From Tech Pack to Shipped Order: How Production Actually Runs
PRP Apparel runs cutting, sewing, printing, embroidery, quality control, and packing inside one factory floor in Dongguan — nothing here gets handed off to a subcontractor you have never heard of. Below is the order things actually happen in, from the day we get your tech pack to the day your boxes leave for the port.
35-45 days from
sample to shipped order
bulk production window, confirmed at quote stage
12-15 days to
your first sample
from order confirmation to a sewn sample in hand
50 pieces is
our real MOQ
per style, not per color, no hidden sub-minimums
1-3 rounds of
sample revisions included
before we lock in bulk production
Ten Steps, One Factory: What Happens to Your Order
Inquiry, Tech Pack & Costing
Everything starts with what you send us — a tech pack, a reference garment, or sometimes just a sketch and a size range. Our team checks construction feasibility against our own equipment before we quote, not after, so the price you get is one we can actually hold once cutting starts. Quotes are built around our real 50-piece MOQ, not a padded minimum that gets renegotiated once you are committed. If a design needs a workaround, we tell you at this stage, not mid-production.
Order Minimums, Explained Plainly
Fifty pieces per style is the real number, not fifty spread across five colorways or a rate that jumps later. You can mix multiple styles in one order and each hits its own 50-piece line, which is how most brands running a small first drop actually order from us. Custom branding — woven labels, hangtags, packaging — comes at the same MOQ, so a 50-piece order still arrives looking like a finished product line. If a fabric needs a larger cut lot than your garment MOQ, we flag that at the quote stage.
Sampling & Fit Approval
A pattern gets cut and one sample gets sewn by hand before anything goes near bulk production — usually 12-15 days from the day you confirm the order. Sample cost runs $80-250 depending on complexity, and that covers fabric, construction, and shipping the physical piece to you, not just photos. Most orders need one to three rounds before fit, fabric, and finishing all match what you asked for, and that is built into the timeline rather than treated as a surprise delay. We would rather catch a sleeve-length issue on a sample than on a 200-piece bulk run.
Bulk Cutting & Sewing
Once you approve the sample, fabric gets cut at scale and sewn on the lines assigned to your order — the same floor, no handoff to a second factory partway through. Bulk production runs 35-45 days from that approval, and we can send progress photos partway through if you want a check-in rather than silence until the ship date. Flatlock seaming, bonded seam construction, and pantone-matched dyeing all happen in-house, which is why a batch does not lose consistency from one run to the next. Production slots are assigned when you confirm, not reshuffled later for someone else’s rush job.
Printing & Decoration
Sublimation all-over print, screen printing, heat transfer, and DTG all run in-house, and which one we recommend depends on your artwork more than your budget. Color matching happens against your file or a physical reference before a full run gets printed, not after. Printed panels get inspected for registration and cure before they are sewn into finished garments, so a smudged placement gets caught while it is still a flat panel. If your design changes mid-order, tell us before printing starts — changes after that point mean reprinting from scratch.
Embroidery
Multi-head embroidery machines handle everything from a small chest logo to a full jacket-back design, digitized in-house from your artwork rather than sent out to a third party. Stitch density and thread weight get adjusted per fabric — a logo that looks right on canvas can pucker on a lightweight jersey, so we test on scrap fabric from your order first. Woven labels and embroidered neck tags run through the same equipment, keeping branding consistent across a whole order. We will tell you upfront if a design is too fine-detailed to hold up at garment scale.
Quality Control
Every order gets checked before it is packed — measurements against your tech pack’s spec sheet, stitch and seam inspection, and a colorfastness spot-check on printed or dyed pieces. Colorfastness testing follows ISO 105-C06, ISO 105-X12, and ISO 105-E04 where a fabric or finish calls for it, and CPSC flammability testing is available for children’s sleepwear. We are checking against what your sample approved, not a generic pass/fail line. A failed unit gets pulled and reworked before the order ships, not flagged in a report after you have already received it.
Packaging & Labeling
Folding, woven labels, hangtags, and poly-bag or carton packing are all included at the same 50-piece MOQ as everything else — first orders arrive shelf-ready, not looking like a sample run. Fold style, tag placement, and packaging materials get specified before bulk production, using your reference or our standard options. Custom packaging — branded polybags, printed tissue, header cards — is priced at quote stage rather than added as a surprise line item afterward. Cartons are labeled per unit and per style so a multi-SKU order does not arrive as one unsorted pile.
Shipping & Logistics
Finished orders ship by sea or air from our Dongguan hub, and which one makes sense depends on your order size, timeline, and budget — a small test order usually flies, a large reorder usually sails. We work against whatever Incoterm you need, and exact transit time gets confirmed at quote stage since it depends on your destination port and the carrier’s schedule. You get a tracking number and shipping documents once cartons leave the factory, not just a vague update. If your freight forwarder needs specific customs documentation, tell us during the order.
Full Order Timeline at a Glance
Add it up and a first order typically runs 47-60 days from signed confirmation to cartons leaving the factory — 12-15 days of sampling plus 35-45 days of bulk production, with printing, embroidery, and QC happening inside that window rather than adding extra weeks on top. That number moves a little depending on fabric availability and how many sample rounds you need, which is why we give a real range at quote stage instead of a date we cannot hold. Reorders of a style we have already produced usually move faster. If a launch date is driving your timeline, tell us upfront and we will tell you honestly whether it is realistic.
