# T-Shirt Blanks Manufacturing...DIY?



## honeyflip (Nov 1, 2005)

Does anyone on this forum know anything about manufacturing t-shirt blanks from scratch? I'm trying to figure out the pros and cons of finding a garment factory (States or overseas), supplying a shirt blueprint (not even sure what to call that), arranging for type of material, weave, dye, etc., and then have them make me the blank shirts in bulk.

How do you start with this process? Would it even be worthwhile? Any tips and thoughts would be appreciated.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

Very expensive. If you want it done right. I looked into this before I found blanks that fit my style.

The blueprint you are referring to is called a pattern. You need to find someone to make you a pattern. You have to have the pattern graded. You have to have markers made. Then they will make you samples from your pattern. You have to make sure that the pattern has the fit that you want.

Once all of this is done, then you have to have your material cut and sewn. You can find some local seamstresses that will sew your shirts in fewer quantities and cheaper than a factory would. 

Patterns made-about $200-$450 
Patterns graded-about $10 per piece. Not much for t-shirts
Markers made-about $100-$200
Sample sewn-about $50
Production-depending on what you with. Seamstress with low minimums (100 units) is about $2-$8 per shirt. Manufacturing facility with high minimums (5,000 units) is about $1-$2 per shirt.

Keep in mind these prices will vary with different people and companies, but are about an average of what they would be.

You can find some companies that will provide all of these services, or you can contract out different parts.

As you can see, it can get expensive very fast! That's why we use blanks that are already made!


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Wow, I missed this post before. Thanks for the breakdown COS!


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## honeyflip (Nov 1, 2005)

Yeesh... okay, you've put the fear of God in me, CominOutSwinging. I had no idea at all in terms of costs involved. Thanks for all that info. That certainly gives me a lot to think about. Obviously, the DIY route would only make sense if you were moving high volume. I'm not going to rule it out completely, but it'll be on the back burner for now.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

Yep, that's the same approach I'm using. It's good info to know. The same process goes for just about getting any garment made, so you can keep it in mind if you want something else made besides t-shirts. 

Your profit margin would be higher, on items such as sweatshirts and things like that, that could make it worth your while if you wanted custom items.


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## mikel (Apr 20, 2006)

Hi there, my first post here.

i got my first run of tshirts printed in Thailand (Bangkok). i basically brought a "cut" that i wanted and discussed it with the factory. everything is ordered from scratch, thickness, fabric quality, sizes, collar, stitching style, hem sizes, label, etc. i went through the list one by one with their seamstress.

the small factory will order fabric from a bigger factory, sent to a screen printer and sent back to them for cut and sewing. some factory will do the last 2 in-house. bigger factory will do everything in house with stricter quality control and usually takes a minimum order of 2400 pcs sometimes more per design. these are factories that does nike, adidas, etc. price will range from US1.50 to US4 bagged and packed as per your spec.

if you're looking for just blanks, the price should be cheaper.

There's hundreds of small factory and their minimum order varies, mine was 500pcs per design. it was my first experience ordering from Thailand. it takes quite a while to finish (depending on how busy they are) and communication could be a problem. compared to the alternatively cheaper Ciina where you have to monitor and approve everything to make sure they dont screw up, Thailand is better and beer is cheap. 

other alternatives are Indonesia, Bangladesh or Vietnam.

hope this info helps.


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## honeyflip (Nov 1, 2005)

Thanks for the info, Mikel! Woohoo...roadtrip to Thailand! Er, I mean, plane trip, and only after I sell a few hundred thousand shirts. 

In all seriousness, what you described is precisely what I'd like to set up some day for my supply line.

Thai food is awesome...


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

If you would like something in the US, I found this the other day:

www.fesslerusa.com

They are a one-stop-shop.

"Normal" minimums are 1,200 per style. I spoke with someone on the phone that said that they can work with this number.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

AlternativeApparel also does custom blanks with a 1200 piece minimum.


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## manufacturer2006 (Jan 31, 2006)

The pricing mainly depends on the quality.

If you have your own design depending on the manufacturer they prefer larger orders rather than small who wouldnt.

