A tech pack is the technical blueprint your factory uses to produce your garment: flat sketches, measurements, materials, construction details, and costs, all in one document. It is the single most important document in apparel production. Having a tech pack professionally made typically costs $400–$800 per style depending on garment complexity, takes 2–4 hours to build yourself if you have the technical skills, and pays for itself by cutting sample rounds — the difference between approving a sample in one or two rounds versus four or five.
Here’s what goes into one, how to build it, and where to get it made.
What Is a Tech Pack?
A tech pack (technical pack) contains every specification a manufacturer needs to turn your design into a finished garment. It functions three ways at once:
- Production blueprint. The factory quotes, samples, and produces off this document. If it’s not in the tech pack, don’t expect it in the garment.
- Quality control reference. Every sample and production run gets checked against the tech pack’s measurements and tolerances. It’s your single source of truth when something comes back wrong.
- Contractual record. When a dispute arises over fit, fabric, or construction, the tech pack is the agreed specification both sides point to.
What a Tech Pack Includes
Flat sketches and CADs
Black-and-white technical drawings of the garment from front, back, and side, with close-up views of construction details. Label every seam, stitch, closure, and design element. For complex designs, CAD renderings add colorways, fabric texture, and logo placement.
Bill of materials (BOM)
Every raw material in the garment: main fabric and lining (composition, weight, color), trims (buttons, zippers, labels, drawcords), and packaging. Include Pantone codes for every color and supplier details where you have them. The BOM is what the factory prices from — vague BOMs produce vague quotes.
Measurement spec and size chart
Every point of measure (chest, waist, hem, sleeve length, armhole, and any garment-specific dimensions), graded across your full size range, with tolerances. Tolerances matter: without them, you have no objective basis to reject an out-of-spec sample.
Construction details
Seam types, stitch types and lengths, hem finishes, and any special techniques. This is where premium garments are won or lost — a factory will default to its standard construction unless you specify otherwise.
Colorways
Each color variation of the style, with Pantone codes mapped to every component: body fabric, trims, threads, labels.
Labeling and packaging
Care label content and placement, hang tags, folding instructions, polybag specs. Retailers and 3PLs have requirements here; put them in the tech pack, not in an email the factory will lose.
Cost sheets are sometimes built into tech packs, but most brands keep costing in a separate document. What matters is that the BOM is complete enough for the factory to quote accurately.
How to Create a Tech Pack
- Gather design elements. Sketches, CAD files, reference garments, color standards.
- Draw the flats. Multi-angle technical sketches with construction callouts. Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard; dedicated tools like Techpacker work if you want structure and collaboration built in.
- Build the BOM. List every material with specs, colors, and quantities per garment.
- Write the measurement spec. Base size first, then grade rules across the range. Define tolerances for every point of measure.
- Add construction and finishing notes. Seams, stitching, labels, packaging.
- Review against a physical garment. The fastest error check: hold a comparable garment and confirm your spec covers everything you can see and touch on it.
Excel or Google Sheets work fine for your first styles. The version-control pain starts when you’re revising across multiple styles and factories — that’s when purpose-built tools earn their subscription.
How Much Does a Tech Pack Cost?
Professional tech pack pricing scales with garment complexity. Based on what designers in our network charge:
- Simple garments (tees, tanks, bodysuits, basic leggings and shorts): around $400 per style
- Mid-complexity garments (hoodies, full zips, pants, swimwear, medium-impact bras, seamless designs): around $600 per style
- Complex garments (outerwear, high-impact bras, intricate dresses, jumpsuits, technical bags): around $800 per style
Full design packages — brand direction, mood boards, sketch rounds, CADs, and the tech pack — typically run $1,000–$1,500 per style, with ongoing development work billed hourly at $130–$150. Most designers offer bulk discounts on collections of four or more styles.
Against that, weigh the cost of producing without one: samples run $100–$350 each plus shipping and weeks of lead time, and incomplete specs are the main reason brands burn through four or five sample rounds instead of one or two. A production-ready tech pack usually pays for itself within the first sampling cycle.
Where to Get Tech Packs Made
If you don’t have technical design experience, outsource it. A production-ready tech pack from an experienced technical designer is cheaper than learning by failed sample.
MakeMine Designer Directory
Senior freelance apparel designers who build production-ready tech packs — the same specs our factory network produces from. Pricing varies by designer and complexity.
Techpacks.co
Strong portfolio with consultancy services. Higher pricing.
TM Tech Packs
Solo senior technical designer with 10+ years of experience. Tech packs from $400, 3D modeling in CLO3D from $425, full-service design packages from $1,500 per garment.
Fittdesign
Deep tech pack experience, particularly sportswear. Higher prices on small design counts.
Choose based on your product category first — a designer who knows swim construction will spec details a generalist misses.
The Point of All This
A tech pack isn’t paperwork. It’s the difference between a factory guessing at your product and building it. Every hour you put into the spec comes back multiplied in fewer sample rounds, cleaner quotes, and a garment that matches what you designed. If you’re heading into production, start here — then read our guide on finding a cut and sew manufacturer for what comes next.
FAQs
What is a tech pack used for?
****A tech pack communicates every technical detail of a garment to the manufacturer — sketches, measurements, materials, and construction — so the factory can quote accurately and produce the design as intended. It also serves as the quality control reference for every sample and production run.
How long does it take to create a tech pack?
****Around 2–4 hours per design for someone with technical design experience, longer for complex garments or first-timers. Professionally outsourced tech packs typically turn around in a few days to a week.
Does a tech pack include a pattern?
****No. A tech pack includes measurement specifications and size charts; the pattern is developed separately, usually by the factory or a pattern maker, based on those specs.
What is the difference between a tech pack and a spec sheet?
****A spec sheet is one component of a tech pack — the page covering measurements and construction details. A full tech pack also includes flat sketches, the bill of materials, colorways, and labeling and packaging instructions.
Do I need a tech pack to work with a manufacturer?
****For cut and sew production, yes. Factories quote and sample from the tech pack; without one, you’ll get inaccurate quotes, extra sample rounds, and a garment that reflects the factory’s assumptions instead of your design.
How much does a tech pack cost?
****Professionally made tech packs typically cost $400–$1,500 per style depending on garment complexity: around $400 for simple garments like tees and tanks, $600 for hoodies, pants, and swimwear, and $800 for outerwear and intricate styles. Full design packages including sketching and CADs run $1,000–$1,500 per style.
