Tech Pack in Garment Industry: Benefits & How to Make

Last Updated: July 31, 2026

Tech Pack in Garment Industry: Benefits & How to Make?

Janvi Ganatra
Department of Textiles (Fashion Technology)
DKTEs Textile and Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji, India
Intern at Textile Learner
Email: [email protected]

What is Tech Pack?

Tech pack stands for Technical Packet/Technical Package. It is also called as specification sheet. In garment production, it is the document a factory uses to quote, sample, and bulk produce the style with fewer misunderstandings. It is a blueprint created by a technical designer which is used to make a final garment. It contains all the detailed information about size, measurements, stitch type, trims, label, stitch length, technical sketch, seam type, grading chart, tolerance and much more such information. So basically techpack acts as an instruction manual which helps in converting design into product. It helps manufacturers to understand the design in a better way and helps in minimizing the error and creating the best product. That is why most teams treat it as a live document with revision history, according to Techpacker’s latest guidance.

Goals of Tech Pack

Every tech pack can be considered as an ideal one if it meets the following goals:

Helps in making sample and to quote the price.
Explains the design to manufacturer to turn design into a product.
Should help in minimizing samples, decreases cost and brings product to market faster i.e. decreases production time.
Should help to make the entire product perfectly with almost no or few errors.
Should track production development including changes made during revisions and any comments while producing it.

A good tech pack also keeps every revision traceable, so the buyer, merchandiser, and factory can see the latest approved version at a glance.

Why do We Need Tech Pack? / Why Tech Packs are Important?

Take a situation where you are given a photo of the finished product and told to create the same. Then you might be having a lot of questions while recreating the same. Like where to place the labels, pockets? And many more such questions.

Hence, this is the answer to the question why do we need Tech packs and why the tech-packs are so important. Without it, the factory has to guess measurements, construction, and trim placement, which usually leads to extra sample rounds and avoidable rework.

The benefits of tech pack are following ones:

Get error free sample: If the Tech pack contains a lot of details then it increases the chance of creating a sample of your original vision at the first go. Detailed Tech pack hence there are less chances of errors. Hence to decrease the chances of error 1 must create a detailed Techpack which is very easy to read. A clear point of measure list helps here, especially for chest, waist, sleeve length, and hem width.
Get accurate price quotation: Manufacturer can easily get a clear idea what man, materials and machines are required if he knows each and every accurate detail about manufacturing the particular product and hence more the detailed tech pack is more accurate the price estimation is. Special trims, print placements, embroidery, wash effects, and packaging details should all be listed, or the quotation will miss hidden costs.
Keeps manufacturers accountable: It helps in tracking the details while ordering trims, fabric and other things. It acts as a contract between manufacturer and dealer. Version number and date should be visible on every approved file so no one works from an old draft.
Reference point for quality control: It helps to check the measurement once the garment is ready whether it is made according to the details. Also helps to check whether the labels, trims and many other things are correctly placed. Hence it acts as reference point for the quality control department. QC can only compare the garment against the pack when the measurement points and placements are written clearly.
Saves money and time: Making tech pack is surely a critical task and takes a lot of time but once this detailed tech pack is made it surely helps saving a lot of time and money. Every step while creating the product has some loopholes which can be avoided with the help of this techpack. A detailed pack also shortens the back-and-forth between design, merchandising, pattern, and production teams.

What is Included in Tech Pack?

We can generally divide Tech pack into four parts:

Specification sheet: The specification sheet contains all the technical details like technical sketch, measurements of product, and all the basic information like company’s logo, etc. Technical sketch shows the overview of the garment from each and every angle (front, backside) as it should help the pattern maker visualize the garment and the measurement chart contains all the required measurements. Each measurement should name the POM, or Point of Measure, and use one unit system only, either cm or inches.
Constructional details: It contains all the information regarding construction of the garment like stitch type, SPI, embroidery, seam type, seam’s width, seam allowances and any other such details. SPI means stitches per inch, and if seam allowance matters, write the exact allowance instead of leaving it implied. It also includes diagrams with labeled parts like collar, fastenings, bar tacks, etc. It also contains details like brand components and their placement including labels, embroideries or small prints. For prints or embroidery, add the approved artwork reference and the exact placement from a fixed point, not just a general note.
Grading chart: Grading chart contains all the measurements required for increasing or decreasing the size of a particular product as it is to be produced in mass production. And with the grading chart it also contains the tolerances. Always grade from the approved base size, not from a sample that still needs fit corrections.
Packing details: It contains all the details to make the visual representation of the garment more beautiful. Buyer is specific with details like packing materials, way of packing, no. of pieces per carton, and such details. For export orders, also include carton dimensions, gross weight, net weight, and shipping mark details.

How to Make a Factory-like Tech Pack?

Creating a tech-pack is surely a hectic job and creating it more detailed, eye-catching and easy to read is a more hectic job. Generally techpack is created in excel or spreadsheet. And there are some websites which make our work much easier. A clear file name with the style number and version number saves a lot of confusion later.

Process of creating Factory-like Tech pack:

1. Making a cover page:

Cover page can be created in Excel or Spreadsheet.

