What should a tech pack include for jacket production?

Short Answer (Citable)

The single most useful rule for a brand is this: a tech pack is a production document, not a design document. It does not need to be beautiful. It needs to be complete, numeric and unambiguous. Every section you leave to interpretation becomes a decision the factory makes on your behalf, and those decisions are difficult and expensive to reverse once cutting has started. If you want to see what a factory needs before it can price your program at all, the information breakdown for a jacket manufacturing quote covers the commercial side of the same handoff.

The Core Sections of a Jacket Tech Pack

Jacket tech packs vary by brand and by product category, but a pack that a factory can actually build from covers the same ground every time. The table below maps each section to what it prevents. Notice how many of the failure modes are commercial rather than aesthetic: unresolved specification becomes unexpected cost, delayed sampling, or a bulk run that does not match the approved sample.

Two practical notes on this checklist. First, the cover sheet is not paperwork for its own sake: it is the page a factory project manager pins to the job board, and if the season, size range and target price are not on it, someone will guess. Second, the revision log is the section brands skip most often, and it is the one that causes the most damaging mistake of all, a bulk order built from a superseded specification. Factories that work with technical packs daily will ask for the current version number before they open cutting. A manufacturer that accepts tech packs as the starting point for development will usually tell you within a day or two whether your pack is production-ready or still conceptual.

Style Flats and Technical Drawings

Style flats are flat, proportionally accurate line drawings of the garment with every functional element visible. For a jacket you need at minimum a front view, a back view and a side or profile view, plus detail callouts for any feature a sewer could plausibly build two different ways. On a down jacket, that usually means the baffle layout, the collar shape, the cuff closure, the pocket type and the hem adjustment. On a technical shell it means the hood structure, the storm flap, the pit zips and the seam sealing locations.

• Draw to scale and keep proportions consistent across views; a flat where the sleeves look short will produce a jacket with short sleeves
• Number every callout and reference that number in the construction notes rather than writing long text on the drawing
• Show quilting and baffle lines, seam positions, topstitch lines and hardware placement as separate line weights
• Label every zipper with its intended length, finish and slider type, not just the word zipper
• Include an interior view when the lining has a distinctive construction such as a welded seam or a taped pocket

Provide the flats in a vector format where possible, or at least at a resolution high enough that a pattern maker can read the dimensions when the drawing is printed. A hand sketch can absolutely start a project - many first collections begin with a pencil drawing and a reference jacket - but before cutting begins the sketch has to be converted into a technical flat and a pattern. CAD prototyping and pattern making services exist precisely to close that gap, and the cost of that step is trivial compared with remaking a bulk order.

Size Charts, Grading and Fit Specifications

The size chart is where most fit disputes originate, and it is the section where precision matters most. A usable size chart lists every point of measure on a separate row, every size in a separate column, and a tolerance range for each point. Tolerances are not optional: fabric relaxes, down settles and hand-cut panels vary, so a factory needs to know what variance is acceptable and what counts as a defect.

Alongside the chart, include a measurement diagram: a simple flat with lettered lines showing exactly where each dimension is taken. Without it, two people can measure the same jacket and report chest widths that differ by three centimeters. State the size range explicitly as well, including which size is the base sample size. Most factories sample one size, usually medium, and grade from there, so the base size must be clearly marked.

If you plan to extend the range into youth sizing or a tall fit, or to run a women's and men's version of the same silhouette, say so in the pack. Grading rules differ for each and a pattern that grades cleanly from small to extra large will not automatically grade correctly into children's sizes. Factories that offer size grading as a service can build the grade rules for you, but only from a chart with real measurements and a defined base size.

Finally, describe the intended fit in plain language: slim, regular, relaxed, oversized, or layered over a mid-layer. Fit intent resolves the small ambiguities that numbers alone cannot, particularly around armhole depth and body length relativity.

