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Low MOQ clothing manufacturer with the minimum written down

What is a low MOQ in clothing manufacturing?

A low MOQ is any minimum a new brand can afford to get wrong once. In practice that means under 50 pieces per style. Most factories quote 200 to 500 because short runs cost them more per piece in cutting, setup and thread changes, and they would rather not do them. We set ours at 25 because a first order is a test, not a commitment. A brand that sells 25 hoodies comes back for 250. A brand forced to buy 300 on day one usually does not come back at all, because the money is sitting in a spare room.

25 pieces

Hoodies, sweatshirts, tees, tracksuits, sublimated uniforms, streetwear

30 pieces

Jackets and outerwear

50 pieces

Caps, beanies, leggings and technical activewear

100 pairs

Socks, where the yarn is dyed to order before knitting

Low MOQ by garment, with lead times

Garment Our MOQ Industry typical Sample Bulk
Hoodies 25 pieces 100 to 300 7 days 15 days
Sweatshirts 25 pieces 100 to 300 7 days 15 days
T-shirts 25 pieces 50 to 200 7 days 12 days
Tracksuits 25 sets 100 to 300 7 days 15 days
Jackets 30 pieces 100 to 500 10 days 20 days
Caps 50 pieces 100 to 250 7 days 15 days
Beanies 50 pieces 100 to 300 7 days 15 days
Socks 100 pairs 300 to 1,000 10 days 18 days
Activewear 50 pieces 100 to 500 10 days 18 days
Industry typical figures are the minimums we see quoted publicly by comparable cut and sew factories. Where a competitor does not publish one, we have left them out rather than guess.

What a low minimum costs you?

More per unit, and much less in total. Honesty first, because the alternative is a surprise at invoice stage. A 25 piece run carries a higher unit price than a 250 piece run of the same garment. Cutting a marker for 25 wastes more fabric per piece, and a sewing line that changes style every two hours produces less per shift. Expect roughly 30 to 45 percent more per unit at 25 pieces than at 300.
Quantity Relative unit price
25 pieces 1.40x
50 pieces 1.25x
100 pieces 1.12x
300 pieces 1.00x baseline
1,000 pieces 0.88x
Index only. Real quotes depend on fabric, decoration and trims, and arrive within 24 hours.

Why do clothing factories have minimums at all?

Because the cost of starting a run does not change with its size. Fabric is dyed in lots. A marker has to be laid whether it cuts 25 pieces or 2,500. A sewing line has to be set up, threaded and trained on the style either way, and a screen has to be burned per colour regardless of how many shirts pass under it. Below about 25 pieces those fixed costs stop being recoverable at any price a brand would pay, which is the point at which a factory should tell you to use print on demand instead.
Situation Why 20 works
First drop, unproven demand Test the design before the capital
Sizing unknown Learn the size curve on a small run
Multiple styles, small budget Four styles at 25 beats one style at 100
Seasonal capsule Sell through fully instead of carrying stock
Team or club kit Squad sized orders without a padded minimum
Sampling for wholesale Real garments to show buyers

Questions about minimum order quantity

No, and we would rather say so than waste your time. Below 25 pieces the economics stop working for a cut and sew factory, and anyone promising you no minimum is almost certainly printing on a pre made blank. If that is what you need, print on demand is the right tool and we will tell you so.

Yes. Twenty five pieces can be spread across up to six sizes however you like. A typical first run is 3 small, 6 medium, 8 large, 5 extra large and 3 double extra large.

Yes. Twenty five pieces can be spread across up to six sizes however you like. A typical first run is 3 small, 6 medium, 8 large, 5 extra large and 3 double extra large.

No. The minimum is per style because each style needs its own pattern, marker and line setup. Twenty five hoodies and 25 tees is two orders of 25, not one order of 50.

Reorders of a style we have already produced start at 25 pieces as well, and skip sampling, so they ship in 15 days from payment.

It can. Screen printing at 25 pieces carries a screen setup charge per colour that makes small runs expensive, so we usually recommend DTF at that quantity. Woven patches carry their own minimum, typically 100 units, because of the mould.

Twenty five pieces. Seven day sample. Fifteen day production.

Send the design or the idea and get a costed answer back tomorrow.

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