Most will work with your target price unless its outrageously low. There are several who would take smaller orders like 250 - 500 but to a point once you add in the cost of shipment you may as well but wholesale, unless you want it cause its your design and name.

Things usually goes
1. You give all info for the shirt you need, gsm, quantity, color, size chart measurements.
2. Some manufacturers ask for a sample of a tee that has the quality that you are looking for so they can reduplicate the fabric for you.
3. make sample send to you and if you like it production goes ahead.

*** Some people (agents) act as manufacturer that may have shirts premade in the quality that you are looking and just slap your name on it to keep their costs down.


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## sure1thing (Apr 18, 2006)

do recommend any companies that do this? websites or contact info.
thanks.


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## districtcotton (May 21, 2007)

i don't mean to sound harsh, but if you're saying things like "a t-shirt blueprint" you should probably spend a little more time learning about production before you delve-in. Errors can be seriously costly and manufacturing is not something that is best learned while doing.


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## A1 (Jan 31, 2008)

*My own T-shirt w/tag*

Does anyone know where i can get my own t-shirts made? Not designs or customizing for already made t-shirts, but my own t-shirt brand....name, tag. I like longer t-shirts but i'm very picky on size so i thought it i just made my own or had them made it would be perfect. Thanks


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

*Re: My own T-shirt w/tag*



A1 said:


> Does anyone know where i can get my own t-shirts made? Not designs or customizing for already made t-shirts, but my own t-shirt brand....name, tag. I like longer t-shirts but i'm very picky on size so i thought it i just made my own or had them made it would be perfect. Thanks


What kind of quantities are you looking for? Usually it takes several hundreds or 1000+ to get them made custom.


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## tim3560 (Jan 7, 2007)

I contacted Sanmar because I knew that they offered this service and like COS said, the minimum was 5,000. A friend of mine is an overseas shipping broker, his minimum was 10-20,000.


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## truth209 (Jun 2, 2008)

I would appreciate it if you could supply my with this guys info. I currently use a brand called NONA-T which I am pleased with and would like to send a sample to see if he can duplicate but have my own custom tags put on.


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## rogo56 (Jun 5, 2008)

I have been in the overseas mfg apparel business for over 14 years. I have mfg in just about all countries.

I mfg for several larger retailers such as JCP, Target and Walmart. You must be careful when you are getting prices b/c each country has different duty rates and quota. 

Some countries slap you , may get slapped for an additional 32% of what the factory quoted you. It depends on the clasification of garment and fabric content. So becareful by the time you get your shirts you could have bought cheaper in US. 

Be sure to make sure you know what actual price the factory is quoting you:

FOB ( Freight On Board ) = This is only the cost of the garnent w/ local quota included . It does not include freight and or US duty tax. Then you will have to pay for transportation from port to your warehouse.

LDP (Landed Duty Paid) = This is where the garments have all quota and duties (taxes) included once landed in US. You should reconfirm delivery to your warehouse or is it only destination port. Many of my customers like the LDP because they do not have to get in touch w/ a freight forwarder and customes.

Hope this info was helpful to you.


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## keke3131 (Jun 10, 2008)

I'm brand new to the site. My question is, with all the creative aspects of making, buying and selling the T-shirts...can anyone recommend a software company that will assist us in quality checking, keeping track of real-time sales vs. projected sales, item catalogues, percentages of income minus expenses, number of damaged goods, market research numbers, cross-collaterized of product information, etc.? I'm sure small start businesses like myself could also benefit from such a computerized program.


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## Magenta (Jan 15, 2008)

keke3131 said:


> I'm brand new to the site. My question is, with all the creative aspects of making, buying and selling the T-shirts...can anyone recommend a software company that will assist us in quality checking, keeping track of real-time sales vs. projected sales, item catalogues, percentages of income minus expenses, number of damaged goods, market research numbers, cross-collaterized of product information, etc.? I'm sure small start businesses like myself could also benefit from such a computerized program.


