Apparel Tech Pack Glossary: 40 Terms Explained

GSM

GSM (grams per square meter) is the weight of a fabric: how many grams one square meter of it weighs.

A light summer T-shirt is about 160–180 gsm, our standard T-shirt jersey is 235 gsm, and our standard hoodie fabric is 380 gsm French terry. Heavier is warmer and holds its shape better, and for the same fabric type it usually costs more.

French terry (loopback)

French terry is a knitted fabric that is smooth on the outside and has small loops on the inside, which the trade calls loopback.

Our standard hoodie, sweatshirt and sweatpants fabric is 380gsm 100% cotton loopback French terry. Write "loopback, unbrushed" in your BOM if you want the loops left as they are rather than brushed into fleece.

Fleece

Fleece is a knitted fabric whose inside has been brushed so the loops open up into a soft, fluffy surface.

Brushed fleece feels warmer than loopback French terry of the same weight, so it is a common choice for winter hoodies. On a tech pack write the full spec, for example "brushed fleece, 400 gsm, cotton-poly", not just "fleece".

Single jersey

Single jersey is a thin, flat knit with smooth V-shaped stitches on the face and small loops on the back, and it is the standard T-shirt fabric.

Most T-shirts are 160–240 gsm single jersey. Cotton jersey curls at a cut edge, which is why T-shirt hems are folded and cover-stitched.

Interlock

Interlock is a double-knit fabric that looks the same on both sides and is thicker and more stable than single jersey.

Interlock is used for smooth, heavier T-shirts and polo shirts that should not curl at the edges or show through. Write "interlock" with its GSM in the BOM, because a jersey of the same weight looks and feels thinner.

Piqué

Piqué is a knitted fabric with a fine raised texture, usually a small honeycomb or diamond pattern, best known as the classic polo shirt fabric.

A classic polo is cotton or cotton-poly piqué of about 200–240 gsm. Name it in the BOM, because the same polo in plain jersey drapes and wears differently.

Rib

Rib is a stretchy knit with raised vertical lines on both sides, used wherever a garment must stretch and spring back.

Hoodie cuffs and hems are usually 1x1 or 2x2 rib. Our hoodie size chart has a 7 cm cuff rib and a 7 cm hem rib, and a T-shirt neck rib is about 2 cm high.

Jacquard

Jacquard is a fabric with a pattern or texture knitted or woven into it, rather than printed on top.

Our standard polo fabric is a 240gsm cotton-poly jacquard knit with a small textured pattern. A knitted-in logo on a sweater is also jacquard, and it needs an artwork file that shows every color.

Garment dye

Garment dye means the garment is sewn first from undyed fabric and dyed afterward as a finished piece.

Garment dyeing is done at a partner factory, not in our own. Garment-dyed hoodies come out slightly uneven in color, with a lived-in look. The thread and labels take the dye too. Because the piece shrinks in the dye bath, ask for the washed tolerances on your size chart.

Enzyme wash

An enzyme wash is a garment wash that uses enzymes to soften cotton and remove loose fibers from the surface.

An enzyme wash makes a new hoodie feel broken-in from day one. Ask for it before sampling, so the sample you approve is already washed.

Acid wash

Acid wash is a garment wash in which pumice stones soaked in bleach fade the fabric unevenly to give a marbled, vintage look.

Acid wash is popular on black and charcoal heavyweight T-shirts and hoodies. Each piece fades differently, so write "variation between pieces accepted" in your notes.

Shrinkage

Shrinkage is how much a fabric or garment gets smaller after washing, given as a percentage of its length and width.

If a size M hoodie with a 71 cm body length shrinks 3%, it loses about 2.1 cm, more than its ±2 cm tolerance. That is why washed garments get wider tolerances and why fabric is often pre-shrunk before cutting.

POM (point of measure)

A POM (point of measure) is one defined measurement on a garment, with a code, a description of where to measure, and a value for each size.

On our hoodie size chart, HC is the half chest POM: lay the hoodie flat and measure straight across 2.5 cm below the armholes. It is 58 cm in size M.

How to measure a garment

HPS (high point shoulder)

HPS (high point shoulder) is the point where the shoulder seam meets the neckline, used as the starting point for length measurements.

Our hoodie body length is measured from the HPS straight down to the hem: 71 cm in size M. Logo positions are often given from it too, for example "chest logo 18 cm below HPS".

How to measure a garment

Half chest

Half chest is the chest width measured flat across the front of the garment from side to side, which is half of the full chest circumference.

Our size M hoodie has a 58 cm half chest, so its full chest is 116 cm. When you compare a size chart with a body measurement, double the half chest first.

Grade rule

A grade rule is the amount a measurement changes from one size to the next.

On our hoodie the half chest grades 5 cm per size from S upwards (53, 58, 63, 68 cm) and 4 cm from XS to S, while the cuff rib height stays 7 cm in every size.

Tolerance

Tolerance is how far a finished measurement may differ from the size chart and still pass inspection, written as plus or minus a number.

Our hoodie half chest is 58 cm ±1.3 cm in size M, so a piece measuring anywhere from 56.7 to 59.3 cm passes. Washed garments get wider tolerances: ±2 cm on the same point.

Base size

The base size, also called the sample size, is the size a pattern is made and approved in first, before the other sizes are graded from it.

Our size charts use base size M: the fit sample is sewn in M, and XS to 3XL are graded from it with the grade rules.

Fit sample

A fit sample is a sample made to check the shape, measurements and comfort of a garment before the details are finalized.

