I’m Ken, and I run SEASANG Apparel, a garment factory in Humen, Dongguan. Most first-time brand founders who contact us are worried about the same thing: whether their tech pack is “good enough.” So here is the tech pack checklist we work from when a new style comes in. It covers what we need for each style, what goes wrong when something is missing, and what to do if you don’t have a tech pack at all. It’s based on hoodies, sweatshirts, T-shirts, jeans and tracksuit sets, because that’s what we make.
What a tech pack is actually for
A tech pack is not a design presentation. It’s the set of instructions that the pattern maker, the fabric buyer, the cutting table, the sewing line and the print or embroidery workshop all read. Each of those people only looks at the page that concerns them. The pattern maker wants measurements. The fabric buyer wants composition and weight. The print workshop wants artwork files and placement. If any one of them has to guess, the sample comes back different from what you pictured, and you lose a round of sampling.
So a good tech pack is not the prettiest one. It’s the one that leaves nobody guessing. A plain spreadsheet with clear numbers is more useful to us than a beautiful PDF with no measurements.
The tech pack checklist: what we need per style
“Per style” matters. A hoodie and its matching sweatpants are two styles, even if you sell them as one set. Each one needs its own pages. Here is what each style should include.
1. Flat sketches, front and back
Draw the garment laid flat, front and back, in plain black lines. Add a side view or close-ups wherever something isn’t obvious: a kangaroo pocket opening, a hidden zip, a split hem, a denim back yoke. Flats don’t need to be artistic, but they do need to be in proportion. If the hood looks twice as tall as the body, the pattern maker will notice and ask, and that costs a day.
2. Fabric and trims (bill of materials)
List every material in the garment, with as much detail as you have:
- Main fabric: type (cotton fleece, French terry, jersey, denim), fibre composition, and weight. For fleece and terry, give the weight in gsm. Most heavyweight hoodies sit somewhere in the 300-500 gsm range. Our hoodie GSM guide explains how weight affects the feel. For denim, give the weight in ounces and the stretch content, if any.
- Face and back: for fleece, say whether you want a brushed back or an unbrushed loopback (French terry). Say which side faces out.
- Rib: for cuffs, hem and collar, say 1×1 or 2×2 rib and whether it should match the body colour.
- Trims: drawcords (flat or round, width, tip type), eyelets, zips (length, teeth type, puller), denim buttons and rivets, and thread colour if it should contrast.
If you don’t know the exact fabric, send a garment you like and tell us “match this hand-feel and weight.” We source fabric to the client’s spec, so a reference garment is a valid spec.
3. Measurement chart and grading
This is the part most first tech packs are missing, and it’s the most important. For your sample size (usually M for tops, or a 32 waist for denim), list each point of measure with a number in centimetres or inches. Use one unit only. Typical points for a hoodie:
- Body length from high point of shoulder (HPS)
- Chest width, measured 2 cm below the armhole
- Bottom width (at the rib, relaxed)
- Shoulder width, sleeve length, armhole, bicep, cuff width and cuff height
- Hood height and hood width
- Rib height at the hem
Write down how each point is measured, not just its name. “Chest” can mean the full circumference or half the width laid flat, and that’s a 2x difference. For the other sizes, either give full numbers or give a grading rule (for example, chest +5 cm per size). Add a tolerance. Around ±1 cm on major measurements is common in the industry, tighter on small details.
4. Construction details
Tell us how it’s sewn wherever it matters to you: flatlock or overlock on side seams, coverstitch on hems, twin-needle topstitching, double-layer hood, set-in or raglan sleeves, dropped shoulder. For denim, mention the felled inseam or overlocked inseam, the fly type (button or zip) and the pocket bag fabric. If you don’t care, say “factory standard.” That’s a useful answer too.
5. Artwork and decoration
For every print or embroidery:
- The technique: screen print, puff print, flat embroidery, 3D puff embroidery, chenille, or a sewn-on patch
- Vector artwork (AI, PDF or SVG) at actual size, or a high-resolution file if vector isn’t possible
- Placement measured from a fixed point, for example “8 cm below HPS, centred on front”
- Print size in centimetres
- Ink or thread colours, ideally with Pantone references
Puff print and 3D embroidery behave differently from flat versions. Very fine lines tend to fill in or collapse, so expect some feedback on small details. Our pages on puff print hoodies and embroidery go into what works well.
6. Colour
Give a Pantone TCX code (or a physical swatch) for the fabric colour, and for each print or thread colour. Screen colours vary, so “washed black” or “cream” on its own means something different to everyone who reads it. Dyed fabric usually lands close to the reference rather than exactly on it, so tell us how strict you need to be.
