Apparel Manufacturing Glossary: 50+ Terms Every Clothing Brand Should Know

Manufacturing has its own language, and the first conversation with a factory can feel like alphabet soup — MOQ, GSM, AQL, FOB, tech pack, lab dip. This glossary explains the terms you'll actually encounter, in plain English, so you can brief suppliers with confidence and avoid costly misunderstandings.

We've grouped the terms by stage. Skim it now, bookmark it for later.

Ordering & Commercial Terms

MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) — The smallest quantity a factory will produce, usually per style and sometimes per color. Lower MOQ = lower risk for new brands. See our guide to MOQ.

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) — A factory that makes products to your design and specification. You own the design; they manufacture it.

ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) — A factory that offers existing designs you can customize and brand, rather than building from scratch. Faster and cheaper than full OEM.

Private Label — Producing goods that are sold under your brand name, with your labels and branding, by a third-party manufacturer.

Landed Cost — The true all-in cost of getting one finished unit into your warehouse: ex-factory price + freight + duty + fees. Always price off this, not the factory price. Try our cost calculator.

Lead Time — The time from order confirmation to goods being ready. Typically 25–35 days for bulk apparel after sample approval.

FOB / DDP / EXW — Shipping terms (Incoterms) defining who pays for and is responsible for which part of the journey. See our Incoterms guide.

Design & Specification

Tech Pack — The blueprint of your garment: measurements, materials, construction details, artwork, labels, and packaging. The single most important document you give a factory. See how to create a tech pack.

BOM (Bill of Materials) — The list of every material in the garment: fabric, thread, trims, labels, zippers, drawcords, etc.

Spec Sheet — The measurement chart for each size, defining the garment's dimensions at every point of measure.

Grading — Scaling a base pattern up and down to create the full size run (e.g. XS–3XL) while keeping proportions correct.

POM (Point of Measure) — A specific place on the garment where a measurement is taken (e.g. chest width, sleeve length).

Pattern — The template, in each pattern piece, from which the fabric is cut. Custom patterns define your unique fit.

Fabric & Materials

GSM (Grams per Square Metre) — The weight of the fabric. Higher GSM generally means denser, warmer, more premium. See our hoodie GSM guide.

Knit vs Woven — Knit fabrics (jersey, fleece, rib) stretch and are used for tees, hoodies, activewear. Woven fabrics (poplin, denim, twill) have little stretch and are used for shirts, jackets, trousers.

French Terry — A loop-back knit: smooth face, looped interior. Mid-weight, breathable, used for hoodies and joggers.

Fleece — A brushed-back knit with a soft, warm nap. The standard for pullover hoodies and sweatshirts.

Combed Cotton — Cotton whose short fibers have been combed out, leaving a smoother, stronger, higher-quality yarn.

Ring-Spun Cotton — Cotton spun into a finer, softer, more durable yarn. Common in premium tees.

Spandex / Elastane / Lycra — The stretch fiber blended into fabric (typically 5–20%) to add stretch and recovery. (Lycra is a brand of elastane.)

Hand / Hand-Feel — How a fabric feels to the touch: soft, crisp, dry, smooth. A key quality signal.

Colorfastness — A fabric's resistance to fading or color bleeding during washing and wear.

Color & Print

Pantone (PMS) — A standardized color-matching system. Specifying a Pantone code ensures consistent color across production.

Lab Dip — A small physical fabric swatch dyed to a target color, sent for your approval before bulk dyeing. Expect 1–2 rounds.

Screen Printing — Ink pushed through a mesh screen, one screen per color. Durable and cost-effective at volume; best for solid-color designs.

DTG (Direct-to-Garment) — Inkjet printing directly onto the garment. Great for photographic, full-color designs in low quantities.

DTF (Direct-to-Film) — A design printed on film then heat-pressed onto the garment. Versatile for multi-color art on various fabrics.

Sublimation — Dye embedded into polyester fibers via heat. Allows unlimited-color all-over prints that won't crack or peel.

Puff Print — A screen print that expands with heat for a raised, 3D effect.

Embroidery — Stitched designs. Premium and durable; measured in stitch count. See screen printing vs embroidery.

Garment Finishing

Garment Dye — Dyeing the finished garment (rather than the fabric) for a softer hand and vintage character.

Pigment Dye — A surface dye that gives a soft, faded, vintage look that ages over time.

Enzyme / Vintage Wash — A wash that softens fabric and creates a broken-in look. See our wash techniques guide.

Acid Wash — A high-contrast bleach effect created by tumbling with treated stones.

Stone Wash — Tumbling with pumice to abrade and soften, common on denim.

Construction Details

Cut-and-Sew — Making a garment from fabric (cutting pattern pieces and sewing them) rather than decorating a pre-made blank.

Flatlock Seam — A flat, low-bulk seam that lies smooth against the skin; standard in activewear to prevent chafing.

Overlock / Serge — A seam-finishing stitch that encloses raw fabric edges to prevent fraying.

Coverstitch — A durable, stretchy hem finish with parallel top stitches, common on tee and activewear hems.

Rib Knit — A stretchy ribbed fabric used for cuffs, collars, and waistbands.

Bartack — A dense reinforcement stitch at stress points (pocket corners, fly, belt loops).

Gusset — A panel (e.g. a diamond at the crotch of leggings) added for movement and seam strength.

Bonded Seam — Seams joined with heat/adhesive instead of stitching, for a clean, flat finish.

Trims & Labels

Woven Label — A label with text/logo woven into fabric; the premium choice for neck and side labels.

Care Label — The label with washing instructions and fiber content, often legally required.

Hangtag — A branded tag attached to the garment at retail, usually with a plastic loop or string.

Heat Transfer Label — A printed, tagless label applied with heat — soft against the neck, no itch.

Quality & Production

AQL (Acceptable Quality Limit) — The statistical standard for inspecting a batch. AQL 2.5 is a common apparel benchmark, defining how many defects are acceptable in a sample.

Inline Inspection — Quality checks performed during production to catch issues early.

Final Inspection — A check of finished goods (against AQL) before shipment.

PP Sample (Pre-Production Sample) — The approved sample that represents exactly what bulk production should match.

Sealed / Reference Sample — The signed-off sample kept as the standard the factory must match in bulk.

Defect (Major / Minor / Critical) — Classifications of faults found in inspection, from cosmetic (minor) to unsafe/unsellable (critical).

Put These Terms to Work

You don't need to memorize all of these — but knowing them turns a confusing factory conversation into a productive one. When you're ready to brief a real project, a good manufacturer will guide you through the specifics.

• Custom Clothing Services — our full OEM/ODM process.
• Custom T-Shirt Manufacturer · Custom Hoodie Manufacturer — start with a category.
• How to Create a Tech Pack — the document that puts these terms together.

Have a project in mind? Get in touch and we'll help you translate your idea into a spec.