What Is a Tech Pack? A Plain Guide for Uniform Brands
Custom Uniforms team · · 4 min read
A tech pack is a set of documents that describes a garment in enough detail for a factory to make it without guessing: the sketches, measurements, fabric, trims, labels, logo placement and packing. It is the brief that turns your idea into a sample and then into a bulk order. For uniform and scrubs brands, a good tech pack is also the record that keeps every reorder the same as the first.
Why a tech pack matters
Without a tech pack, every detail is decided in conversation, and conversations are easy to misremember. Which pocket had the pen slot? Was the logo 8 or 9 centimetres wide? Was the second colour the darker navy or the lighter one?
A tech pack puts all of that in one place. It helps you:
- Get accurate quotes, because every manufacturer is quoting for the same garment.
- Reduce sample rounds, because fewer details are left open.
- Check the sample against something written, not just memory.
- Reorder months later and get the same garment.
What goes into a tech pack
For a uniform or scrubs style, a practical tech pack usually includes the sections below.
Sketches
Front and back flat drawings of the garment, showing seams, pockets, neckline, collar, cuffs and hems. They do not need to be artistic. Clear outlines with labels are enough. Close-up drawings help for details like a mandarin collar or a pen slot.
Measurements and size chart
A table of the finished garment measurements for each size, such as chest, length, shoulder, sleeve length, waist, hip, inseam and leg opening. Include how each measurement is taken, for example “chest measured 2 cm below armhole”, and the tolerance you will accept.
Fabric and trims
The fabric composition, weight and colour reference for each colourway. Then a list of every trim: thread, buttons, zips, elastic, drawcord, and any reflective tape or loops, with sizes and colours.
Construction notes
How the garment is stitched: seam types, stitch details, topstitching, hem depth and where reinforcement is needed, such as pocket corners on scrub trousers.
Artwork and embroidery
The logo file, its exact position measured from fixed points such as the shoulder seam and centre front, its size, and thread colours. For names or titles, the font and the rules for long names.
Labels and packing
Brand, size and care label artwork and positions, folding method, polybag, and how cartons should be marked. Our guide to care labels for clothing explains what goes on the care label.
How detailed does it need to be
It depends on how new the garment is. A standard scrub top made in your colour, with a logo, needs less detail than an original design with a new collar and pocket layout. A reasonable test: could someone who has never spoken to you make a sample from this document that you would recognise as yours?
| Situation | Level of detail needed |
|---|---|
| Existing style in a new colour | Colour reference, logo, labels |
| Adjusting a manufacturer’s base style | Sketch of changes, revised measurements |
| Original design | Full tech pack with every section |
| Copying a garment you own | Send the garment plus notes on what to change |
You do not need specialist software. A clear spreadsheet and a document with drawings and photos can work well. What matters is that it is complete, consistent and kept up to date.
Keeping the tech pack alive
A tech pack is not finished when the first sample is made. After each sample round, update it with the changes you agreed, mark the version and date, and share the final version before bulk production starts. The approved sample and the final tech pack together form the standard for the order. Our post on why sample approval matters explains how that standard is used.
Keep the approved version safe. When you reorder, send it again with the reference of the previous order, so both sides start from the same point.
Common gaps that cause problems
- Measurements without tolerances, or without how they are taken.
- Colour described in words only, such as “dark blue”.
- Logo size given, but not the position.
- Labels listed, but without artwork or wording.
- Changes agreed by message but never added to the document.
How we work from your tech pack
At our unit in Konni, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, we make uniforms and scrubs to order and can work from a full tech pack, a reference garment, or a written brief we develop with you. A sample can be made before bulk production, with any sample charge stated in the quote, and we sew your brand, size and care labels into the garments. We keep records of fabric, colour, style and size breakdown, so reorders match.
If you are building a range, see how our private label service works, or send us your tech pack for a quote.