The minimum order quantity for custom clothing at most cut-and-sew factories is 100 to 500 pieces per style and colour; at Mike Apparel it is 50 pieces per design and colourway, sizes mixed. Custom-dyed fabrics, custom hardware and some knitted logos carry their own component minimums on top.
MOQ is the number most first-time brands ask about first and understand least, because it is really several minimums stacked together: the garment minimum, the fabric minimum, the trim minimum and the decoration minimum. This guide explains each, why they exist and how to design an order that clears all of them at 50 pieces.
Why do clothing factories have minimums?
Three fixed costs happen once per run regardless of quantity: pattern and marker making, line setup (threading machines, loading screens, digitising embroidery) and fabric handling. Spread over 500 pieces they are pennies; over 20 pieces they are dollars per garment. A factory’s MOQ is the quantity at which those costs are covered at a price the market accepts. Our cutting room and lines are organised for 50-piece lays, which is why 50 is normal for us rather than an exception. The economics are worked through in whether low MOQ manufacturing is worth it.
What are the different minimums in a clothing order?
| Minimum | At Mike Apparel | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Garment, stock-colour fabric | 50 pcs per design and colour | Line setup and cutting efficiency |
| Custom-dyed knit fabric | 100 pcs per colour | Dye batch minimum |
| Custom-dyed woven / nylon | 300 metres (~100–120 pcs) | Mill dye lot |
| Custom striped rib | 50 pcs | Knitted in-house |
| Jacquard-knitted beanie logo | 100 pcs per design | Machine programming |
| Custom moulded hardware | 500–1,000 pcs | Supplier tooling |
| Woven labels | 50 pcs (matches garment) | Produced in-house |
| Printed hang tags | 100 pcs | Print run |
| Printed boxes | 300 pcs | Print and die-cut setup |
| Reorders on an existing block | None | Setup already done |
How do I design an order that works at 50 pieces?
- Use stock fabric colours (black, white, bone, grey, navy, charcoal, brown, forest and about twenty more) rather than a custom Pantone on the first run.
- Put the brand into embroidery, prints and woven labels, which all run at 50, rather than into custom hardware.
- Spread the 50 across sizes in the ratio you expect to sell (for US streetwear roughly S 15% / M 30% / L 30% / XL 18% / 2XL 7%).
- Order several designs at 50 each in one run: they ship together and share sampling time.
- Reorder on the same block: reorders have no minimum, so the 50 is only a first-run constraint.
Does MOQ apply to samples?
No. A sample is one piece, made exactly as bulk will be, and can be ordered without committing to a run. See the sampling process.
What does ‘per design’ mean?
One pattern in one fabric and one colour, with one decoration setup. Changing the print on the same hoodie is a new design for print setup but not for the garment, so we allow a split: 50 hoodies in one colour with two different chest prints at a small setup charge per print. Matching sets count as one design of 50 sets.
How does our MOQ compare?
Domestic US cut-and-sew shops typically start at 150–500 pieces; Chinese factories at 300–500 per colour with lower prices at 1,000+; Sialkot factories built on export sportswear commonly run 50–100. The full comparison is in Pakistan vs China vs USA clothing manufacturing, and our commitments are on MOQ and lead times. Everything we manufacture at 50 pieces is on the private label clothing page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the lowest MOQ for custom clothing?
Serious cut-and-sew factories rarely go below 50 pieces per design; ours is 50. Anyone advertising 10–20 pieces of cut-and-sew is usually decorating blanks or subcontracting.
Is MOQ per colour or per style?
At Mike Apparel it is per design and colourway: 50 black hoodies and 50 grey hoodies are two minimums. Sizes are mixed freely within each.
Why do custom colours have a higher minimum?
Dyeing a fabric lot to a Pantone has fixed costs and a minimum batch. On knits that works out to about 100 pieces; on wovens to 300 metres of fabric.
Can I mix products to reach the minimum?
No, each design has its own 50, but you can order several designs at 50 each in one run and they ship together.
Last updated September 6, 2026 · Mike Apparel, Sialkot. Lead times reflect current factory capacity; confirm on your quote.