Bill of Materials: Shell, Lining, Insulation and Trims

The bill of materials is the cost and quality backbone of the tech pack. Each line should name the component, its position in the garment, its technical specification, its color reference and its supplier or an approved equivalent. Vague entries such as "waterproof fabric" or "metal zipper" hand the factory an open decision, and open decisions become substitutions.

• Shell fabric: composition, weight in grams per square meter, weave or knit structure, finish such as DWR or PU coating, water column and breathability ratings if relevant, and color reference
• Lining: composition, weight, hand feel, and whether it must be down-proof or anti-static
• Insulation: down fill power and percentage or, for synthetic, the specific product and weight per square meter, plus total fill weight per size
• Zippers: brand or unbranded, tape width such as number 5 or number 8, slider type, finish, and whether the main zipper is water resistant
• Hardware and trims: snaps, eyelets, cord locks, elastic, drawcords, velcro, reflective tape, with finish and dimensions
• Thread: type and denier, and the color matching rule for contrast stitching
• Labels and packaging: woven label, care label, size label, hangtag, poly bag and carton

Down specifications deserve special attention because fill is the most expensive component and the easiest to quietly downgrade. State fill power, fill ratio such as 90/10 goose down or 80/20 duck down, and total fill weight per size. If the product carries an ethical sourcing claim, the material must be traceable to a certified supply chain, which means the specification should reference the certification requirement directly in the bill of materials rather than only in the compliance section.

Zippers and trims are the second most common source of quality surprises. A zipper is not a commodity: teeth profile, slider finish, tape stiffness and water resistance all change cost and hand feel. Choose the specification deliberately and list alternatives as approved equivalents only where you genuinely accept them. Fabric options for a custom jacket follow the same logic, and the zipper options available for private label jackets show how far the trim specification can be pushed, which is why the material section of the pack and the cost discussion are always connected.

Construction Details, Stitch Specifications and Label Placement

Construction notes tell the factory how to build the garment, not just what it looks like. For jacket production the critical items are seam type, stitch density, seam allowance, structural reinforcement, and finish. On insulated styles the baffle or quilting construction belongs here too, because it determines both the silhouette and the thermal performance.

Label placement is part of construction because it is stitched, not applied later. Give the position of each label as a measured coordinate from a stated reference point: for example, main label centered at the back neck, 2 cm below the collar seam; size label 1 cm below the main label; care label in the left side seam, 15 cm above the hem. Country of origin, fiber content and care instructions must appear where the destination market requires them, so the placement spec should be written together with the compliance section rather than after it.

Branding placement belongs here as well. If the logo is embroidered on the chest, specify the width in centimeters, the distance from the shoulder seam, the stitch count range and the thread color reference. If it is a rubberized patch or a woven badge, specify the base material, edge finish and the attachment method. Ambiguity in branding is expensive because it is usually discovered at the pre-production sample stage, after the artwork has already been digitized and the dies have been cut. Customization options for branding and labels are wide, but every option has a placement coordinate and a construction method that must be written down.

Color Standards, Lab Dips and Artwork Files

Color is specified in three layers: the reference, the approval and the production standard. The reference is a Pantone number or a physical swatch. The approval is a lab dip or strike-off that you sign off in writing. The production standard is the approved dip held by the factory and by you, kept as the physical reference for bulk fabric. Skipping the middle layer is the most common reason a bulk shipment arrives a shade away from the sample.

1. State the color reference for every fabric and trim, including lining and thread, using Pantone Textile references where possible
2. Request lab dips for each color and review them under daylight and under store lighting before approving
3. Approve in writing, and keep one signed dip for yourself and one for the factory
4. Allow for the fact that different fiber types take dye differently, so a nylon shell and a polyester lining cannot be expected to match exactly
5. Note any color that must match a previous season or a companion style, and state the tolerance as a visual match

Artwork files should be supplied as vector files - AI, EPS or PDF - with outlined text, and with each artwork placed on a separate layer at its stated size. Include the exact dimensions, the color breakdown, and whether the artwork is applied as embroidery, screen print, heat transfer or a woven badge. If you are developing down jackets from references rather than from a finished specification, send the reference images together with a clear note about what you want replicated and what you want changed, so the development team knows which details are fixed and which are open.

