Example production runs
What a first run in India looks like
Five typical runs, each with the spec, the minimum and what sets it, a cost range from our calculator and an honest timeline, calendar included.
Examples, not client orders
Example production runs
Five typical runs, each with the spec, the minimum and what sets it, a cost range from our calculator and an honest timeline, calendar included.
Examples, not client orders
Every brief
Five example runs
Each run shows what we would put in front of a factory, what sets its minimum, a cost range from our calculator and the timeline we would plan. Examples, not client orders.
Example, not a client order
Run 01
The minimum and what sets it. 100 pieces works here: yarn, knitting and dyeing sit in the same cluster, so nothing upstream forces a bigger run. The fabric sets the floor, not the sewing line.
Indicative cost
Calculator inputs as listed. Before freight and duty; not a quote.
Timeline
Brief inShipped
12–16 weeks from approved sample to shipped, after 3–5 weeks of sampling: plan about 15–21 weeks from brief to shipped. A repeat order: 8–10 weeks.
What could go wrong
Making something like this? See the t-shirts page.
Example, not a client order
Run 02
The minimum and what sets it. Knit polos, fleece and hoodies usually need 150–250 pieces: trims, rib and cord sourcing set that floor. 300 sits comfortably above it.
Indicative cost
Calculator inputs as listed. Before freight and duty; not a quote.
Timeline
Brief inShipped
12–16 weeks from approved sample to shipped, after 3–5 weeks of sampling: plan about 15–21 weeks from brief to shipped. A repeat order: 8–10 weeks.
What could go wrong
Making something like this? See the hoodies page.
Example, not a client order
Run 03
The minimum and what sets it. Wool sweaters usually start at 250–400 pieces: the yarn dye lot sets the floor. 250 is at the bottom of that range, so confirm it with the factory first.
Indicative cost
The calculator has no fully-fashioned knit type, so this uses its nearest match: a sweatshirt with luxury (wool) fabric. Treat it as the roughest of the five ranges.
Calculator inputs as listed. Before freight and duty; not a quote.
Timeline
Brief inShipped
12–16 weeks from approved sample to shipped, after 3–5 weeks of sampling: plan about 15–21 weeks from brief to shipped. A repeat order: 8–10 weeks.
What could go wrong
Making something like this? See the knitwear page.
Example, not a client order
Run 04
The minimum and what sets it. A woven shirt on stock fabric usually starts around 300 pieces: the fabric roll length sets it. On fabric commissioned from a mill, the minimum moves to about 1,000.
Indicative cost
Calculator inputs as listed. Before freight and duty; not a quote.
Timeline
Brief inShipped
12–16 weeks from approved sample to shipped, after 3–5 weeks of sampling: plan about 15–21 weeks from brief to shipped. A repeat order: 8–10 weeks.
What could go wrong
Making something like this? See the shirts page.
Example, not a client order
Run 05
The minimum and what sets it. Block print and hand work usually start at 150–300 pieces: the batch size of the printing table sets the floor. 150 is at the bottom of that range.
Indicative cost
Hand block printing is not in the calculator. The printer quotes it by the meter; it comes on top of this range.
Calculator inputs as listed. Before freight and duty; not a quote.
Timeline
Brief inShipped
12–16 weeks from approved sample to shipped, after 3–5 weeks of sampling: plan about 15–21 weeks from brief to shipped. A repeat order: 8–10 weeks.
What could go wrong
Making something like this? See the embroidery page.
How we built these
Nothing here is a quote or a past order. Costs come from our calculator, timelines from the lead times we plan every brief with.
Indicative cost per piece, USD
Ex-factory ranges from the calculator inputs on each card. Zero-based scale to $50.
Up to the low endLow to high endHighest range of the five
Costs
From the calculator, inputs shown
Each card lists the garment type, fabric tier, quantity band, construction and extras we entered in the cost calculator. The run total is the per-piece range times the pieces in the example. Freight and duty come on top.
Timelines
The conservative figures
Sampling 3–5 weeks, then 12–16 weeks from approved sample to shipped for a first order (8–10 on a repeat). Fabric, 3–6 weeks, is usually the critical path.
Calendar
No festival dates, on purpose
Diwali falls in October or November and moves every year; the monsoon runs June to September. We check both against your dates when we plan the real run.
About these examples
Where the numbers come from, and what changes when your own brief arrives.
Example production runs
Five questions, answered plainly.
No. Each run is an example, not a client order. We built them to show how minimums, timelines and costs behave for five typical products. No client names, results or photos of a client’s goods are used.
From our cost calculator, with the inputs listed on each card: garment type, fabric tier, quantity band, construction and extras. They are indicative ex-factory ranges before freight and duty, not quotes. Your factory quotes from your tech pack.
Because fabric is usually the critical path. Sampling takes 3–5 weeks, fabric 3–6 weeks and production 4–6 weeks once the fabric is in. That is why we plan a first bulk order at 12–16 weeks from approved sample to shipped, and a repeat at 8–10 weeks.
Because the date moves every year. Diwali falls in October or November and closes most factories for 1–2 weeks, with slower output a week either side. We check the year’s calendar with the factory when we plan your run. The monsoon, June to September, slows dyeing, washing and drying.
Our group starts at 100 pieces per style, but the fabric sets the real floor. Jersey tees on stock yarn can run from 100; wool sweaters usually need 250–400 because of the yarn dye lot; wovens on commissioned fabric start around 1,000. Send a brief and we confirm the minimum with the factory.
Send a free briefStart your brief
Pick what you’re making and how many per style. The rest of the brief takes about three minutes.
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