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How to read (and write) a tech pack that actually works

The tech pack is the contract between your idea and the factory's hands. A clear one gets you a first sample that's close and a bulk run that matches. A vague one gets you guesswork, rounds of corrections, and a production lot that drifts from what you approved. It's the most important document in the whole process.

Here's what a complete one contains, and where they usually fall short.

What a tech pack is

A tech pack (technical package) is the full set of specifications a factory needs to develop and produce a garment. It's not a mood board or a sketch — it's a precise, measurable brief covering everything from fabric to stitch to fold. Think of every gap in it as a decision you've handed to someone who's never met your customer.

The sections that matter

Formats vary, but a complete tech pack covers these:

• Flat sketch & callouts. Technical front/back drawings with arrows naming every seam, topstitch, pocket and detail. The visual spine everything else hangs off.
• Bill of materials (BOM). Every component — fabric, thread, buttons, labels, interlining, trims — with supplier, colour and placement. Miss one and sampling stalls.
• Measurements (POM) & grading. A points-of-measure chart with the spec at each point, tolerances, and the grade rules across the size range.
• Construction details. Stitch class, seam class, SPI and where each is used — the build instructions. (See our guides on stitches and seams and SPI.)
• Fabric & finish. Composition, weave, GSM with tolerance and finish — anchored to a target, not a word. (See fabric weight and weave.)
• Colourways & artwork. Approved colour standards (a physical or Pantone reference), plus any prints or embroidery with placement and size.
• Labels & packaging. Brand, care and size labels, hangtags, polybag, folding and carton specs — the details that get forgotten and hold up shipping.

Every blank in a tech pack is a decision you've delegated to the factory. The tighter the spec, the closer the sample — and the fewer the surprises in bulk.

Where tech packs go wrong

Most sampling failures trace back to the same gaps:

• No tolerances. "160 GSM" or a bare measurement with no ± invites a legitimate but disappointing result. Always state the acceptable range.
• Vague fabric. "Cotton twill" leaves count, weight and finish open. Pin all four.
• Loose construction. "Topstitch hem" without stitch, seam and SPI lets the floor default to whatever's fastest.
• Missing trims. Buttons, labels and threads left off the BOM stop a sample before it starts.
• No colour standard. "Navy" is not a colour; a referenced standard is.

Tolerances and approval

A spec without a tolerance isn't really a spec. Every critical measurement and fabric property should carry an acceptable range, and the approval process should be explicit: who signs off the sample, against what standard, and what counts as a pass. This is what makes bulk reviewable against a fixed reference rather than an argument.

A good tech pack pays for itself

Time spent tightening a tech pack is repaid many times over: fewer sampling rounds, faster development, accurate costing, and a bulk run that matches the approved sample. It also protects you — when expectations are written and measurable, quality disputes have a clear reference point instead of two opinions.

A quick pre-send checklist

• Flat sketch with every detail called out?
• Complete BOM — fabric, thread, trims, labels?
• POM chart with tolerances and grade rules?
• Stitch, seam and SPI named at each operation?
• Fabric: composition, weave, GSM ± and finish?
• Colour standards and artwork placement?
• Labels, folding and packaging specified?

Tick all seven and you've removed almost every reason a first sample comes back wrong.