What to Ask a Clothing Manufacturer Before Your First Order

First orders go wrong for predictable reasons. The fabric arrives a different weight from the one in the sample, the timeline quoted turns out to cover only part of the work, or a detail that was agreed in a message was never written into the order. Every one of those is preventable at the enquiry stage, and every one is caught by a specific question asked early.

These are the eight we would want asked of us. They are not gotcha questions, and none of them requires an adversarial posture: they are the questions that let both sides find out, before money moves, whether the other’s way of working fits. A manufacturer that does the work in-house will have concrete answers to all eight, and the concreteness is the signal you are looking for.

1. Ask which stages happen in the building you are being shown

This is the first question because everything else follows from it. Ask to be walked through cutting, sewing, decoration and inspection, and ask to see the equipment doing each one. A manufacturer doing the work on site can take you from the fabric roll to the packed carton without leaving the floor, and can tell you how many lines it runs and what each one is set up for.

Ask, too, what the business is registered to do. A business licence states a scope of operation, and a manufacturer will show it on request. We run four production lines with 180+ staff across two sites in Dongguan and Hunan, and we say which of our stages happen where.

2. Ask what the sampling rounds cover

Sampling is where a drawing becomes a garment, and the question is not whether samples are made but how many rounds there are and what each one is for. Ours is two physical rounds: the first to confirm fit, fabric and construction, the second to confirm the corrections and to approve the finished specification before anything is cut.

Ask what happens if the first sample is not right. The answer you want is that it goes back through a second round with the corrections recorded, not that it proceeds to bulk on the assumption the next one will be better. Sampling takes 3 to 7 days, and that window is worth protecting: corrections that land before bulk cost days, and the same corrections landing during bulk cost the order.

3. Ask how the fabric is specified, and how it is checked on arrival

Fabric is the largest single cost driver and the largest single source of “this is not what I approved”. Ask two things: what tolerance is held on the incoming cloth, and what happens to a roll that falls outside it.

We hold ±5% on GSM. Every roll is re-weighed on arrival and rejected outside that tolerance rather than cut, and the composition and shade are checked against the approved standard at the same time. Knits are relaxed before cutting so they settle to their finished dimensions. If a supplier tells you the fabric is checked, the useful follow-up is to ask for the number: a tolerance stated as a figure can be held to, and one stated as an intention cannot.

4. Ask what document the order runs on

Every order needs a single document that the floor works from, containing the approved sample reference, the size chart, the fabric specification, the decoration placement and the packing requirement. Ask to see a sample of one.

Every style on every order gets its own production manual with us, and it travels with the work from cutting to packing. Nothing in it is optional, and it exists so that the specification lives in a document rather than in someone’s recollection. You can ask to see photographs of your own order’s manual in use on the floor at any point, and we will send them.

5. Ask how inspection is done, and to what standard

Ask what standard the final inspection is carried out to and what happens to a batch that fails it. An inspection standard named as a number — AQL 2.5, with the sampling level stated — tells you both what is being checked and how much of it is being checked.

Ours covers four things before a garment is packed: threads, stains, pressing and measurements against the graded spec. Ask also whether there is an inline check during sewing and not only a final one, because a fault found at final inspection has already been made on every piece in the batch.

6. Ask what the lead time covers

This is the question that most often gets answered incompletely, and it is worth being precise about it. A production timeline and a delivery date are different things. Ours is 15 to 25 days from approved sample to packed goods, and that figure is the production cycle: it does not include shipping, which is arranged separately and depends on the destination and the method you choose.

Ask the question in the form “measured from when, until when”. If the answer starts at the deposit and ends at the packing, you know what you are buying; if it ends at your door, you know you are talking about something else. We work on EXW, FOB Shenzhen or Yantian, and DDP door-to-door on request, and the incoterm says where the responsibility moves.

7. Ask how the quote is built

Ask for the quote itemised. A single figure per unit tells you what you will pay and nothing about what would change it if you altered the specification. Ours lists fabric, trims, making-up, packing and freight separately, because that is the only way a change to one part is visible.