Cover page contains:

Your company name
Style name/ number
Vendor
Country of Origin
Date
Finished colorful technical sketch
Place to track changes, revisions

Here is a sample image of cover page of techpack.

2. Creating a technical sketch:

Flats are usually in black and white color with text to specify design details. They also include every tiny detail like stitches and trims. The goal is clarity, not decoration, so the sketch should read like a production map.

All the technical sketches from all angles (front, back, side, inside) are generally drawn in softwares like Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, etc. Also various trims, stitches, labels , and other such details are also drawn in such softwares. And once drawn, then transferred in Excel or spreadsheet. If the style has hidden construction, add close-up callouts for pockets, plackets, closures, or topstitching instead of relying on one flat view.

Here is a sample image of the technical sketch.

Drawing technical sketch in adobe illustrator — Figure-2: Drawing technical sketch in Adobe Illustrator

3. Grading spec:

Once specification sheet and constructional details are done, now the next step is to make a grading chart. And this also can be created in Excel or Spreadsheet. Using Excel or spreadsheet has an advantage that we can easily autograde it. But for that we need all the sizes from pattern maker and Excel can auto calculate it. Before grading, the base size should be approved, because changing the fit after grading usually means updating every size again.

Here is a sample image of the same.

4. Packing details:

And the last step for creation of Tech Pack is to add the packing details which is a very easy step and can be easily created in Excel or Spreadsheet. If the order is for export, also include carton dimensions, gross weight, net weight, and shipping mark details.

tech pack packing details — Figure-4: Packing details

5. Some additional details:

Your ideal tech pack is ready but you may need to add some details to make it easier to read and eye catching.

a) BOM (Bill Of Material)- You may think of creating a master list of every physical item required to create the final garment and this can be easily made in Excel or Spreadsheet. Include approved alternatives for any fabric or trim that may face a long lead time.

b) Colourway spec/ Artway Spec- While creating technical sketches instead of making them black and white we may make them colorful to make a colorful spec and also add the same fabric print to create an artway spec and also add some prints of contrast colors. Use the same colour name across the tech pack, lab dip request, and purchase order.

c) Space for adding comments- Since the tech pack is a master document for creating a design and also be used for adding comments, revisions and changes. So you may add the table for the same wherever required. You may make a template for the same and just add it wherever required to make tech pack more organized. A short revision log works best when it appears on every page that changes, not just on the cover page.

Conclusion

A product without a tech pack just seems impossible. Hence, it is important that we create a tech pack which is in detail and creates less error in a room. Surely creating a tech pack is quite a difficult job and needs a lot of investment of time and patience. These steps will surely help you to create a techpack which is easy to use and minimize the number of samples and obviously help you make a better techpack than the last one. The safest habit is to share only the latest approved version with the factory and archive older files separately.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What should be included in a clothing tech pack?

Ans: A clothing tech pack should include flat sketches, measurements, construction details, a BOM, grading, and packing instructions. It should also show the approved colourway and revision history so the factory knows which version to use.

Q2. How do you make a tech pack for a factory?

Ans: Start with a cover page, then add flats, spec measurements, construction notes, and a BOM. Finish with grading, packing details, and revision control so the factory can quote and sample from the same file.

Q3. What is the difference between a tech pack and a spec sheet?

Ans: A spec sheet mainly focuses on measurements and basic product data. A tech pack is broader because it also includes construction, materials, artwork, packing, and revision notes.

Q4. How much does a fashion tech pack cost?

Ans: There is no fixed price because complexity, revisions, and who creates it all affect the cost. A basic pack is usually cheaper than a pack that includes artwork, grading, and full production notes.

Q5. What software is best for making a tech pack?

Ans: Excel, Google Sheets, Adobe Illustrator, and PLM systems are all commonly used. The best choice depends on how complex the style is and how your factory prefers to receive files.

References

Successful Fashion Designer. (n.d.). What is a Tech Pack? (And how to easily make one w/ FREE templates). Courses & Free Tutorials on Adobe Illustrator, Tech Packs & Freelancing for Fashion Designers. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from https://successfulfashiondesigner.com/tech-pack-step-by-step/
Kochar, S. (2021, March 12). What is a tech pack? Techpacker Blog. https://techpacker.com/blog/design/what-is-a-techpack/#point1
Technologies, N. U. P. T. R. F. C. T. H. A., Kochar, S., & Kochar, S. (n.d.). How to Create a Factory Ready Tech Pack Using New Technologies. MakersValley. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from https://blog.makersvalley.net/how-to-create-a-factory-ready-tech-pa ck-using-new-tech
Tech Pack and It’s Content. Online Textile Academy (2020, January 9). from https://www.onlinetextileacademy.com/tech-pack-content-garment- manufacturing/

Figures

Cover Page of TechPack. (n.d.). [Image]. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/
Technical sketch in Adobe Illustrator. (n.d.). [Image]. https://prod-iz-gallery-idwfzvlcm6rkvodt.netdna-ssl.com
Grading in Excel. (n.d.). [Image]. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/
ColourWay/Artway spec. (n.d.). [Image]. https://patternlab.london/
Packing details of garment. (n.d.). [Image]. https://I.Pinimg.Com/Originals

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Mazharul Islam Kiron

Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. Mr. Kiron is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor to Wikipedia.