7. Wash (denim and garment-dyed pieces)
For jeans, the wash is half the product. Name the wash (rinse, stone, acid, bleach, vintage-look). Then send a photo or a physical reference showing the shade, any whiskers and honeycombs, and where the fading should sit. Washes also shrink the garment, so the measurement chart should state finished, after-wash measurements. See our denim page and acid wash jeans page for more.
8. Labels, tags and packaging
- Main neck label: woven or printed, size, and how it’s attached
- Size label and care label content. Care and fibre labelling rules depend on the country you sell in, so check what your market requires.
- Hangtag, if any, and where it attaches
- Folding method and polybag requirements
9. Quantities and sizes
For the sample, tell us the size. For bulk, tell us the colour list and a rough size split. Our MOQ is about 100 pieces per style, per colour (per wash for denim), and the sizes are split inside that number. Knowing this early lets us price and plan fabric correctly. The low MOQ guide explains how this usually works.
What goes wrong when a section is missing
| Section | Minimum we need | What usually happens if it’s missing |
|---|---|---|
| Flat sketches | Front and back, in proportion | Pocket, seam or hood shape is guessed and comes out wrong |
| Fabric | Type, composition, weight, or a reference garment | Sample feels lighter or heavier than you expected |
| Measurements | Sample-size chart with how each point is measured | Fit follows our standard block, not your idea |
| Artwork | Actual-size files, placement and size in cm | Print sits too high, too low, or at the wrong scale |
| Colour | Pantone code or physical swatch | Colour “looks different from my screen” |
| Wash (denim) | Named wash and a photo or physical reference | Wrong shade or fading pattern |
| Labels | Label artwork and care content | Sample arrives with blank or placeholder labels |
Copyable tech pack checklist
Copy this into a document and tick it off for each style:
- [ ] Style name and style number
- [ ] Front and back flat sketches, plus close-ups of tricky details
- [ ] Main fabric: type, composition, weight (gsm or oz), face/back
- [ ] Rib type and colour
- [ ] Trims: drawcords, eyelets, zips, buttons, rivets, thread colour
- [ ] Measurement chart for the sample size, one unit only
- [ ] How each point of measure is taken
- [ ] Grading for other sizes, and tolerances
- [ ] Construction notes, or “factory standard”
- [ ] Artwork files at actual size
- [ ] Decoration technique for each artwork
- [ ] Placement and size in cm for each artwork
- [ ] Pantone references for fabric, print and thread
- [ ] Wash name and reference (denim)
- [ ] Main label, size label, care label, hangtag details
- [ ] Packaging and folding
- [ ] Sample size, bulk colours and rough size split
- [ ] Reference photos or a physical reference garment
Notes by product
Hoodies and sweatshirts: hood construction, pocket shape and rib height change the look more than people expect. Be specific about these. More on our hoodie page and French terry page.
T-shirts: neck rib width, shoulder drop and body length decide whether a tee looks boxy or standard. Give those three numbers at minimum. See the T-shirt page.
Tracksuit sets: the top and pants are separate styles, but they must match in colour. Ask for them to be cut from the same fabric lot, and give the pants their own measurement chart (waist, rise, inseam, thigh, leg opening). See the tracksuit page.
Jeans: always specify finished measurements after washing, and give the rise, thigh, knee and leg opening as well as waist and inseam.
If you don’t have a tech pack
Plenty of brands start without one, and that’s workable. What we ask for instead:
- A reference garment. Something you own whose fit or fabric you like. Measuring a physical garment is the fastest way to a measurement chart.
- Clear photos and notes on what to change. For example: “same as this, but 4 cm longer, dropped shoulder, heavier fabric.”
- Your artwork files and where you want them placed, even as a rough mock-up on a photo.
- Colour references, either Pantone codes or a physical item in the right colour.
From that, we can work out the details with you and record them, so the approved sample becomes your reference for bulk. Expect more back-and-forth questions than with a full tech pack. Answering them quickly keeps things moving. If you’re still choosing who to work with, our guide on how to find a clothing manufacturer covers what to ask any factory.
Common mistakes we see
- Mixing inches and centimetres in one chart.
- Giving measurements for a different size than the one being sampled.
- Sending artwork as a low-resolution screenshot.
- Putting the hoodie and the joggers on one page with one chart.
- Changing the design in chat messages and never updating the tech pack. Keep one current version and put a date on it.
What happens after you send it
We review the tech pack, ask questions about anything unclear, confirm fabric, and start the sample. Samples typically take 7-10 days depending on construction. Puff embroidery and heavy washes sit at the longer end. When the sample reaches you, try it on, measure it against your chart, and send written comments with photos. Once you approve the sample, bulk is about 2 weeks. Shipping time is separate. The full process is on our sampling and production page.
If you have a tech pack, a half-finished one, or just a reference garment and some sketches, send it over through our request-a-quote page. Tell us the product, the fabric you have in mind and roughly how many pieces per colour, and I’ll come back to you with questions and next steps.
