number, season, target market, and the retail price you are aiming at. That last one matters more than most buyers expect — a factory that knows your target price will tell you early if the specification is not achievable, rather than quoting something unbuildable.
2. Fabric specification
Fibre composition, weight in gsm, knit or weave type, colour reference, and finish (compacted, pre-shrunk, brushed, peached). If you have a physical reference fabric, send a swatch — it removes more ambiguity than any written description.
3. Graded size chart
Every measurement for every size, in centimetres or inches, with a stated tolerance and a stated measuring method. "Chest 54 cm ± 1 cm, measured 2 cm below armhole, garment laid flat" is usable. "Chest 54" is not.
4. Construction details
Seam types, stitch density, hem and cuff finishes, collar construction, and any reinforcement. A construction page with annotated drawings saves a sample round.
5. Trim and component list
Every zip, button, drawcord, elastic, interlining and thread, with colour references. A trim that is discovered late is a delay — and if it is a custom trim, it is a long one.
6. Decoration specification
Method, placement, dimension and colour count for each artwork. Include vector files layered by colour. If the position is "about here", you will get a sample with it in the wrong place.
7. Labelling and packaging
Main label, care and content label, hangtag, polybag, and carton marking. State the destination market, because care labelling requirements are legal and market-specific — the fibre composition and care symbols must be accurate for where you are selling.
8. Commercial terms
Target quantity, colourways, size assortment, delivery date, and the Incoterm you want to quote on. FOB is the most common for apparel, but say so explicitly. "CIFFOB Shenzhen, 2,000 pcs, delivery week 14" gives the factory everything it needs to price properly.
The three omissions that cause most re-quotes
No tolerance on the size chart — the factory cannot know how precise you need to be.
No destination market — care labelling and compliance depend on it entirely.
No target price — so the factory quotes a safe number rather than telling you the specification is not achievable at your price point.
Fix those three and your first quotation is usually the one you use.