Why one number hides the real decisions
Buyers often compare quotes for similar-looking leggings and find them far apart. Usually neither quote is wrong. They are pricing different fabrics, different constructions, different trims or different quantities. The only way to compare them is to break each quote into its parts and ask what is behind each part.
This note explains those parts qualitatively. It does not give prices or percentages, because they move with fabric markets, quantities and specifications. Your program's figures are set in the written quotation.
The components of a factory price
| Component | What drives it | Where to influence it |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric (F) | Fiber, spandex share, GSM, finish, dye method, color minimums | Fabric sheet, color plan |
| Consumption | Pattern size, marker efficiency, size range, print matching | Pattern, size curve |
| Make (M) | Panels, seam types, gusset, pockets, bonding, waistband layers | Tech pack details |
| Trims (T) | Cups, elastics, labels, hang tags | Trim list |
| Decoration (D) | Logo method, colors, placements | Logo artwork and method |
| Packaging (P) | Polybags, stickers, inserts, cartons | Packaging specification |
| Setup (S) | Seamless machine setup, screens, molds, sample rounds | Number of styles and colors |
| Testing and inspection | Lab tests requested, inspection days | Test plan, inspection plan |
Fabric: usually the biggest lever
For a fitted yoga garment, fabric is often the largest single line in the quote. Nylon and spandex costs more than polyester and spandex. A higher spandex share costs more than a lower one, because spandex is the expensive fiber. Heavier fabric uses more yarn per meter. Brushing, wicking finishes and recycled yarns add steps or premium inputs. Custom colors need a dye lot of their own, which links fabric cost to color count.
Before trying to cut cost elsewhere, check whether the fabric is matched to the job. A legging for a value line may not need the same premium interlock as a studio hero style. Our legging fabric guide explains the trade-offs.
Consumption: how much fabric each piece uses
Consumption depends on the pattern pieces and how efficiently they fit on the cutting marker. Wide size ranges, large pattern pieces, directional prints that must be matched and color blocking all use more fabric per garment. A small pattern change, such as moving a seam, can sometimes improve the marker without changing the look. Ask the partner factory where the consumption sits and whether any change would help.
Consumption also explains why plus sizes and extended inseams can carry a different factory price from the core size range. More fabric goes into each piece, and the marker may hold fewer pieces per layer. Some programs quote one price across the size range and absorb the difference; others split the quote by size band. Ask which approach the quotation uses so your own pricing reflects it.
Make: construction complexity
Make covers cutting, sewing, finishing and pressing. Every panel, seam and detail adds operator time. A two-panel legging with a simple waistband is quicker to make than a legging with a diamond gusset, side drop-in pockets, a hidden waistband pocket and a three-layer waistband. Flatlock seams, coverstitch, bonded edges and laser cutting each need specific machines and skills. Seamless garments shift much of the make into the knitting program, which is why setup per style matters more than sewing time.
Trims, decoration and packaging
Bras carry cups, elastics and sometimes hardware. Leggings carry waistband elastic in some constructions and labels on all of them. Logo cost depends on the method, the number of colors and the placements; a multi-color silicone logo on two placements adds more than a single-color heat transfer on one. Packaging adds polybags, stickers, hang tags and cartons. Individually small, together they are a visible line, and they are easy to overlook in early budgeting. See labels and hang tags.
Setup and quantity: why small runs cost more per piece
Some costs are paid once per style, per color or per design, regardless of how many pieces follow: seamless machine setup, screens or molds for logos, pattern making, sample rounds and minimum dye lots. Spread over a large run, they are small per piece. Spread over a minimum run, they are large.
A simple way to see it, using letters instead of figures:
- Let V be the variable cost per piece: fabric, consumption, make, trims, decoration and packaging.
- Let S be the setup cost for the style and color.
- Let Q be the quantity ordered.
- The cost per piece is roughly V plus S divided by Q.
Doubling Q does not halve the price, because V does not change much. It reduces only the S divided by Q part. This is why a factory quote at the minimum is higher per piece than at a larger quantity, and why fewer colors per style often reduce cost more than negotiating the sewing price. The MOQ explainer shows where minimums come from.
Testing, inspection and compliance
Lab tests on the production fabric, such as colorfastness to laundering and perspiration, pilling and stretch and recovery, are a real cost and belong in the budget. So does an inspection before shipment. Children's products under CPSIA need third-party testing by a CPSC-accepted lab. These costs are small relative to the cost of a failed shipment or a returns problem, but they are often missing from first budgets. See the compliance overview.
What the factory price does not include
A factory quote is usually on FOB terms: the goods loaded at the port of export. It does not include international freight, insurance, import duty, customs brokerage, inland delivery or warehouse receiving. Those turn the factory price into a landed cost, which is the number you price from. Our pricing note walks through that ladder, and FOB vs DDP explains the trade terms.
How to read and compare quotes
- Confirm both quotes are for the same fabric sheet, GSM and composition.
- Confirm the same construction: panels, gusset, pockets, waistband layers.
- Confirm the same trims, logo method and packaging.
- Confirm the same quantity per style per color and the same trade term.
- Only then compare the totals.
The desk prepares quotations with the main components listed, so you can see which decision moves the number. Read the pricing guide for the cost drivers, then request a quotation for your styles.