# How to source clothing from China: tech packs to production
Clothing looks deceptively simple to source. Everyone has bought garments. Few have manufactured them. The gap between those two experiences is where importers lose money: a tech pack that leaves out the stitch type, a fabric approved by photo instead of lab dip, a size grading that nobody checked before production. Learning how to source clothing from China is mostly learning to specify what you want with the precision the factory needs, and then verifying that the precision survived production.
China's apparel manufacturing base remains the deepest in the world, with regional specialization by garment type, mature fabric markets, and factories experienced in export compliance. The opportunity is straightforward. The execution is in the details: tech packs, fabric approvals, samples, and a QC system built for garments. This guide follows the real sequence of how to source clothing from China, from the first sketch to the final inspection, so the clothes that arrive match the ones you approved. It is written for buyers who want the method behind how to source clothing from China reliably, season after season.
How to source clothing from China starts with the tech pack
The tech pack is the single most important document in apparel sourcing. It is the complete technical specification of the garment: flats (technical sketches) of front, back, and details; the bill of materials listing every fabric, trim, thread, and label; construction details naming stitch types and seam allowances; a size spec table with measurements for every size; colorways; and packaging instructions. Factories quote from the tech pack and build from the tech pack. A thin tech pack produces a guessed quote and a guessed garment.
Write the tech pack before contacting factories, not after. Each missing detail becomes a factory decision, and factory decisions optimize for the factory's convenience. Specify the stitch type where it matters: the seam that takes stress needs a defined stitch, not "strong stitching." Specify thread, buttons, zippers, and labels by supplier and reference where the trim affects function or brand. Zippers and buttons are common failure points, so their specifications deserve the same care as the fabric. Trim specification is a detail that separates buyers who understand how to source clothing from China from those who learn about trims from warranty claims.
Include the size spec table with tolerances. A measurement without a tolerance is a wish. State the acceptable deviation for each key measurement, usually a fraction of an inch or a centimeter depending on the garment. The factory's QC and your inspection will both measure against this table, so it needs to be realistic: tolerances tighter than the process can hold produce endless disputes, while loose tolerances produce inconsistent sizing.
A good tech pack also shortens every later step. Sampling goes faster because there is less to clarify. Quotes are comparable because every factory prices the same specification. Inspections are objective because the pass criteria are written down. Buyers who ask how to source clothing from China efficiently usually discover that the tech pack is the leverage point: hours invested here save weeks later. No other document repays its effort like this one.
CMT versus full-package factories
Apparel factories come in two basic models, and choosing the wrong one causes predictable problems. CMT stands for cut, make, and trim: you supply the fabric and trims, the factory cuts and sews. Full-package means the factory sources everything and delivers finished garments. The right choice depends on what you control best.
CMT suits buyers who have fabric relationships or specific material requirements. You buy the fabric, often from markets like Zhongda in Guangzhou or Keqiao, and send it to the factory. This gives you control over the most variable input and can save money when you buy fabric well. The trade-off is responsibility: late fabric means late production, and fabric defects are your problem, not the factory's. CMT also demands more management, because you coordinate two supply chains instead of one.
Full-package suits buyers who want one throat to choke. The factory sources fabric and trims, manages the suppliers, and delivers finished goods. This is simpler and it puts material responsibility on the factory. The trade-off is visibility: you need to verify what the factory actually bought, because the easiest margin in full-package production is cheaper fabric than specified. Lab dips, bulk fabric approval, and incoming fabric checks are how you keep that margin honest. Verification discipline is what makes full-package work for buyers learning how to source clothing from China without a local office.
Match the factory model to your capability, not just your preference. A first-time buyer with no fabric contacts usually does better with full-package and strong verification. An experienced brand with a fabric library and a sourcing office does well with CMT. Either way, verify cut-and-sew capability directly: walk the floor or review detailed evidence of the sewing lines, the sample room, and the finishing and packing areas. A factory's real capacity is in its lines and its people, not its profile. This hands-on verification is standard practice in how to source clothing from China at any serious volume.
