A custom fabric composition, such as 90% polyester and 10% spandex for leggings or 90% cotton and 10% polyester fleece for a hoodie, has to be knitted and dyed specially for you, and mills knit and dye in lots far bigger than 100 garments need. That is why our minimum is 200 pieces per style per colour for your own composition in your Pantone colour, against 50 pieces from our stock fabrics and colours. It is also why a true pre-production sample in that fabric costs more and takes longer. For a first order of about 100 pieces, the smart route is usually to launch in the closest stock fabric and move to your own blend on the reorder.
The brief we see every week
A new brand writes to us with a request that sounds simple:
- 100 pieces in total
- A complex style: an activewear set with contrast panels, a hidden zip pocket, bonded hems and a reflective logo
- A full pre-production sample before paying anything for bulk
- A specific fabric: 90% polyester and 10% spandex, in an exact Pantone colour
Every one of these wishes is reasonable on its own. Put together, they collide with the way fabric is made. This guide explains why, in plain language, and shows the routes that do work for a small first order.
Stock, Pantone or your own composition: the three tiers
At Qumash Lab the minimum order quantity (MOQ) depends on how much of the fabric has to be made for you.
| Tier | What you get | MOQ | What has to happen before cutting |
|---|---|---|---|
| From stock | Our stock fabric in one of our stock colours | 50 pieces per style per colour | Nothing extra: the fabric is ready |
| Pantone colour | Our fabric base, dyed to your exact Pantone colour | 150 pieces per style per colour | Lab dip approval, then a dye batch in your colour |
| Composition and Pantone | Your own fibre blend, knitted and dyed for you | 200 pieces per style per colour | Yarn sourcing, knitting, dyeing, finishing and testing |
In all three tiers, sizes can be mixed freely within a style, and you can put several styles in one order as long as each style and colour reaches its MOQ.
Why your own blend needs a bigger order
Yarn is bought in lots
A 90/10 polyester spandex fabric is knitted from polyester yarn and spandex (elastane) yarn bought in lots. Yarn from different lots can dye to slightly different shades, so a mill buys and knits one lot per fabric order. Buying a small lot costs almost as much effort as buying a large one.
Knitting machines are set up for one fabric
A circular knitting machine is set up for one yarn combination, one gauge and one diameter. Changing the set-up, feeding the spandex at the right tension and checking the first metres takes the same time whether the mill then knits 30 kg or 300 kg. Small runs are therefore expensive per kilogram, and many mills simply refuse them.
Dyeing happens in batches
Fabric is dyed in batches inside a dyeing machine. A half-empty machine uses nearly the same water, energy, chemicals and time as a full one. Every colour is a separate batch, which is why minimums are set per colour, not per order.
Stretch fabrics need extra finishing
Fabrics with spandex are heat-set on a stenter frame to fix their width, stretch and shrinkage. The machine is set up and tested for each fabric. Skip this step and you get leggings that grow, curl or shrink after the first wash.
What 100 garments actually weigh in fabric
Knitted fabric is bought by the kilogram, so it helps to see how little fabric a small order uses. These are rough figures for adult sizes M to L, including normal cutting waste, to show the scale:
| Garment | Typical fabric | Fabric per piece | 100 pieces | 200 pieces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leggings | 250 GSM polyester spandex | about 0.3 kg | about 30 kg | about 60 kg |
| T-shirt | 180 GSM cotton jersey | about 0.3 kg | about 30 kg | about 60 kg |
| Joggers | 300 GSM fleece | about 0.55 kg | about 55 kg | about 110 kg |
| Hoodie | 320 GSM fleece | about 0.9 kg | about 90 kg | about 180 kg |
A mill's minimum run for a new blend in a new colour is usually well above what 100 pieces need. Either the extra fabric is paid for and left over, or the order grows to use it. A 200-piece minimum is the point where the economics start to make sense for both sides.
Why a full pre-production sample costs more
There are two kinds of sample, and the difference explains the price.
- A development sample checks the design, the construction and the fit. It can be made in the closest fabric we already have.
- A pre-production (PP) sample is the reference for bulk. It must be made in the real bulk fabric, in the real colour, with the real trims, labels and print.
For your own composition, the bulk fabric does not exist yet. To make a true PP sample before bulk, the mill has to knit and dye a sample lot, and that sample lot carries the same set-up costs described above. On top of that, a complex style needs more pattern work, more panels, specialty machines (flatlock, bonding or laser cutting), trims bought in small quantities, and often more than one revision round.
Our sample policy: your first sample is free and you only pay shipping. Complex styles cost $50 to $150 per style, credited toward your bulk order. A sample in a fabric that has to be knitted specially for you is quoted on its own, because the fabric set-up is part of the cost, and we tell you that price before anything starts.
