Buyer guide 04 · 8 min read · Published
How to make a tech pack for custom teamwear
Learning how to make a tech pack pays back on every order. A tech pack is the written instruction set a factory uses to quote, sample and produce your garment. A clear one cuts sample rounds and gives you a fixed reference to inspect bulk against. This guide walks through each page in the order a factory reads it.
- Sells to
- Trade buyers only
- Makes
- 299 styles, 12 sports
- Factory
- Sialkot, Pakistan
- Minimum
- 12 pcs per style
- Prices
- Blank, decoration quoted
- Production
- About 2 weeks
01What is a tech pack?
A tech pack (short for technical package) is a set of pages that describes one garment completely: what it looks like, what it is made of, how it is measured in every size, where the decoration goes and how it is labeled and packed. The factory prices from it, the pattern maker cuts from it, and the inspector checks bulk against it.
For teamwear, the tech pack also carries things a fashion tech pack often skips: roster-driven names and numbers, league rules on logo size, and size runs that cover youth, adult and extended sizes in one style.
02What a tech pack does for you
A quote is only as accurate as the information behind it. If the factory has to guess the fabric weight, the zipper length or the number of print positions, the price and the sample will drift from what you had in mind.
The tech pack is also your inspection reference. When bulk arrives, you check measurements, colors, labels and packing against the pages you approved. Without it, a dispute comes down to memory.
Give each style its own page set, and each colorway its own colorway page. Put a style code, a revision number and a date on every page, and keep one current version. Two versions in circulation cause more errors than a missing page.
03How to make a tech pack, step by step
You do not need specialist software. A spreadsheet with one tab per page works, and our free tech pack template already has the tabs laid out: cover, flats and placement, bill of materials, measurements, size breakdown per colorway, labels and packaging. Work through them in this order.
- Cover page: style code, style name, season, revision number, date and your contact.
- Flat sketches: front and back, with callouts for every seam and finish.
- Bill of materials: fabric, trims, thread, labels and packaging, line by line.
- Measurements: points of measure, base size, grade rules and tolerances.
- Colorways: PMS references for every part, one page per colorway.
- Decoration: method, size and position for each piece of artwork.
- Labels and packing: label text per market, hang tags, polybags and carton marks.
04Flat sketches
Flats are clean line drawings of the garment laid flat, front and back, drawn roughly to proportion. A 3D render is not needed. What matters is that every seam, panel break and finish is visible and labeled.
Add close-up callouts for anything a sewing line has to get right: collar shape, cuff finish, pocket construction, side vents and hem.
- Seam types: overlock, flatlock, coverstitch or bound seams, and where each one goes.
- Neck and cuff finish: self-fabric, rib or binding, with finished height.
- Topstitch spacing and thread color.
- Panel breaks for color blocking, with each panel color named.
- Hardware positions: zipper start and stop points, snap and drawcord exits.
05Bill of materials (BOM)
The BOM lists every component that goes into one finished garment. Each line should name the item, its specification, color, placement and quantity per garment. If you have a preferred supplier or reference code, add it.
Be specific about fabric. Composition, construction and GSM together describe a fabric; GSM alone does not. Write 100% polyester micro-interlock, 160 GSM rather than lightweight poly.
- Main fabric and any secondary fabrics such as mesh side panels.
- Rib, binding and interlining.
- Thread type and color.
- Zippers: type, gauge, length per size, open or closed end, tape and teeth color.
- Drawcords, elastic, snaps, pullers and aglets.
- Labels, hangtags, barcode stickers and polybags.
06Points of measure, grading and tolerances
The size spec lists each point of measure (POM), how to measure it, the value in your base size and the grade to every other size. Define each POM clearly: chest measured 1 inch below the armhole, body length from the high point of the shoulder, sleeve length from the center back neck or from the shoulder point. State whether the garment is measured flat and relaxed.
Set a tolerance for each point. For knit teamwear, ±1–1.5 cm on major points such as chest, length and sleeve is typical, with ±0.5 cm on small points like neck drop or collar height. List your full size range, including youth, women's and extended sizes if you need them. If you want us to build the grade from one base size, see how custom sizing and grading works.