Finding the right region and the right factory
China's apparel production is regionally specialized, and buying in the right region puts you near the right factories, fabric markets, and skilled labor. Guangzhou is strong across many categories with deep fabric markets nearby. Keqiao, near Shaoxing, is a textile powerhouse for fabrics of all kinds. Hangzhou has strengths in certain categories including womenswear. The pattern matters less than the principle: source near the cluster for your garment type, because proximity brings options and competitive pricing.
Evaluate factories on capability, not promises. Verify cut-and-sew capability for your specific garment complexity: a factory excellent at t-shirts may struggle with tailored jackets, and minimums vary by garment complexity. Assess the sample room, because the sample room is where your product gets developed; a strong sample room with skilled pattern makers and sewers predicts good production. Check export-market experience: a factory that already ships to your market understands the labeling, testing, and compliance expectations. Capability assessment is the step buyers most often rush when learning how to source clothing from China, and the step they most often regret rushing.
Minimum order quantities deserve honest discussion. Minimums depend on garment complexity, fabric commitments, and the factory's business model. Simple garments in stock fabrics can run at lower minimums. Complex garments or custom fabrics need higher ones, because the factory commits to fabric purchases and line time. A factory that accepts any quantity for any product is either very flexible or very desperate, and it is worth finding out which.
Ask for references in your product category and check them. Then start with a trial order before committing a season's production. The trial reveals communication quality, sample accuracy, and reliability under real conditions. No amount of profile reading substitutes for one completed order. Trial orders are the lowest-cost insurance in how to source clothing from China, and experienced buyers never skip them with a new factory.
Fabric: GSM, lab dips, and the bulk approval workflow
Fabric is where garment quality is decided, and fabric mistakes are the most expensive kind because they affect every unit. Three disciplines keep fabric under control: specification, color approval, and bulk verification.
Specify the fabric completely: fiber composition, GSM (grams per square meter, the weight measure), weave or knit construction, width, and any finishes. GSM is the number buyers most often neglect and factories most often reduce, because lighter fabric costs less. A 180 GSM jersey and a 220 GSM jersey are different garments. Put the GSM in the tech pack and verify it on bulk fabric with a scale and cutter. This single check catches one of the most common substitutions, and it is one of the first things to learn about how to source clothing from China without getting shortchanged on materials.
Color approval runs through lab dips: small dyed fabric samples the factory submits for your approval before bulk dyeing. Review lab dips in standard lighting against your color standard, approve one explicitly in writing, and keep the approved dip as the reference. The bulk approval workflow goes from lab dip to bulk lot: the factory dyes a bulk lot, you approve it against the lab dip, and only then does cutting begin. Skipping straight from a photo approval to bulk production is how entire orders arrive in the wrong shade.
Test the fabric before committing. Shrinkage testing tells you how the garment behaves after washing, which determines whether the size spec survives the customer. Pilling tests predict surface wear. Colorfastness matters for anything washed or worn against other garments. These tests are cheap and fast at a lab, and they prevent the category of complaint no inspection can catch after the fact: the garment that was perfect on arrival and wrong after two washes. Pre-commitment fabric testing is standard practice in how to source clothing from China without post-sale surprises.
Source fabric strategically. The big textile markets, Zhongda in Guangzhou and the Keqiao market, offer enormous selection and the ability to compare quality directly. For full-package orders, require the factory to disclose the fabric source and provide the test reports. Fabric you have not verified is fabric you are guessing about, and guessing about the main material is not a strategy. Market visits are worth the trip for anyone serious about how to source clothing from China with real material control.
Samples, sizing, and grading
Sampling is the development process, and rushing it is the classic apparel mistake. Each sample round has a purpose, and skipping rounds moves the discovery of problems into production, where fixes cost real money.
The proto sample tests the basic pattern and construction. Fit samples, usually in the middle size, test the fit on a real body or fit form. Size-set samples cover the full size range and verify the grading. The pre-production sample, in bulk fabric with all trims, is the final reference: production is approved against it, and inspection compares to it. Approve each stage explicitly before the next begins. Verbal approvals and "looks fine" messages create the disputes that written sign-offs prevent.
Sizing and grading deserve special attention because they are invisible until the customer tries the garment on. Grading is the systematic scaling of the pattern across sizes, and bad grading produces sizes that fit nothing like the sample. Check the grade rules in the tech pack, verify the size-set samples with measurements, and consider fit testing on multiple body types for your market. A size medium that fits the sample room's fit model may not fit your customers.