The two trims with their own constraints are worth asking about directly: woven labels and hangtags are produced at 1,000 pieces by the trim supplier, and jacquard labels and silicone badges at 300. Those are supplier minimums rather than garment minimums, and they do not raise the 100 pieces per style per colour that a garment order starts at — but they do mean your first trim order is a quantity the supplier can produce, with the surplus held for your reorders.

8. Ask what happens after the goods ship

Ask what paperwork leaves with the goods, and ask what is kept for when you reorder. The things that matter on the second order are the approved sample, the pattern and graded spec, the production manual and the trim tooling: a supplier holding all four can repeat your order without you re-specifying it.

Ask about payment terms at the same time, so there is no ambiguity about when money moves. Ours are a deposit by T/T with the balance before shipment, or L/C at sight for full-container orders.

Eight questions to ask before a first order, and what a concrete answer sounds like

Ask	Why it matters	A concrete answer
Which stages happen on site?	Decides who is accountable when something goes wrong	A walk-through from roll to carton, with the equipment at each stage and the licence shown on request
How many sample rounds, and what do they cover?	Corrections before bulk cost days; during bulk they cost the order	Two physical rounds, 3–7 days each, corrections recorded, bulk after approval
What GSM tolerance is held?	A number can be held to; an intention cannot	±5%, every roll re-weighed, rolls outside it rejected
What document does the order run on?	Specification in a document beats specification in memory	A per-style production manual, visible on request
What inspection standard?	Named standard tells you what and how much is checked	AQL 2.5 final inspection, plus inline checks during sewing
What does the lead time cover?	Production and delivery are different clocks	15–25 days production, from approved sample to packed goods
Is the quote itemised?	Shows which change moves the price	Fabric, trims, making-up, packing and freight listed separately
What is kept for reorders?	Decides whether order two is a repeat or a re-specification	Approved sample, pattern and grade, manual, trim tooling all held

Next step

Send us your tech pack, a reference sample, or a sketch with the target fabric and weight, and we will answer all eight in writing before you commit to anything. If you would rather see the floor first, factory visits are booked in advance and take about half a day. We make custom hoodies, T-shirts, polo shirts and bonded seamless garments, and the about page sets out how the lines are organised.

Frequently asked questions

How many sample rounds should a first order include, and how long does each take?

Two physical rounds are standard. The first confirms fit, fabric and construction; the second confirms the corrections and approves the finished specification before anything is cut. Each round takes 3–7 days and covers the pattern being made and graded, the fabric being cut, the garment being sewn and the decoration being applied.

What fabric tolerance should I ask a manufacturer to confirm?

Ask what tolerance is held on incoming cloth and what happens to a roll outside it. We hold ±5% on GSM. Every roll is re-weighed on arrival and rejected outside that tolerance rather than cut, and composition and shade are checked against the approved standard at the same time. Knits are relaxed before cutting so they settle to finished dimensions.

What document should a bulk order run on?

Every order needs one document the floor works from, containing the approved sample reference, the size chart, the fabric specification, the decoration placement and the packing requirement. Every style on every order gets its own production manual, and it travels with the work from cutting to packing. You can ask for photographs of your manual in use at any point.

What inspection standard should I ask for before bulk?

Ask what standard the final inspection is carried out to and what happens to a batch that fails it. Ours is AQL 2.5, covering threads, stains, pressing and measurements against the graded spec before a garment is packed. Ask also whether there is an inline check during sewing, because a fault found only at final inspection has already been made on every piece.

What should a production lead time actually cover?

Ask it as measured from when until when. Ours is 15–25 days from approved sample to packed goods, and that is the production cycle: it does not include shipping, which is arranged separately and depends on the destination and the method you choose. We work on EXW, FOB Shenzhen or Yantian, and DDP door-to-door on request.

How should a quote be itemised before I commit?

Ask for fabric, trims, making-up, packing and freight listed separately, so a change to one part is visible in the number. Two trims carry supplier minimums of their own: woven labels and hangtags at 1,000 pieces, jacquard labels and silicone badges at 300. Those do not raise the 100 pieces per style per colour a garment order starts at.