A tech pack is the contract between an apparel brand and a factory. It is what the factory builds against, what the brand approves against, and what disputes are resolved against. Everything in the tech pack is enforceable; anything missing from it is the factory’s interpretation.
Brands underinvest in tech packs more often than they overinvest. The cost shows up in sample iterations (three or four when one should suffice), bulk production variances (sizing off, fabric weight wrong, trim swapped), and disputed quality issues (the factory says they built to spec, the brand disagrees). Almost all of these trace to gaps or ambiguity in the tech pack itself.
What a working tech pack contains
A complete apparel tech pack has roughly nine sections. Every section is operational; nothing is decorative.
1. Cover page
Style number, style name, season, category, factory assignment, lead designer, technical designer, production manager, target costing, target FOB. The cover is the lookup metadata; it ties the document to the merchandising plan, the costing system, and the factory.
2. Flat sketches
Line-art drawings of front, back, and detail views (collar, cuff, pocket, closure). Sketches communicate construction intent visually so the factory understands the design language without reading every word. Detail views call out specific features (welt pocket vs patch pocket, button-fly vs zip-fly, raglan vs set-in sleeve).
3. Color and material specification
Per colorway: fabric color codes (Pantone or supplier code), trim colors, embellishment colors. The same garment in five colorways is five sets of color specs, each with its own BOM impact.
4. Bill of materials (BOM)
Every fabric and trim that goes into the garment, line by line. Per line: material description, supplier reference, color, consumption per unit, supplier or factory-sourced flag, cost per unit. The BOM rolls up to a per-unit material cost that combines with CMT and factory margin to produce the FOB price.
| BOM line | Description | Supplier | Consumption | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body fabric | 100% cotton twill, 220 gsm, IndOrange | Mill X, fab #4419 | 1.6 yards | $4.50/unit |
| Pocket lining | Polyester taffeta, white | Mill Y, fab #2210 | 0.3 yards | $0.40/unit |
| Buttons | 18mm horn, natural, 2-hole | Trim supplier A | 6 units | $0.85/unit |
| Zipper | YKK 5MS metal, 7-inch | YKK direct | 1 unit | $1.20/unit |
| Care label | Woven, multi-fold, neck | Label supplier | 1 unit | $0.18/unit |
A BOM that is not maintained in PLM linked to costing typically goes stale in 2 to 3 months as supplier prices shift.
5. Points of measure (POM)
The measurement table specifying every defined point on the garment, with the measurement per size across the size range.
| POM | XS | S | M | L | XL | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest (1 inch below armhole) | 38” | 40” | 42” | 44” | 46” | ±0.5” |
| Waist | 36” | 38” | 40” | 42” | 44” | ±0.5” |
| Length (HPS to hem) | 27” | 27.5” | 28” | 28.5” | 29” | ±0.25” |
| Sleeve length (CB to cuff) | 33” | 33.5” | 34” | 34.5” | 35” | ±0.25” |
| Shoulder | 17.5” | 18” | 18.5” | 19” | 19.5” | ±0.25” |
Tolerance is the acceptable variance the factory has on each measurement. A garment outside tolerance is technically a defect.
POMs that are ambiguous (e.g., “chest” without specifying where it is measured) produce sample-to-bulk variance because the factory and the brand are measuring different points.
6. Construction details
Per seam: stitch type (single needle, double needle, overlock, coverstitch), stitches per inch (SPI), seam allowance, thread color, special operations.
| Seam | Stitch type | SPI | Seam allowance | Thread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side seam | Lockstitch + overlock | 10 | 3/8” | Match body |
| Hem | Coverstitch (double needle, 3/16” gauge) | 12 | 5/8” | Match body |
| Armhole | Lockstitch + overlock | 10 | 3/8” | Match body |
| Topstitch (collar, plackets) | Lockstitch | 8 | 1/16” or 1/4” | Contrast (TBD) |
Construction details are where premium versus mid-tier garments separate. A higher SPI on visible seams reads as more premium; a lower SPI reads as fast-fashion. Brands moving up-market should be increasing SPI specs.
7. Finishing
Washes, prints, embellishments, dye treatments, special trims. Per finish: process description, location, timing in the production sequence.
8. Packaging
Folding instructions (with diagram), polybag specification, hangtag placement, master carton pack ratio, master carton dimensions. Retailers often specify packaging in their routing guide; the tech pack has to align.
9. Approval log
Who approved what and when. First sample, fit sample, pre-production sample, production sample. Each approval is a checkpoint; the factory only proceeds to the next stage after approval.
Where tech packs break
The three most common tech pack failure modes:
Missing specs. A measurement is not defined. A trim is not called out. The construction detail for a critical seam is left blank. The factory makes an assumption, the assumption is wrong, and the sample comes back with a feature the brand never specified.
Version drift. The brand revises the tech pack on Tuesday. The factory was already producing samples against Monday’s version. The sample is built to spec, but the wrong spec.
Stale BOM. Material prices changed, suppliers swapped fabrics, trim minimums shifted. The BOM in the tech pack reflects last season’s data. The factory builds and bills against current costs, the brand’s costing system shows expected cost, and the gap is found at invoice reconciliation.
Each failure mode is a system problem, not a design problem. The fix is a tech pack management system with version control, approval workflow, and live BOM linkage.
What PLM brings
PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) holds the tech pack as a living document, not a static PDF:
- Version control: every change is tracked; previous versions are accessible; the current version is canonical.
- Approval workflow: stages are gated; the factory cannot proceed without approval; approvals are timestamped and attributable.
- BOM linkage: the BOM is connected to the costing system; supplier price changes propagate; cost roll-up is always current.
- Factory portal: the factory accesses the latest tech pack directly; changes are visible immediately; there is no email-attachment version drift.
- Photo and comment annotation: fit comments, photo annotations, and revision notes attach directly to the tech pack so the conversation history is in the document.
Brands moving from PDF to PLM tech packs typically see:
- 40 to 60 percent reduction in sample-to-bulk variance.
- 30 to 50 percent reduction in sample iteration cycles.
- Faster factory communication (no “which version” debates).
- Cost roll-up that holds throughout the season.
This is the structural fix for Breakpoint 1 (product data fragmentation) and Breakpoint 2 (production drift) in the 6 Breakpoints framework.
Operational signals that tech pack management is breaking
A few patterns that indicate a brand has outgrown its current tech pack process:
- Sample-to-bulk variance is consistently above 5 percent on POM, requiring rework on bulk shipments.
- Factory emails consistently ask “which version” or “did this change.”
- BOM costs in the tech pack do not match invoices from the factory.
- Sample cycles run four or more iterations regularly.
- Different teams (design, production, costing) reference different versions of the same tech pack.
- New colorways or styles in a development cycle take 4+ weeks to spec.
Each of these is a symptom of tech pack data fragmentation.
What an apparel-specific platform handles
A platform built for apparel product development handles:
- Tech pack as a structured, versioned document
- BOM linkage to costing and production
- Sample tracking through the full approval cycle
- Factory portal access without exposing internal systems
- Photo, comment, and annotation directly on the tech pack
- POM table with size grading rules
- Approval log with timestamps and signatures
The result is that a tech designer can manage 200+ styles per season without losing version control or burning weeks on factory communication.
Related reading
- PLM software for apparel
- Garment spec sheets for apparel brands
- Garment costing and pricing
- Product lifecycle stages
- The 6 Breakpoints framework
Where is product development breaking in your operation?
Tech pack version drift, BOM staleness, and sample iteration loops are signals of deeper operational fracture. The 6 Breakpoints Assessment is a 12-question diagnostic that scores you across the six places apparel operations typically break.