Free tech pack template for apparel brands

What is a tech pack?

A tech pack, short for technical package, is the document that tells a factory exactly how to make a garment: the materials, the measurements for every size, how each seam is sewn, the colors, the labels, the packaging and the target cost. Factories quote, sample and produce from it.

Anything the tech pack leaves out gets decided by the factory instead of you. That is why a vague tech pack costs extra sample rounds, and why a complete one is the cheapest way to get production right the first time.

• Made by: the designer or technical designer, often with a freelance tech designer for small brands
• Used by: the factory, the mill and trim suppliers, your production team and your QC inspector
• Updated: every sample round, from proto to top of production, with a new version number each time
• Sent as: a PDF for the factory to build from, plus the working file so specs can be copied rather than retyped

What is in this tech pack template

Eleven tabs, one per section of a complete tech pack. Yellow cells are for you to fill in. Grey cells calculate on their own. Each tab has one worked example row for a men's jersey tee so you can see the format.

How to fill in a tech pack, in order

• Start with the Style Summary and flat sketches. Number every detail on the flats so construction notes can point to it.
• Build the BOM with a supplier reference number for every component. A fabric described only as "cotton jersey" will be sourced by the factory.
• Write the base size spec. Define how each point is measured and give every point a tolerance.
• Add grade rules so the other sizes calculate, then check the jumps look right for your customer.
• Fill in construction seam by seam, tied to the sketch callouts.
• Add colorways and lab dip references, then the size and SKU matrix with UPCs.
• Complete labels and packaging, including each retailer's ticketing and carton rules.
• Check costing against your target before you send anything to sample.
• Log the version in Revisions and send the PDF with the working file.

The fields most tech pack templates leave out

Most free templates stop at the sample: sketches, materials and measurements. The fields below are what turn a tech pack into data your whole operation can use. Each one ends up in your ERP, your EDI documents or your customs entry. When the tech pack has them wrong, or does not have them at all, someone retypes them later, and that is where mismatches between the purchase order, the ship notice and the carton label start.

• A UPC for every style, color and size, from your GS1 company prefix
• NRF color and size codes, which many retailers expect on the EDI 850 and EDI 856
• Prepack ratios, so cartons are packed the way the retailer ordered them
• HTS classification and country of origin, which set your duty rate
• Required label content: fiber content, country of origin, RN number or company name, and care instructions
• Carton size, weight limits and GS1-128 label requirements from each retailer's routing guide
• Target FOB and landed cost, checked against the wholesale and retail price you plan to charge

How to write points of measure that factories follow

A point of measure is only useful if two people measuring the same garment get the same number. Each one needs three things: where to start, where to end, and whether it is a full or half measurement.

• Name the start point. Body length is usually taken from the high point shoulder (HPS), the top of the shoulder where it meets the collar.
• Say where across the body. "Chest width" alone is ambiguous. "Chest width, 1 inch below armhole, edge to edge" is not.
• Mark half or full. Most widths on knits are measured flat, edge to edge, which is half the circumference.
• Give every point a tolerance. Without one, a factory can argue any measurement is close enough.
• Grade from one base size. Write the increment per size, and note where the jump changes, for example a larger step from L to XL.

Tech pack mistakes that cost a sample round

• Specs for the base size only, so the factory grades the other sizes its own way
• Points of measure with no measuring method or no tolerance
• Fabrics and trims with no supplier reference number
• Colors described by name instead of a standard reference and an approved lab dip
• Construction notes that are not tied to a numbered callout on the sketch
• No version control, so the factory builds the fit sample from last month's file
• Label and packaging requirements left for later, then goods arrive at the retailer's distribution center unticketed
• No target cost, so the first quote comes back 30 percent over and the style gets redesigned after sampling

Frequently asked questions

What should a tech pack include?

At minimum: a style summary with flat sketches, a bill of materials, a graded measurement spec with tolerances, construction details, colorways, label and packaging requirements, and a revision log. Adding the size and UPC matrix and target costing makes it usable beyond the sample room.

Is a tech pack the same as a spec sheet?

No. The spec sheet is the measurement chart, one page of the tech pack. The tech pack also covers materials, construction, color, labeling, packaging and cost.

Do I need a tech pack for a small first production run?

Yes. Small runs are where a missing detail hurts most, because there is no budget for another sample round. Even a factory that offers to work from a reference garment will quote and sew more accurately from a tech pack.

Should I use Excel or PLM software for tech packs?

A spreadsheet works well for a handful of styles. Once you manage dozens of styles across seasons, PLM or an ERP with product development keeps versions, BOMs and costing in one place and passes SKUs and UPCs straight into ordering, without anyone retyping them.

Related guides and tools