A tech pack is the single most important document between your design and a garment you can actually sell. Get it right and your samples come back close to what you imagined, your costs are predictable, and your manufacturer treats you like a serious brand. Get it wrong — or skip it — and you will burn weeks on back-and-forth, pay for samples that miss the mark, and watch your margins disappear into avoidable mistakes.
This guide covers what a tech pack is, what goes inside one, how it drives manufacturing, and how to create one — whether you build it yourself or have it done for you.
What is a tech pack?
A tech pack (technical package) is a blueprint that tells a manufacturer precisely how to make your garment. It translates a creative idea into measurable, buildable instructions: the shape, the measurements at every size, the fabrics and trims, the stitching, the labels and the packaging. An architect would not hand a builder a mood board and expect a house; a fashion brand should not hand a factory a sketch and expect a product. For the full definition, see our guide to what a tech pack is.
What is inside a tech pack?
A complete apparel tech pack usually includes:
- Flat technical sketches — front, back and detail views, drawn to proportion.
- Points of measure and a size chart — every critical dimension and how it grades across your sizes.
- A bill of materials (BOM) — every fabric, trim, zip, button, thread and label.
- Colourways — each colour option, ideally with Pantone references.
- Construction details — seam types, stitches, hems and finishes.
- Labels and branding — main, care and size labels, hang tags and placement.
- Packaging instructions — folding, polybagging, barcodes and cartoning.
Why a tech pack matters
Every detail you do not specify becomes a decision someone else makes, usually at your expense. A clear tech pack cuts sampling rounds, makes quotes accurate and comparable, protects your margin by pinning down fabrics and trims before they drift to cheaper substitutes, and keeps reorders consistent run after run. For real figures, see our breakdown of tech pack cost, or get an instant estimate for your own design with the tech pack cost calculator.
Clothing and apparel tech packs
A clothing tech pack (also called an apparel or fashion tech pack) pays special attention to the things that make or break a garment: fabric composition and weight (GSM), stretch and finish, accurate grading across the size run, and construction suited to the fabric — flat-lock seams for activewear, bar-tacks at stress points, and so on. The more exact these details, the closer your first sample. See how a spec becomes a finished product in from sketch to stock.
How a tech pack feeds manufacturing
The tech pack is the bridge between design and production. It is what a factory quotes against, samples from, and runs the bulk order to. If you are producing with a clothing manufacturer — especially at low minimums from 50 pieces — the quality of your tech pack is the single biggest predictor of whether your first sample is usable.
How to create a tech pack
You have three realistic routes:
- Build it yourself from a template — start with our free tech pack template and the step-by-step guide.
- Hire a tech pack designer — the safest route for most brands. We offer this across Europe and in London, New York and Los Angeles.
- Bundle it with production — have your tech pack built by the same team that manufactures it, so nothing is lost in translation.
Not sure which tool or partner to use? Compare the options in tech pack software and which companies create tech packs.
Estimate your tech pack & production cost →
Tech pack FAQs
Do I really need a tech pack to manufacture clothing?
In almost all cases, yes. Reputable manufacturers need measurable specifications to quote and produce accurately. Without a tech pack you will face more sampling rounds, higher costs and inconsistent results.
What is the difference between a tech pack and a sketch?
A sketch shows how a garment looks. A tech pack shows how to build it — measurements, materials, construction and finishing — so a factory can produce it without guessing.
How much does a tech pack cost?
It depends on garment complexity and the number of styles. You can get an instant, specification-based estimate with our tech pack cost calculator.
New to the process? See how our tech-pack and manufacturing process works, step by step.