A tech pack is the difference between a factory that quotes from your spec and one that guesses from a photo. Tech packs from US brands cross our desk week after week, and the packs that produce clean sample rounds are not fancier; they are more complete on a short list of items. Here is the tech pack checklist, built for woven programs headed to the US market, with the US label rules that belong in it from day one.
The short answer: a US woven tech pack names the garment and its size run, the fabric and trims, the construction details, the colors, the labels (including the US-required care, fiber, and country-of-origin labels), and the packing spec. Every item gives the factory something it can act on; anything missing becomes a question that costs sampling time.
What does a complete tech pack actually contain?
The core checklist, in the order factories read it:
- Garment description and style name. One name per style, because a style is one garment design, and two colorways of it count together toward the minimum.
- Size run and measurement spec. The graded measurement chart per size, with tolerance. This is what the pattern is built from and what the fit samples are measured against.
- Fabric specification. Composition, weight, and finish, detailed enough that we can source and test against it. Woven programs add weave and finish details knits never need.
- Trims and components. Zippers, buttons, snaps, drawcords, labels, each with a spec or a named substitute.
- Construction notes. Stitch types, seam finishes, and any construction that affects fit or durability.
- Colors and artwork. Colorways with references, print placements, and size.
- Label specs. See the next section; US-bound programs carry more label obligations than most brands expect.
- Packing spec. Fold, polybag, carton quantity, and size mix per carton, so export packing matches how you receive and ship.
No tech pack yet? A photo or sketch starts the design conversation, and the design step builds the pack with you. It runs before sampling and adds time to the front of the clock, which is why the complete pack gets to sampling on a full document instead of a guess.
Which US label rules belong in the tech pack?
Three, and all three belong in the pack from day one, where they cost nothing extra to include:
- Care label. US rule 16 CFR Part 423 requires a permanently attached care label with regular care instructions before sale, and it covers importers as well as manufacturers. Spec the label text in the tech pack so the instructions match the fabric actually ordered.
- Fiber content and identification. US textile labeling rules require fiber content in descending order, plus a manufacturer identification; an RN number works, and the RN is the US brand’s, not ours.
- Country of origin. “Made in Indonesia” in English, complete, legible, and conspicuous on the garment.
The plain-English version of all three lives in World KNK’s labeling basics guide. Kidswear carries a second layer: CPSIA testing, tracking labels, lead limits on hardware, and the drawstring rules on children’s upper outerwear. Those are pattern and hardware decisions that live in the tech pack, and our sister factory World KNK maps the whole kidswear layer on its back-to-school guide.
What does a complete tech pack save on sampling?
Two rounds is the realistic sampling plan, at 1 to 2 weeks each. A complete tech pack is what makes round one a real proto instead of a question sheet: the measurements get checked against your spec instead of assumptions, the fabric gets sourced and tested against your composition, and the fit comments that come back apply to a garment that was buildable. Packs with gaps do not skip rounds; they add emails between them.
Pricing follows the same logic. Fabric choice, construction, and per-style quantity drive the number, so the pack that names them gets a real quote, and the quote is what turns into the purchase order that locks the production slot. Minimums start at 500 pieces per style, FOB, which is why the 500-piece woven pilot is the natural first program for a brand working from its first pack.
What mistakes show up most in tech packs?
The same handful, every week: measurement charts without tolerances, color references with no standard, label specs missing entirely, trims listed by look instead of spec, and packing left to the factory’s default. None of them kills a program; each one adds time somewhere between the first proto and the container. Our factory-side companion piece on tech pack mistakes and sampling delays covers the rest.
Tech pack checklist: the quick answers
What is a tech pack?
The document that tells the factory what to build: measurements and size run, fabric and trims, construction, colors, labels, and packing. It is what a quote and a sample are built from.
What does a US woven tech pack need that others do not?
The US label specs: the care label per rule 16 CFR Part 423, fiber content with your RN, and “Made in Indonesia” country-of-origin marking, all written into the pack. Kidswear adds the CPSIA layer.
Who writes the measurement spec?
You do, from your size run. Starting from a photo or a sketch instead? Our design team builds the spec with you as part of the design step.
Can I start production without a tech pack?
You can start a conversation without one. The design step builds the pack with you before sampling; it adds time up front rather than rounds later.
How many sample rounds should a complete tech pack take?
Plan for two, at one to two weeks each: a proto and fit round, then a correction round. Completeness is what makes two rounds enough.
Copy this checklist: style name and description · graded measurement chart with tolerances · fabric composition, weight, finish · trims with specs · construction notes · colorways and artwork · US label specs (care, fiber with RN, country of origin) · packing spec. Then send it with your per-style quantities and warehouse date, and start the quote.