Glossary

The words a specification is written in.

Definitions of the terms used across apparel sourcing, and — where it matters more — the distinctions that are most often collapsed. A specification that means two things is the most expensive kind.

Specification

Tech Pack: The complete specification for a garment: technical sketch, bill of materials, measurement chart with tolerances, construction detail, artwork placement and packing instruction.Often confused with A sketch or a reference photo. Those are inputs to a tech pack, not a tech pack — neither states a tolerance, and tolerance is what a factory is held to.See also: Bill of Materials, Points of Measure, Tolerance
Bill of Materials: The itemised list of every fabric, trim, thread, label and packaging component in a garment, with placement and consumption.See also: Tech Pack, Trim Card
Points of Measure: The named locations on a garment where it is measured — chest, body length, sleeve length and so on — each with a specified value per size.See also: Grading, Tolerance
Tolerance: The permitted variance either side of a specified measurement. A garment measuring within tolerance is correct, not lucky.Often confused with Being treated as slack. A tolerance is a limit that has been agreed, so a consistent bias to one edge of it is a process problem even though nothing has technically failed.See also: Points of Measure
Grading: The rules by which a base-size pattern is scaled up and down a size range.Often confused with Scaling a garment uniformly. Body measurements do not grow evenly, so a correctly graded range changes some points more than others.See also: Points of Measure, Block
Block: The foundation pattern a style is developed from, carrying the fit intent before styling is added.Often confused with A men's block scaled down for women. A women's block is a different pattern, not a smaller one.
Marker: The nested layout of pattern pieces across usable fabric width. Marker efficiency and size ratio decide metres per garment — not fabric GSM alone.See also: Usable Width, Grading
Heat Transfer: A decoration route that applies artwork with heat and pressure. Must be qualified on the bulk fabric — especially polyester — because heat can remobilise disperse dye.See also: Strike-Off, Disperse Dye

Materials

GSM: Grams per square metre. The standard weight measure for knitted fabric, and increasingly for woven.Often confused with Quality. A heavier fabric is not a better one — it is a heavier one. Weight is chosen against use, laundering and climate.See also: Ounce Weight
Ounce Weight: Weight per square yard, used mainly for denim and canvas. Roughly 34 gsm per ounce.See also: GSM
Pique: A weft knit with a raised, textured surface, the standard construction for uniform polo shirts because it holds shape through repeated laundering.Often confused with Jersey, which is smooth-faced, lighter and drapes rather than holds structure.See also: Jersey, Interlock
Jersey: A plain weft knit with a smooth face and looped reverse. Light, fluid, the standard t-shirt construction.See also: Pique, Interlock
Interlock: A double knit that is identical on both faces, more stable and heavier than single jersey.See also: Jersey
CVC: Chief Value Cotton — a cotton-rich blend, typically 60/40 cotton to polyester.Often confused with Poly-cotton generally. CVC specifically means cotton is the majority by value.See also: Poly-Cotton
Poly-Cotton: A polyester and cotton blend. 65/35 polyester-cotton is the workwear standard because it resists shrinkage and holds colour through industrial laundering.See also: CVC, GSM
Lab Dip: A small dyed swatch submitted for colour approval before bulk dyeing.Often confused with A strike-off, which approves printed artwork rather than dyed colour.See also: Strike-Off
Disperse Dye: The dye class typically used for polyester. Colour is driven into the fibre under heat rather than with the water-based routes used for cotton.See also: Lab Dip
Sanforisation: A mechanical pre-shrinking treatment applied to woven fabric so the finished garment shrinks predictably.See also: Shrinkage
Usable Width: The cuttable width of a fabric roll after selvedge and needle lines. Full mill width is not usable width.See also: Marker, GSM

Sampling

Strike-Off: A test print of artwork on the actual fabric, approved before bulk decoration.See also: Sew-Out, Lab Dip
Sew-Out: A test embroidery run on the actual fabric, approved before bulk.See also: Strike-Off
Fit Sample: A sample made to assess fit and measurement, usually in available fabric rather than bulk.See also: PP Sample, Sealed Sample
PP Sample: Pre-production sample. Made on bulk fabric and trims, on the production line, and approved before cutting begins.Often confused with A fit sample. A PP sample proves the bulk materials and the line, not just the pattern.See also: Fit Sample, Sealed Sample
Sealed Sample: The approved sample both sides sign and retain. It is the reference the bulk is judged against.See also: PP Sample

Quality

AQL: Acceptable Quality Limit. A statistical sampling standard defining how many defects in an inspected sample allow a lot to be accepted.Often confused with A promise of zero defects. AQL defines an accepted level of defect, which is why the level itself is a commercial decision.See also: Inline Inspection, Final Inspection
Inline Inspection: Checks carried out during assembly, so a fault is caught at the operation that caused it.Often confused with Final inspection, which happens after everything is made and can only reject, not correct.See also: Final Inspection
Final Inspection: Inspection of finished, packed goods against the sealed sample and the agreed acceptance standard.See also: AQL, Inline Inspection
CAPA: Corrective and Preventive Action. The record of what went wrong, why, what was fixed, and what stops it recurring.Often confused with A corrective action alone. Without the preventive half, the same defect returns on the next order.
Shrinkage: Dimensional change after laundering, tested at development and specified as a permitted percentage.See also: Sanforisation, Tolerance

Commercial

FOB: Free On Board. The seller delivers the goods onto the vessel at the named port of loading; risk and cost transfer to the buyer at that point.Often confused with A price that includes freight. It does not — the buyer arranges and pays for carriage from the port onward.See also: CIF, Incoterms
CIF: Cost, Insurance and Freight. The seller pays carriage and insurance to the named destination port.Often confused with FOB. A CIF figure is always higher than the FOB figure for the same goods, because it contains freight.See also: FOB, CFR
CFR: Cost and Freight. The seller pays freight to the destination port, but risk typically passes when goods are on board at origin.Often confused with CIF. CFR does not include insurance; cost and risk still part company mid-ocean.See also: CIF, FOB, Incoterms
Incoterms: The standard international trade terms defining where cost and risk pass between seller and buyer.See also: FOB, CIF, CFR
MOQ: Minimum Order Quantity. Usually driven by fabric mill minimums rather than by sewing capacity.Often confused with An arbitrary factory rule. Where a minimum is fabric-driven, changing the fabric changes the minimum.
Landed Cost: The total cost of a garment delivered to the buyer's warehouse: FOB price plus freight, duty, insurance and handling.Often confused with FOB price, which is only the first component. Two FOB prices from different countries are not comparable until duty is applied.See also: FOB

Export

Carton Marking: The printed marks on a shipping carton identifying contents, quantity, style, destination and carton number.See also: Packing List
Packing List: The document stating what is in each carton, with quantities, sizes, colours and weights.See also: Carton Marking
Solid Pack: A carton containing one size and one colour.Often confused with Ratio pack, which contains a pre-set size run in one carton. Which one you need depends on how the goods are distributed at the other end.
Ratio Pack: A carton packed to a fixed size ratio, so each carton is a ready distribution unit.See also: Solid Pack