Keep a sealed reference sample from the approved pre-production batch. Every inspection, every production question, and every dispute gets resolved against that sample. Without it, "match the sample" is an argument. With it, it is a measurement. Reference samples are the physical anchor of how to source clothing from China consistently, because memory is not a quality standard.
Apparel QC: AQL 2.5, measurements, and shade banding
Garment inspection has its own discipline, built around the AQL 2.5 standard for major defects that the apparel industry uses as its default. The inspector pulls a statistical sample from finished, packed cartons and checks workmanship, measurements, and appearance against the tech pack and the approved sample.
Size-spec measurement is the core of apparel QC. Every sampled garment gets measured at the key points defined in the size spec table, and measurements outside tolerance count as defects. This is slow, detailed work, and it is where inconsistent sizing gets caught. Make sure the measurement method is defined: how the garment is laid, whether it is measured relaxed or stretched, and which points count. Measurement disputes almost always trace back to undefined method, not bad faith.
Shade banding controls color consistency. Fabric dyed in different lots varies slightly, and the factory should group cut pieces by shade lot so each garment uses consistent fabric. The inspector checks garments under standard lighting for shade variation within and between pieces. Approve the acceptable shade range against the lab dip reference in advance. Customers notice when the sleeves do not match the body, even if each piece individually looks fine.
Trims get functional checks: zippers opened and closed repeatedly, buttons pulled, snaps tested, drawcords measured against safety requirements for children's products. Packing checks confirm folding, polybagging, and carton assortments match the packing instructions. A well-made garment packed wrong still creates a warehouse problem.
Keep a defect library with photos: examples of major defects like broken zippers or missing stitches, and minor ones like loose threads or slight shade variation. Share it with the factory and the inspector. A shared visual reference eliminates most arguments about whether something counts as a defect, because both sides are looking at the same picture. Defect libraries are standard tools for buyers who know how to source clothing from China professionally, and they cost nothing to build.
Conclusion
How to source clothing from China comes down to specification and verification: a complete tech pack before any factory contact, the right factory model and region for your product, fabric specified by GSM and approved through lab dips to bulk lots, disciplined sampling through pre-production approval, and apparel QC built on AQL 2.5 with size-spec measurement and shade banding. The factories are capable, the fabric markets are deep, and the pricing rewards buyers who do the work. The work is mostly writing things down and checking them. Buyers who master that discipline find that how to source clothing from China is less a mystery than a method, and the method works every season. Keep refining it, and each season gets easier than the last.
Frequently asked questions
### What goes into a tech pack?
Technical sketches, bill of materials, construction and stitch details, a size spec table with tolerances, colorways, trim specifications, and packaging instructions. The tech pack is the document factories quote from and build from, so completeness directly determines accuracy. A complete tech pack is the foundation of how to source clothing from China without miscommunication.
### Should I use CMT or full-package production?
CMT if you control fabric sourcing and want material control; full-package if you want single-point responsibility and simpler management. First-time buyers usually do better with full-package plus strong fabric verification. The choice shapes your whole workflow for how to source clothing from China, so decide it before you shortlist factories.
### How do lab dips work?
The factory submits small dyed fabric samples for your approval before bulk dyeing. You approve one explicitly against your color standard in proper lighting, and bulk production is checked against the approved dip. Never approve bulk color from a photo alone.
### What is AQL 2.5 in apparel QC?
The industry-standard acceptable quality limit for major defects in garment inspection: the sampling plan and the allowed number of major defects per sample size. It is the default starting point, tightened for demanding products.
### How do I check size consistency?
Measure sampled garments at every key point in the size spec table, using a defined measurement method, and count out-of-tolerance measurements as defects. Verify grading across the full size range with size-set samples before production.
### What are the most common apparel defects?
Major defects include broken zippers, missing stitches, and wrong measurements. Minor defects include loose threads and slight shade variation. Keep a photo defect library shared with the factory and inspector so classifications are consistent. Consistent defect classification is what makes quality data comparable across seasons for anyone learning how to source clothing from China long term.