One final point on color: specify the lighting condition under which color is judged. Indoor retail lighting, daylight and photographic lighting all shift the perception of the same fabric. Naming the judgment condition in the tech pack removes an argument before it starts.

A Minimum Viable Tech Pack for First-Time Brands

Not every brand starts with a complete technical package. Some start with a sketch, a reference jacket and a clear idea of the customer. That is workable, but only if you are honest about what you have and what the factory must fill in. A minimum viable tech pack for a first order should cover the essentials that genuinely cannot be guessed, and it should say explicitly which decisions you are delegating.

• The style in words and images: silhouette, length, fit intent, and a reference garment or two that show what you mean
• The size range and base size, with a rough measurement chart for at least the base size
• The materials you care about: shell type, insulation type, and any performance requirement such as water resistance or warmth rating
• Your branding assets: logo file, label artwork, and where the logo should appear
• Your commercial constraints: target quantity, target cost, target delivery window, and destination market

Everything else can be developed with the factory. Design support for brands without a formal tech pack typically includes turning a sketch into a technical flat, building the pattern, drafting the bill of materials, and assembling a reviewable specification for you to approve before sampling. The tradeoff is time and iteration: a project that starts from a finished pack usually gets to first sample in one round, while a project that starts from a sketch typically needs an extra development step.

The worst outcome is a pack that looks complete but is internally inconsistent - a size chart that contradicts the flats, or a bill of materials that lists a fabric weight the construction notes do not support. Factories spot these contradictions during review, and resolving them costs calendar days. If you are unsure, send less but send it clearly, and flag the gaps.

How Tech Pack Quality Affects Sampling, Cost and Lead Time

A complete tech pack is not busywork. It directly compresses three things brands care about: the number of sample rounds, the accuracy of the quotation, and the reliability of the delivery date. When the pack answers the standard questions up front, the factory can buy materials against a fixed specification instead of waiting for clarifications, and the first sample arrives in the normal 7-14 day sampling window rather than after a development detour.

The table below summarizes where the time actually goes and how a good pack changes it.

Cost works the same way. Sample fees typically run from 50 to 200 US dollars per style depending on complexity, and they are normally deductible from the first bulk order, so a slow specification process does not simply cost time - it adds rounds of fees and delays the point at which the order qualifies for deduction. Bulk fabric is bought against the bill of materials, so a specification change after material purchase is the most expensive kind of change there is.

Payment terms and production slots add another dimension. The standard structure is a 30 percent deposit with the 70 percent balance due before shipment, and capacity is booked against that deposit. If your pack is not final when the deposit is paid, you are holding a production slot for a product that is still being designed. Brands that sell into a fixed season, such as winter outerwear, feel this immediately: bulk production for insulated styles takes 25 to 40 days after sample approval, and material procurement adds another one to three weeks on top. Working backward from the retail launch date is the only reliable way to decide when the tech pack has to be final. The factory-side view of that calendar is documented in the typical bulk production lead time and in the sample development timeline, and both are worth reading before you set your launch date.

One more commercial detail belongs on the cover sheet: the quantity you are planning against. Custom jacket programs are commonly quoted at a minimum order quantity of 50 pieces per style, with mixed colors and sizes allowed inside that minimum. If the pack is written for a 50 piece run but the material specifications only make economic sense at 300 pieces, the quotation will come back with an exception and the timeline shifts accordingly. State the order quantity, the color split and the size breakdown up front.

Keep the pack maintainable as well. One source of truth with a version number and a date, exported to PDF for the factory and kept in a shared folder, avoids the classic problem of a brand and a supplier working from two different files both named final. When a change is requested during sampling, update the pack, increment the version, and confirm the change in writing to the factory project manager. Bulk production runs from the last approved version and nothing else, so every revision has to be traceable.