You try on the base-size fit sample, measure it against the size chart and send back changes such as "shorten body length by 2 cm". The size chart is updated before the next sample.

PP sample (pre-production sample)

A PP sample (pre-production sample) is the final sample, made with the real fabric, trims, labels and decoration, that you approve before bulk production starts.

Once you sign off the PP sample it becomes the reference: bulk pieces are checked against it for color, measurements and artwork position.

Bulk (bulk production)

Bulk is the full production run of your order, made after the samples are approved.

For a 300-piece hoodie order, bulk is those 300 pieces. Our bulk production takes 7–20 working days after the sample is approved.

Flat sketch

A flat sketch, or flat, is a technical line drawing of a garment laid flat, front and back, with no body, shading or pose.

The flats on our garment pages show seams, rib, pockets and drawcord exits in proportion, so the factory can see where every part goes. Artwork positions are drawn on top of them.

BOM (bill of materials)

A BOM (bill of materials) is the list of every material that goes into a garment, from fabric and trims to labels, thread and packaging.

A hoodie BOM line reads like "380gsm 100% cotton French terry, body and hood, Pantone 19-0303 TCX". The rib, drawcord, eyelets, neck label, care label, hang tag and polybag each get a line of their own.

Pantone TCX

Pantone TCX is the Pantone color system for textiles, in which every color has a code ending in TCX that is matched to a dyed cotton swatch.

19-0303 TCX is Jet Black and 11-0601 TCX is Bright White. Give us the code, not a name like "off-black". We match it to the closest color we hold in your fabric.

Screen print

Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh screen onto the garment, using one screen for each color.

It suits logos with a few flat colors: a two-color back print is set up as two screens. On our garment pages a large screen print on the front or back is priced as one add-on per piece.

Puff print

Puff print is a screen print made with an ink that rises when heated, giving a raised, soft 3D surface.

Puff print suits bold lettering on hoodies and sweatshirts. Fine lines and very small text tend to lose their shape as the ink rises, so keep strokes thick.

DTG / digital print

DTG (direct to garment) or digital printing sprays ink straight onto the fabric from a digital file, much like an inkjet printer.

Digital print suits full-color artwork such as photos and gradients that would need too many screens. Our garment pages list it as "Digital print, large (full-color artwork)".

Heat transfer

A heat transfer is a design printed onto a carrier film first and then pressed onto the garment with heat and pressure.

Heat transfers are often used for a printed size and care label inside the neck instead of a sewn label, and for reflective or metallic details.

Embroidery

Embroidery stitches a design into the fabric with thread, using a computer-controlled embroidery machine.

A small left-chest embroidery is the classic polo or hoodie logo.

3D embroidery

3D embroidery, also called puff embroidery, is embroidery stitched over a foam layer so the design stands up from the fabric.

It is used for bold logos on caps, hoodies and sweatshirts. It works best with thick, simple shapes, since thin lines and small letters collapse.

Appliqué

Appliqué is a piece of fabric cut into a shape and sewn onto the garment, usually with a satin or zigzag stitch around the edge.

Varsity-style felt letters on a sweatshirt are appliqué. Your tech pack gives the patch fabric and color, its size in cm, and the stitch used around the edge.

Woven label

A woven label is a brand label with the logo woven into it in thread, usually sewn at the center back neck.

Give its size in cm, colors and how it is attached: folded into the neck seam, or sewn flat on all four sides below the neck tape.

Care label

A care label is the label that tells the wearer the fiber content, how to wash the garment and where it was made.

A hoodie care label might read "100% cotton, machine wash cold, do not tumble dry, Made in China". Check the labeling rules of each country you sell in, because they differ.

Hang tag

A hang tag is the card tag attached to a new garment, carrying the brand and often the style, size, price or barcode.

It is usually attached with a plastic fastener through the neck label or the left side seam. Your tech pack gives the card size, the print file and where to attach it.

Polybag

A polybag is the clear plastic bag each garment is folded into for shipping.

Specify the folded size, whether a size sticker goes on the bag, and any warning text your market requires, such as a suffocation warning.

MOQ (minimum order quantity)

MOQ (minimum order quantity) is the smallest number of pieces a factory will make in one order.

At UNIT-100 custom orders start at 100 pcs per style and per color. Stock-based orders, made from our ready blank styles with your decoration, start at 50 pcs.

Lead time

Lead time is the number of days a factory needs to produce your order.

Our samples take 3–7 days, and bulk production takes 7–20 working days after sample approval, depending on order size, fabric and decoration.

Drop shoulder

A drop shoulder is a shoulder seam that sits below the natural shoulder, on the upper arm, giving a relaxed, boxy look.

Oversized streetwear T-shirts use a drop shoulder. That is why our oversized T-shirt has its own size chart, with a 56 cm shoulder width in size M against 47 cm on the regular fit.

Set-in sleeve

A set-in sleeve is a sleeve sewn into an armhole that sits on the natural shoulder point.

Most regular-fit T-shirts, polos and sweatshirts have set-in sleeves. Show it on the flat sketch, and measure the sleeve length from the shoulder point.

Cover stitch and flatlock

Cover stitch and flatlock are the two flat, stretchy stitches used on knitwear: a cover stitch hems an edge with two or three parallel rows of stitching, and a flatlock joins two edges side by side in a flat seam.

T-shirt hems and sleeve hems are cover-stitched. Flatlock seams appear on sportswear and on paneled joggers, where a raised seam would rub against the skin.