What is a tech pack? The complete guide for fashion brands

A tech pack (short for technical package) is the single most important document in apparel manufacturing. It's the complete specification document that communicates exactly how your garment should be made — from the precise measurements of every size to the exact stitch type on every seam.

Think of it as the blueprint that an architect gives to a construction team. Without it, your factory is guessing. And when factories guess, brands get expensive samples that are nothing like what they imagined.

What does a tech pack include?

A complete, factory-ready tech pack has six core sections:

1. Garment Overview & Header

The cover page includes: garment name, document number, revision number, date, garment category, gender, and status (sample vs production). This gives the factory an immediate reference point and ensures everyone is working from the same version.

2. Technical Flat Sketch

A flat, technical illustration of the garment — front and back. Unlike fashion sketches, technical flats show the garment from above, laid flat, without a figure. Every detail should be visible: pocket placement, zipper position, stitch lines, ribbing.

3. Measurements & Size Grading

This is the heart of the tech pack. A size grading table shows every measurement point (chest, length, sleeve, shoulder, etc.) across every size you're producing. Each measurement is in centimetres, with a ±1cm tolerance notation.

Standard measurement points for a hoodie include: chest width, body length, sleeve length, shoulder width, armhole depth, hood height, hood width, kangaroo pocket dimensions, and ribbing widths at cuffs and hem.

4. Fabric & Bill of Materials (BOM)

The BOM table lists every material that goes into the garment: the shell fabric (composition, GSM weight, weave structure, finish), plus every trim — zipper, buttons, elastic, drawcords, aglets, care labels, brand labels, size labels, and threads.

5. Construction Details

Stitching specifications that tell the factory's sample room exactly how to assemble the garment: stitch type (overlock, flatlock, chain stitch, etc.), stitches per inch (SPI), seam allowance, hem construction, pocket construction, and any special instructions.

6. Labelling & Packaging

Placement diagrams for care labels, brand labels, and size labels. Plus packaging specs: fold method, polybag dimensions, hang tags, units per carton, carton dimensions, and shipping marks.

Why do brands get tech packs wrong?

The honest answer: because most fashion brand founders are not technical designers. They understand their product vision perfectly, but translating that vision into factory-readable specifications is a technical skill that takes years to develop.

Common mistakes include: incomplete measurement tables, missing trim specs, no stitch specifications, wrong GSM for the garment type, and labels placed in non-standard positions that cause factory confusion.

How to create a tech pack

Traditionally, you have three options:

1. Hire a technical designer — $50–150/hour, typically 4–8 hours per pack = $200–$1,200 per garment
2. Build it yourself in Excel — weeks of learning the industry standards, high error rate
3. Use Apparo — AI-generated, factory-standard tech pack in under 30 seconds, from $0/month

Apparo was built by the team at Sleek Apparels — a Bangladesh garment buying house — specifically because we saw how many hours brands lost to bad tech packs. Our AI generates complete, professional spec documents that our own factory network accepts directly.