Published: 4/29/2025

Tech Packs in Clothing: A Complete Guide

You’ve probably heard of a tech pack for clothing if you’re in the fashion industry. This essential document helps transform your creative concepts into finished garments by providing manufacturers with all the specifications and instructions they need.

Without a well-structured tech pack, miscommunication can lead to production errors, wasted materials, and unnecessary costs. When executed properly, a tech pack brings consistency, efficiency, and precision to clothing manufacturing.

Today, we’ll review everything you need to know about tech packs. And if you need a tech pack, you can use AI Techpacks to automatically create it based on your garment’s image and inputs. Get your first tech pack free.

What Is a Tech Pack in Clothing?

A tech pack also known as a spec sheet (or technical package) is a detailed document that contains every specification required to produce a garment. It’s your primary communication tool between your design team and the manufacturer, ensuring both parties share the same vision for the final product.

A typical tech pack includes sketches, material details, measurement guidelines, sewing instructions, and packaging information. Outlining these elements minimizes confusion and streamlines the production process so that the result truly aligns with your original design.

Why Tech Packs Are Essential for Clothing Production

Ensures Accuracy

Your tech pack clarifies every detail about the garment’s design, fabric, and construction so that manufacturers know exactly what to produce. When clarity is high, your final product is far more likely to match your expectations.

Reduce Errors and Revisions

When your manufacturer isn’t sure about measurements or materials, they may produce samples that don’t match your vision, which forces multiple revisions. A clear tech pack acts as a single source of truth, lowering the risk of costly mistakes and speeding up turnaround times.

Save Time and Money

Errors in manufacturing can be expensive. From incorrect measurements to poorly chosen fabrics, these missteps waste materials and eat into your budget. You save time and money in the long run by creating a thorough tech pack.

Maintaining Brand Consistency

Consistency helps build a recognizable brand. A tech pack ensures the same standards apply across various product lines or production batches, even if you use different factories or suppliers.

Key Components of a Tech Pack

A well-structured tech pack in clothing usually features multiple sections, including the following.

1. Flat Sketches

Flat sketches are technical illustrations of the garment from various angles—front, back, and occasionally side views. These highlight crucial design aspects like stitching, pockets, and fastenings.

Unlike artistic fashion sketches, flat sketches cut the fluff and focus on functional details that manufacturers need to see.

2. Bill of Materials (BOM)

The Bill of Materials is your comprehensive list of everything required to create the garment, such as:

• Fabrics: Exact types, compositions, and weights.
• Trims: Zippers, buttons, elastic, and other accents.
• Threads & Labels: Specific materials for stitching and branding elements.

This section ensures that the right components are sourced and used, maintaining consistency throughout production.

3. Measurement Specs and Size Grading

You can’t achieve the right fit without clear measurements. This portion of the tech pack details critical dimensions, like sleeve length, waist circumference, chest width, and inseam.

If your product line includes multiple sizes, you’ll also add guidelines for size grading—how each dimension scales up or down. You will also want to include a tolerance column to specify a range of error you are comfortable with the manufacturer making.

4. Construction and Sewing Details

To prevent confusion, include precise sewing instructions. These may cover:

• Seam types (e.g., double-stitched, overlocked).
• Stitching methods (e.g., topstitching, bar tacks for reinforcement).
• Fabric layering details for correct assembly.

Specific construction requirements preserve garment quality and durability.

5. Colorways and Artwork Placement

When your design includes multiple colors or printed elements, a colorway section specifies:

• Fabric color codes (Pantone, RGB, or CMYK).
• Logo, embroidery, or graphic placements and dimensions.

This makes it easier for manufacturers to replicate branding details accurately.

Packaging Instructions

After production, proper packaging ensures that garments reach customers in pristine condition. This part of the tech pack addresses:

• Folding methods and packaging materials (poly bags, hang tags).
• Labeling and barcodes for easier inventory management.

Consistent packaging also safeguards the final presentation and brand image.

How to Create a Tech Pack for Clothing

You can create a tech pack in two main ways. The right approach depends on your familiarity with design tools, the complexity of your garment, and how much time you want to spend on documentation.

Traditional Methods

Traditionally, designers have relied on applications and software like Adobe Illustrator for technical sketches and Excel or Google Sheets for creating measurement charts and Bills of Materials. These tools are effective but can be quite time-consuming. Or designers will outsource creating tech packs to freelance tech pack designers.

If you’re juggling multiple designs or tight deadlines, manual creation often leaves room for human error. Mislabeling a measurement or using the wrong fabric code can cause delays and confusion.

AI Techpacks

You can use AI Techpacks to streamline the process by automating much of the documentation work.

• Automated Creation: Just upload your garment image and basic inputs like fabric or measurements, and the tool generates a structured tech pack for you that includes all of your essentials including the measurements, flat sketch, bom, and even a placement guide.
• Reduced Errors: Because the details are systematically captured, there’s less chance of overlooking important elements like stitch types or specific trims.
• Save Time: Quickly produce an all-in-one document ready for your manufacturer instead of juggling Illustrator files and multiple spreadsheets.

Get your first tech pack free.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Making a Tech Pack for Clothing

Even experienced designers can slip up when creating a tech pack for clothing. These common pitfalls can lead to production hiccups, higher costs, and products that don’t quite match your expectations.

Overcomplicating Designs with Unnecessary Details

While clarity is vital, overloading your tech pack with endless details can overwhelm your manufacturer. Focus on what's essential for production. Too many tiny instructions can actually cause more confusion, so aim for clear, concise directions.

Missing Key Specifications

One overlooked measurement or missing fabric code can create big issues on the production floor. Double-check that all vital elements (precise measurements, stitching instructions, packaging needs, etc.) are clearly documented.

Using Inconsistent or Non-Standard Formats

Keep the structure of your tech pack organized and uniform. For example, manufacturers might misread crucial details if you jump between measurement units or switch up the way you format Bill of Materials sections. Consistency ensures everyone is on the same page.

Failing to Update the Tech Pack After Design Changes

If you have a bright idea mid-production and tweak your design but forget to update the tech pack, that’s a recipe for confusion and wasted materials.

Whenever you make a design adjustment, revise your tech pack accordingly to keep your team and manufacturer aligned.

Not Including a Bill of Materials

A lot of new designers underestimate the importance of a Bill of Materials. Without one, manufacturers could pick up the wrong fabrics, trims, or even thread. This not only impacts the garment’s final quality but also your budget and brand reputation.

Final Thoughts

A tech pack in clothing isn’t just a stack of instructions—it’s a powerful tool for accuracy, efficiency, and brand consistency. It’s your secret weapon against time-consuming revisions, communication breakdowns, and unexpected production costs.

AI Techpacks automates creating a tech pack, helping ensure your designs move through production smoothly. Get your first tech pack free.