An honest caveat: knit garments move. Sublimation heat and washing can shrink polyester panels slightly, and a stretch fabric measures differently depending on how it is laid down. Tolerances set tighter than the fabric can hold lead to rejected goods that actually fit. Agree tolerances with the factory before sampling, not after bulk.
07Colors and PMS references
Name every color with a PMS reference, preferably a textile TCX or TPG code, and assign it to each part of the garment: body, panels, rib, thread, zipper tape and print. Screen colors do not match fabric, so never approve color from a monitor.
Solid-dyed fabric is matched with a lab dip, a small dyed swatch you approve before the mill dyes bulk. Printed colors are matched with a strike-off on the real fabric. Check both in daylight, and agree how close a match you will accept. Swatch books and color books are available from us if you want to pick from physical references.
08Decoration placement
For each piece of artwork, give the method, the finished size and the position measured from a fixed reference point, for example centered, 3 inches below the high point of the shoulder. Say whether the artwork scales by size or stays fixed across the size run.
- Vector files (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG) with fonts outlined.
- PMS color code or thread color for every element.
- A roster with name, number and size if pieces are personalized.
- Any league rules that limit logo size or placement.
09Labels, trims and packaging
Labels carry legal information, so list them in detail: neck label type (woven, printed or tagless), size label, care and fiber content for each market you sell into, and country of origin. If you sell in the US or Canada, your RN or CA number goes on the label; that number belongs to you, not the factory. Our guide to care label requirements lists what each market needs.
Finish with packing. Note hangtag artwork and how it attaches, barcode format and your GS1 prefix, polybag type and warning text, fold method, carton marks and whether cartons are packed by size or in ratio. If we ship direct to your customer, say what paperwork goes in the box.
10No tech pack yet? A sketch or sample works
You do not need a finished tech pack to start. A sketch, a photo with notes or a physical sample you want copied is enough for us to begin. We build the spec from it, run pattern and grading in house and send a proof of the design, colors and sizes for your approval.
Once the details are approved, you can order one sample at the 12–50 tier price plus decoration, credited to your bulk order. The approved sample and spec then become the reference for bulk and for every reorder. Everything from fabric to the label can be your own; our custom uniforms overview shows each choice in order.
11Common tech pack mistakes
Most tech pack problems are not missing pages but pages that contradict each other. Read the whole pack once from start to finish before you send it, the way a pattern maker would.
- A BOM that lists one fabric weight while the cover page lists another.
- Measurements in inches on one page and centimeters on the next.
- Artwork sized for the base size with no note on how it scales.
- Colors named by description, such as dark navy, with no PMS reference.
- Label text copied from another market without checking the rules.
- An old revision attached to the email instead of the current one.
Q&AQuestions buyers ask
What should a tech pack include?
At minimum: flat sketches with construction callouts, a bill of materials, a size spec with points of measure and tolerances, color references, decoration placement, and label and packing details. Each page should carry the style code, revision number and date. A colorway page per color version keeps quantities and approvals clear.
Do I need a full tech pack to get a quote?
No. A sketch, a reference photo or a sample garment is enough to start. We turn it into a working spec and confirm it with you. A full tech pack does make the quote faster and tighter, because fabric, trims and print positions are already fixed, so send whatever you have and we fill the gaps with you.
What tolerance should I set on a knit jersey?
For most knit teamwear, ±1–1.5 cm on major points such as chest, body length and sleeve length is a realistic range. Small points such as neck drop or collar height usually take ±0.5 cm. Compression and high-stretch fabrics may need wider tolerances on width points. Agree the numbers before sampling so the sample and bulk are judged the same way.
Does every colorway need its own tech pack?
Not a full one. Keep one tech pack per style and add a colorway page for each color version that lists the color changes in the BOM and artwork. Each colorway counts as its own style for the 12-piece minimum, so the colorway page also helps both sides track quantities and approvals per color.