How the Full Order Timeline Breaks Down
Buyers usually ask ‘how long will my order take’, which really depends on ten separate steps stacking up. Here is what happens at each one, in the order it actually happens, with the real duration for the steps that have a fixed one.
| Step | What Happens | Typical Duration | What You Receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Inquiry & Costing | Tech pack or reference reviewed for feasibility; quote built around 50-pc MOQ | 1-3 business days | Itemized quote + feasibility notes |
| 2. MOQ & Order Confirmation | Per-style piece count, size run, and color breakdown locked in | Same day as quote acceptance | Signed order confirmation |
| 3. Sampling | Pattern cut, first sample sewn in-house, sent for review | 12-15 days from confirmation | Physical sample + fit photos |
| 4. Sample Revisions | Adjustments to fit, construction, or fabric based on feedback | 1-3 rounds, included | Revised sample(s) |
| 5. Bulk Cutting & Sewing | Approved pattern cut at scale, sewn on assigned production lines | Inside the 35-45 day bulk window | Progress photos on request |
| 6. Printing & Embroidery | Sublimation, screen print, heat transfer, DTG, or embroidery applied in-house | Runs inside the same 35-45 day window | Decorated garments matching approved sample |
| 7. Quality Control | Measurement check, colorfastness spot-check, spec-sheet inspection | Before packing begins | QC inspection report |
| 8. Packaging & Labeling | Folding, woven labels, hangtags, poly-bag or carton packing | Before shipment | Retail-ready packed units |
| 9. Shipping | Sea or air freight booked from our Dongguan hub, per your Incoterm | Confirmed at quote stage (depends on destination) | Tracking number + shipping documents |
| 10. Total: Confirmation to Shipped Order | Full cycle from signed order to goods leaving the factory | ~47-60 days (12-15 sampling + 35-45 production) | Shipped, quality-checked, packaged order |
Manufacturing Runs In-House, Services Handles What You Can Order
Everything on this page happens inside our own factory in Dongguan, not spread across subcontractors we would have to coordinate between. If you already know what you want to order — OEM production, private label, pattern making, fabric sourcing — the commercial terms for each live on our clothing manufacturing services page, with per-service MOQ, lead time, and pricing you can act on directly. What you are reading here is the mechanics behind those services: how a tech pack actually turns into a shipped box, and what happens at each step along the way. For the fabrics referenced above, our fabric and materials page breaks down GSM ranges, stretch behavior, and certification by fiber type.
What to Send Us Before We Quote Your Order
The faster we get accurate answers to the questions below, the faster your quote turns into a real production timeline instead of a back-and-forth over email. None of this needs to be perfect on day one — we will help fill gaps during sampling — but the more you can send upfront, the fewer rounds it takes to lock in a price and a start date.
- Tech pack, reference images, or an existing sample garment
- Target fabric and GSM, or ask us to recommend one based on your design
- Size range and quantity per size
- Color count and any Pantone references for brand-specific shades
- Printing or embroidery placement, plus artwork files (vector where possible)
- Labeling and packaging preferences — woven label, hangtag, polybag, or carton
- Shipping destination and preferred Incoterm
Manufacturing Questions Buyers Actually Ask
What is your OEM clothing manufacturing process from inquiry to shipping?
It runs in ten stages: tech pack review and costing, MOQ and order confirmation, sampling, bulk cutting and sewing, printing, embroidery, quality control, packaging, and shipping. Sampling takes 12-15 days and bulk production takes 35-45 days once you approve the sample, so a first order typically runs 47-60 days from confirmation to cartons leaving the factory.
How long does sampling take before bulk production starts?
12-15 days from the day you confirm the order, covering pattern cutting and sewing one physical sample. Most orders need one to three rounds of revisions before fit and construction are approved, and that is included in the sample process rather than billed separately each round.
What is the minimum order quantity (MOQ) per style?
50 pieces per style — not per color, and not a number that changes once you are already committed. You can order multiple styles in one purchase and each one only needs to hit that 50-piece line on its own.
How long is bulk production once I approve a sample?
35-45 days from sample approval to a finished, packed order, with printing, embroidery, and quality control all happening inside that window rather than adding extra time on top.
Do you handle printing and embroidery in-house or send it to another factory?
In-house. Sublimation, screen printing, heat transfer, DTG, and multi-head embroidery all run on our own floor, which is why a printed or embroidered order does not lose consistency between a subcontractor’s work and ours — there is only one factory involved.
What quality control checks happen before an order ships?
Measurement checks against your tech pack’s spec sheet, stitch and seam inspection, and colorfastness spot-checks using ISO 105-C06, ISO 105-X12, and ISO 105-E04 where the fabric or finish calls for it. CPSC flammability testing is available for children’s sleepwear on request.
Can you produce multiple styles or fabrics in the same order?
Yes — that is normal for brands running a capsule or a full drop rather than a single item. Each style is still quoted, sampled, and produced against its own 50-piece MOQ, even inside one combined order.
What packaging and labeling options are included at MOQ?
Folding, woven labels, hangtags, and poly-bag or carton packing are all included at the standard 50-piece MOQ, so a first order still arrives shelf-ready. Custom packaging — branded polybags, printed tissue, header cards — is available and priced at the quote stage.
Ready to Get Your Order Moving?
Send us your tech pack, reference image, or even just a rough idea, and we will tell you honestly what it takes to build it — real MOQ, real lead time, real cost. No pressure to commit before you have seen a sample.