What Is the Difference Between Fabric MOQ and Garment MOQ?
When you develop a new collection, you will face minimum order quantities (MOQs) at two different points:
- Fabric MOQ = the minimum amount of fabric you must buy from a textile mill (usually kg or meters/yards).
- Garment MOQ = the minimum number of finished units a factory will produce (usually pieces per style/color).
They are different because mills optimize material production (dyeing, weaving/knitting, finishing), while factories optimize labor and line efficiency (cutting, sewing, QC).
Why Fabric MOQs Exist?
Fabric mills carry big fixed costs before they produce even 1 meter:
- Machine setup (loom/knit settings, tension, gauge)
- Dye kitchen preparation (lab dips, recipe, chemical setup)
- Finishing line setup (brushing, coating, compacting, etc.)
- Testing/compliance (if you require certification or performance specs)
A fabric MOQ is often the point where the mill can spread these setup costs across enough yardage to stay profitable.
Why Fabric Weight Does Not Equal Garment Quantity
You wrote: “1,000kg MOQ translated to 800–900 garments.” That only holds if you assume a specific GSM and fabric consumption. In reality, 1,000kg could be 400 garments or 1,500 garments depending on:
- GSM (weight)
- Marker efficiency
- Garment type and size range
- Shrinkage allowance and defects
So it’s better to say: “Fabric MOQ often becomes the true production driver once you convert kg to usable meters and then to garment yield.”
What Determines Fabric MOQ?
Fabric MOQ changes based on what you ask the mill to do.
Highest MOQ drivers
- Custom fiber blend (special yarn, recycled content traceability)
- Special constructions (jacquard, engineered knit, double-face, etc.)
- Complex dyeing/printing (custom shades, reactive processes, placement prints)
- Coating/lamination or performance finishes (DWR, anti-bacterial, wicking)
- Certification/testing requirements (lab tests, restricted substances compliance)
Lower MOQ situations
- Mill stock program / ready goods
- Standard construction + standard colors
- Using an existing dye recipe and finishing route
How Fabric MOQ Impacts Cost
Fabric pricing is rarely linear. It usually follows “pricing tiers” because setup cost gets diluted with volume.
Typical pattern:
- Low MOQ = higher price per meter
- Higher MOQ = lower price per meter (because fixed costs spread out)
Pushback: “doubling reduces 15–30%” is not always true
For commodity fabrics, doubling volume might reduce cost only slightly (sometimes almost nothing). The large jumps usually happen when you cross a minimum dye lot threshold or shift from custom to standard process.
A safer framing: “Big savings usually come from moving from custom small lot to standard lot size—not from every incremental increase.”
How Garment MOQs Differ From Fabric MOQs
Garment MOQs are about factory productivity, not fabric chemistry.
Factories must justify:
- Cutting table setup and marker making
- Line balancing (operators, stations, throughput)
- Thread changes, trims staging, machine setup
- Printing/embroidery setup (screens, digitizing, approvals)
- QC and packing workflow
A garment MOQ is typically the point where the factory can run the style without losing money from interruptions and low efficiency.
What Determines Garment MOQ?
Garment MOQ usually depends on:
- Style complexity: More operations = higher MOQ needed to keep the line stable
- Size range: More sizes = more marker complexity and lower cutting efficiency
- Colorways: Most factories set MOQ per color per style, not just total pieces
- Decoration: Embroidery, print, wash, special trims usually increase MOQ or minimum per color
ExSample: “simple tees can be 50–100 MOQ” depends on factory type
Large export factories often won’t touch 50 pcs unless:
- Unless you are a repeat client
- They can slot it into leftover capacity
- They charge a high surcharge
So your article should hint that MOQ is also business-model dependent (CMT vs FOB, small workshop vs export factory).
How Style Complexity Raises Garment MOQ
Complex styles increase MOQ because they:
- Require more skilled operators
- Need more checkpoints and rework control
- Increase training and changeover time
- Demand specialized machines (feed-off-arm, seam sealing, bartack programs)
A jacket with many components can’t be run efficiently for a tiny quantity without creating a high defect and delay risk.
Hidden Costs of Low MOQs
Low MOQs can look cheaper on paper, but often cost more in reality.
Common hidden costs:
- Higher fabric price per meter
- Higher surcharge per piece for production setup
- Less stable production scheduling (low priority during peak season)
- Lower efficiency and higher defect risk
- Less flexibility for re-cuts or replacement fabric
Better framing than “small orders get less experienced workers”
=> That can be true, but it’s not universal. A more defensible version: “Small orders often get scheduled into gaps, which can reduce continuity and increase lead-time uncertainty.”
How to Navigate Conflicting Fabric MOQ and Garment MOQ
This is the core problem:
- The mill pushes you to order “enough fabric”
- The factory pushes you to order “enough pieces per style/color”
In practice, fabric MOQ often sets the absolute floor, because you cannot sew what you cannot buy.
Practical alignment options:
- Use the same fabric across multiple styles (capsule collection approach)
- Reduce the number of colors (stay within one dye lot)
- Choose mill stock fabric (remove or reduce fabric MOQ)
- Negotiate to buy “surplus/stock” from the mill or via the factory’s supply chain
- Plan multi-drop (same fabric now, same fabric later) if the mill can hold greige or repeat shade reliably
Operational Limits of Low MOQs:
With low MOQs, you often face:
- Longer lead times (fit into gaps)
- Less negotiating power on delivery dates
- Higher chance of delays if the factory gets a large urgent order
- Less efficient cutting (more waste %)
- Harder to manage shade consistency if you split fabric into multiple small lots
Conclusion / Final Words
Fabric MOQ and garment MOQ exist for different reasons and must be planned together. Fabric MOQ reflects the technical and cost realities of textile production, while garment MOQ ensures factory efficiency and consistent quality. Confusing the two often leads to incorrect costing, poor yield planning, and production delays.
In practice, fabric MOQ usually sets the true minimum production volume, while garment MOQ determines how efficiently that fabric can be turned into finished pieces. Brands that plan early controlling fabric choice, colorways, and style complexity can align both requirements and avoid unnecessary risk. MOQs are not barriers. They are planning signals that, when understood correctly, lead to better pricing, smoother production, and more reliable supply chains.