 
Try QUICKBOOK from Intuit


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## onesielady (May 1, 2008)

We have made custom blanks for many of our customers and the process is much simpler than explained on this thread. Usually the customer has a specific tee in mind that they are looking to duplicate or they have something almost exactly what they want, but would like to make some changes. If they supply us with a garment we can duplicate it for them, then they approve the counter sample we made and hopefully place an order or make any necessary changes until they are satisfied with the garment. Of course we only do infant and baby blanks, but there are many other manufcatureres that work the same way and you don't need to go the long route of starting with making your own pattern etc. If the manufacturer is already producing blanks, they have a pattern maker in house and you do not have to go through that extra expense - you supply them with what you basically want and they can generally take it from there.


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## fivetees (May 12, 2008)

is this $1.50 -4 price fob pricing or landed in your country including any and all goverment duties and freight?


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## biltbyrobots (Mar 4, 2008)

onesielady said:


> We have made custom blanks for many of our customers and the process is much simpler than explained on this thread. Usually the customer has a specific tee in mind that they are looking to duplicate or they have something almost exactly what they want, but would like to make some changes. If they supply us with a garment we can duplicate it for them, then they approve the counter sample we made and hopefully place an order or make any necessary changes until they are satisfied with the garment. Of course we only do infant and baby blanks, but there are many other manufcatureres that work the same way and you don't need to go the long route of starting with making your own pattern etc. If the manufacturer is already producing blanks, they have a pattern maker in house and you do not have to go through that extra expense - you supply them with what you basically want and they can generally take it from there.


my question is this: does anybody know of where I could buy private label blank tee shirts-thats it. Nothing more, nothing less. I will do my own tags and designs-I just want to be able to purchase a nice blended shirt with no tags or nothing.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

biltbyrobots said:


> my question is this: does anybody know of where I could buy private label blank tee shirts-thats it. Nothing more, nothing less. I will do my own tags and designs-I just want to be able to purchase a nice blended shirt with no tags or nothing.


If your goal is to just be able to relabel t-shirts with your own design, you can do that with ANY t-shirt blank. Doesn't matter if it currently has labels or not. That's how most people do it. They buy a brand name blank t-shirt at wholesale and they remove the tags and relabel it with their own brand tags. This is perfectly legal and very common practice.

They don't sell t-shirts without labels because of FTC laws on labeling.

You can get t-shirts with tear away labels that make it easier for relabeling though. Just search the forums for tagless or tear away and you'll find tons of information on it.

tagless related topics at T-Shirt Forums


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## biltbyrobots (Mar 4, 2008)

Rodney said:


> If your goal is to just be able to relabel t-shirts with your own design, you can do that with ANY t-shirt blank. Doesn't matter if it currently has labels or not. That's how most people do it. They buy a brand name blank t-shirt at wholesale and they remove the tags and relabel it with their own brand tags. This is perfectly legal and very common practice.
> 
> They don't sell t-shirts without labels because of FTC laws on labeling.
> 
> ...


 
ha! tear away labels!!! why didn't I think of that...your're a genius!


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## AravindSK (Nov 8, 2006)

I have been making t-shirts for my customers both domestic and overseas. The tricky part is the minimum.
The smallest quantity needed for dying domestic with a decent dyehouse is around 200 lbs. It takes between 4-8lbs/dozen shirts depending on how heavy the shirts are. Cut and sew factories prefer 100 dozen domestic. Overseas, you can get 100 dozen made, but the logistics are a bit more difficult.
If the supplier knows what they are doing, it is possible to get small quantities made.
If you need more information, message or mail me.

Good luck!
Aravind.


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## fivetees (May 12, 2008)

I have found a manufacturer out of the carolina's who can contract out the garment. Do you a specific shirt and/or your own specs.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

fivetees said:


> I have found a manufacturer out of the carolina's who can contract out the garment. Do you a specific shirt and/or your own specs.


What minimums do they have? Why not post the information here?


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## novanutcase (Aug 6, 2008)

This is not Novanutcase and he is not endorsing this in any way shape or form. 

I saw a t-shirt that was imported from Indonesia with a small size tag on the inside and a printed label that washes off after you wash/print so you can print whatever you want on it for a label. I think it was white colored starch.

Not Novanutcase


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