Sourcing guide
A practical guide to working with a Pakistani apparel manufacturer. What you send, what comes back, what is decided when, and what AHM International can and cannot evidence.
What does an apparel manufacturer in Pakistan actually do for a buyer?
A Pakistani apparel manufacturer takes a buyer's specification (a tech pack, a reference garment or a written requirement) and converts it into a manufacturing document, sources fabric and trims against it, produces samples for approval, manufactures in bulk, inspects against an agreed standard, packs to instruction and delivers on board at a Pakistani port under FOB terms. AHM International does this from Karachi, with documented FOB export experience to the United States.
Why Pakistan
Pakistan is a long-established cotton-growing and textile-producing country with an integrated supply chain: spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, finishing and garment manufacture all exist domestically. For a buyer, that integration matters because it shortens the distance between a fabric decision and a finished garment.
The practical consequence is strength in cotton and poly-cotton products (uniform and workwear categories, knits, wovens and fleece) rather than in highly technical performance apparel. Buyers sourcing uniform programs, workwear, polos, aprons and fleece are working with Pakistan's core competence rather than against it.
Pakistan is also a genuine alternative rather than a replacement for other sourcing origins. Most buyers who source here do so as part of a multi-country strategy, and the sensible way to start is with one style rather than a program migration.
How a program starts
The sequence from first contact to first shipment. Steps one to five decide most of the cost.
- 01
Send the specification
A tech pack, a reference garment, a sketch or a written requirement. All four are workable; the tech pack is fastest.
- 02
Review and questions
We list what is missing before quoting, rather than pricing in a margin for the unknown.
- 03
Fabric and trim options
Materials matched to the requirement, with alternatives where the first choice is likely to price badly.
- 04
Commercial FOB costing
Built against the confirmed construction, materials, decoration, packing and quantity.
- 05
Sampling and approval
Proto, fit and pre-production samples against written comment sheets, ending in a sealed sample.
- 06
Bulk manufacturing
Cutting and assembly to the approved construction, with inline checks at defined operations.
- 07
Inspection and packing
Against your standard, then packed and marked to your packing instruction.
- 08
FOB dispatch
Documentation prepared and the shipment coordinated to handover on board at Port Qasim, Karachi.
What AHM manufactures
Twelve product families, all produced to buyer specification rather than sold from a catalogue.
- Uniform & workwear
- Work shirts, uniform tops, service apparel, chef wear, hi-vis garments and caps.
- Polos & T-shirts
- Classic and performance polos, long-sleeve polos, crew-neck and performance tees.
- Fleece & sweatshirts
- Crewneck sweatshirts, pullover and full-zip hoodies, fleece jackets and vests.
- Aprons
- Bib, waist, chef, service and utility aprons. The category with documented export history.
- Woven shirts
- Button-front uniform shirting, utility work shirts and service shirts.
- Bottoms
- Work trousers, uniform pants, cargo styles and work shorts.
- Outerwear
- Softshell, lightweight jackets, work jackets and vests.
What is verified, and what depends on your specification
Published so you know which answers you can rely on before commercial discussion, and which genuinely cannot be answered until we see the style.
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing and export location | Verified. Karachi, Pakistan |
| FOB export experience | Verified. Documented shipment from Port Qasim to the United States |
| Documented product experience | Verified. 65% polyester / 35% cotton stain-managed bib apron program |
| Commercial model | Verified. FOB |
| Price | Per project. Depends on article, fabric, construction, quantity, decoration, packing and schedule |
| Minimum order quantity | Per project, usually constrained by fabric, not by stitching |
| Sampling cost and timing | Per project. Depends on fabric availability and development work |
| Production lead time | Per project. Confirmed in the quotation |
| Certifications | Confirmed in writing during commercial discussion |
| Production capacity | Confirmed against your quantity and schedule, not published as a figure |
What we do not publish
No capacity figure, employee count, factory size, machinery list, years in business or certification appears anywhere on this site, because none of them have been independently verified for publication. A supplier site that states all of them without evidence is telling you less than one that does not.
What we need in order to quote
You do not need all of it. Send what you have and we will tell you what is missing.
- Article and construction
- Tech pack, reference garment, sketch or written description.
- Fabric
- Composition and weight, or the requirement the fabric has to meet.
- Quantity
- Per style and per colour, even approximately.
- Colours and sizes
- How many colours, against what reference, and the size range.
- Decoration
- Embroidery, print or labels, with artwork where available.
- Packing and destination
- Packing instruction, destination port and target delivery window.
- Target price
- Genuinely useful. It tells us which fabric and construction options are worth presenting.
Origin
Country context, with sources
Pakistan is a GSP+ beneficiary under the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences, which reduces tariffs to zero on covered tariff lines.
For a buyer importing into the EU, origin affects landed cost independently of FOB price. Two quotations at the same FOB are not the same delivered cost. Confirm your own classification and origin documentation with your customs broker — the preference belongs to the origin, not to the supplier.
European Commission — Generalised Scheme of PreferencesChecked 2026-09-03
What AHM does not claim
- Vertical integration from fibre to finished garment
- AHM manufactures and exports garments. It does not spin, weave or own the mills, and does not present a supply chain it does not control.
- Environmental or social certification
- No certification is shown anywhere on this site, because none has been evidenced to us. A logo without a certificate number and an expiry date is decoration.
- Production capacity and headcount
- Published as "available on request" rather than as a round number. Capacity quoted without a reference period and an article type is not a figure a buyer can plan against.
- A list of buyers or brands served
- Buyer relationships are confidential and no customer is named. The one published case study is anonymised.
Buyer questions
Reviewed by
AHM International product development team
Last reviewed August 2026
No. A reference garment, a sketch or a clear written description all work. A tech pack simply gets you an accurate quotation faster, because fewer questions are being answered by assumption.
That is the recommended way to start. Send one existing or upcoming style and we will review the specification and come back on construction, fabric, trims, development, FOB costing and lead time. It is a low-risk way to see how a supplier actually works.
Because both genuinely depend on the article. Minimum quantity is usually constrained by the fabric mill's minimum rather than by our stitching, and lead time depends on whether fabric is in stock or needs developing. Publishing a single figure would be misleading for most enquiries.
FOB. AHM covers development, materials, production, quality, packing, export documentation and delivery on board at Port Qasim, Karachi. Freight, insurance and import clearance from that point are the buyer's responsibility.
Yes. Tech packs, specifications and commercial terms are treated as confidential. This site does not publish any customer's name, and the one program shown as a case study is anonymised.
One style is enough to evaluate a supplier. We review it and come back on construction, materials, decoration and commercial FOB costing.
Explore next
Explore next
Apparel exporter in Pakistan
Export workflow, documentation and FOB handover from Karachi.
FOB apparel manufacturing
What FOB covers, and how it compares with EXW and CIF.
Product range
Twelve apparel families manufactured to buyer specification.
Manufacturing process
Nine stages, each with its outputs and its characteristic failure.
Quality assurance
Where inspection happens and what is checked at each stage.
Private label manufacturing
Producing under a buyer's own brand, and how it differs from OEM.
Request a quote
Send a specification and get costed against it.