A smarter way to approve a custom fabric
Most experienced brands split the approval into three steps instead of asking for one perfect sample up front:
| Step | What you approve | Made from |
|---|---|---|
| First: development sample | Design, construction, fit | The closest stock fabric |
| Second: fabric approval | Composition, weight, stretch, hand feel and colour | A fabric swatch, a lab dip and a fabric test report |
| Third: pre-production sample | Everything together | The first bulk fabric, before cutting the full order |
This gives you the same certainty for far less money, and it does not add weeks to the calendar, because the fabric is being made while you approve the fit.
Three smart routes for a first order of about 100 pieces
Take the activewear brief above: 100 pairs of leggings in 90/10 polyester spandex, in black and a custom sage green.
| Route | How it works | Fits 100 pieces? | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Launch on stock | Our closest stock polyester spandex, stock black and the nearest stock green, 50 pieces each | Yes | You are testing the design and the market |
| B. One Pantone hero colour | Our fabric base in your exact sage green | 150 pieces in one colour | The colour is the brand, the blend is not |
| C. Your own blend | Your 90/10 composition in your Pantone sage | 200 pieces per colour | The fabric itself is your selling point |
The same logic works for a hoodie brief such as "90% cotton and 10% polyester fleece". Ask which cotton-rich fleeces we hold in stock first. A stock cotton-polyester fleece often gives the feel your customer will notice, and you can launch at 50 pieces per colour, then move to your exact blend on the reorder once the style has proven itself.
Do you really need a custom composition?
Customers rarely feel the difference between 88/12 and 90/10. What they feel is stretch, recovery, softness, weight and whether the leggings go see-through when they squat. So instead of fixing a percentage, try describing the performance you want:
- Weight: for example 250 GSM, plus or minus 5%
- Stretch: 4-way stretch, with good recovery after stretching
- Opacity: not see-through when stretched over the knee
- Feel: brushed or peached face, cool or cottony hand
- Durability: low pilling after washing
- Shrinkage: within an agreed limit after washing
When you specify performance, we can often meet it with a fabric that already exists, which means a lower MOQ, a cheaper sample and a faster start. Our activewear fabric guide explains these terms in detail, and the GSM guide shows which weight suits which garment.
What to send us for a fast, honest quote
- The product, with a tech pack or clear reference photos (our tech pack guide shows what to include)
- Quantity per style per colour, not just the total
- Fabric: the composition you want, or the performance you need
- Colour: stock colour, Pantone code (TCX), or a physical swatch you can post
- Branding: print, embroidery or labels, and where they go
- Your destination country and target delivery date
Send it through our quote form and we will tell you which tier your order falls into, what the sample will cost and how long each step takes. For activewear lines, see our page for gym and activewear brands.
Key facts
- A custom fabric composition is knitted and dyed for your order, and mills work in lots much larger than 100 garments need.
- Qumash Lab MOQ: 50 pieces per style per colour from stock, 150 in your Pantone colour, 200 with your own fabric composition in your Pantone colour. Sizes can be mixed.
- 100 hoodies use only about 90 kg of fleece; 100 pairs of leggings use about 30 kg of fabric.
- A true pre-production sample must be made in the bulk fabric, so a sample in a custom blend costs more.
- First sample free (you pay shipping); complex styles $50 to $150 per style, credited toward bulk; samples take 7 to 10 business days.
- Specifying performance (weight, stretch, opacity, pilling) instead of an exact percentage often unlocks stock fabric and a lower MOQ.
Frequently asked questions
Can I order 100 pieces in my own fabric composition?
Our MOQ for your own composition in your Pantone colour is 200 pieces per style per colour. For a 100-piece first order, the usual route is our closest stock fabric (50 pieces per style per colour) or one Pantone colour on our fabric base (150 pieces).
Why is a sample in a custom fabric more expensive than a normal sample?
Because the fabric does not exist yet. The mill has to knit and dye a sample lot, and the set-up cost is almost the same as for a bigger run. A sample in an existing stock fabric avoids that cost.
What is the difference between a development sample and a pre-production sample?
A development sample checks design and fit and can be made in a similar fabric. A pre-production sample is made in the actual bulk fabric, colour and trims, and becomes the standard the bulk order is checked against.
Is 90/10 polyester spandex good for leggings?
It works for light leggings and tops. Most leggings use 15 to 20% spandex for firmer compression and better recovery, and weight matters as much as the blend for squat-proof opacity.
Can I mix sizes within the MOQ?
Yes. The MOQ is counted per style per colour, and you can split it across sizes in any mix you like.
Can I start with stock fabric and switch to my own blend later?
Yes, and it is the route we recommend. Launch on stock, learn what sells, then move your best style into your own composition on the reorder, when the 200-piece minimum is easy to reach.