How to source clothing from Bangladesh: a step-by-step guide for brands

Why do brands source clothing from Bangladesh?

Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest exporter of clothing after China (WTO, World Trade Statistical Review), and ready-made garments make up roughly four-fifths of its merchandise exports (Export Promotion Bureau, FY2024–25). Buyers go there for three reasons: competitive prices on cotton basics at volume, tariff-free or low-tariff access to the EU, UK, Japan, Canada and Australia, and a deep base of knit, denim and sweater factories.

The trade-offs are real. Lead times are longer than in China or Turkey, synthetic and technical fabrics are less developed, and woven and denim programmes depend more on imported fabric than knitwear does. Bangladesh suits repeatable programmes in cotton and cotton blends from a few hundred pieces per style. It is a poor fit for a 50-piece fashion drop that must land in four weeks. For the side-by-side numbers, read Bangladesh vs China for clothing manufacturing.

What can you realistically make in Bangladesh?

Four product families cover most of what Bangladeshi factories do well: knit (T-shirts, polos, hoodies, joggers, activewear), woven (shirts, trousers, shorts, jackets), denim, and sweaters. The table shows usual starting minimums on stock fabric. They rise sharply once fabric has to be custom-dyed or custom-knitted.

How does sourcing clothing from Bangladesh work, step by step?

Every programme follows the same five phases. The timings are Giga Sourcing planning figures for a first order; they shrink on repeat orders because patterns, fabric and trims are already approved.

Start with a tech pack. It is the single document factories cost from. A vague brief produces vague quotes, and the gaps surface later as change orders. See how to read and write a tech pack.

Ask for itemised costing. A trustworthy costing shows fabric consumption and price, cut-make-trim, trims, print or embroidery, wash, packing and margin as separate lines. Compare lines, not totals. The T-shirt example shows what that looks like.

Treat the PP sample as the contract. The pre-production sample, made in bulk fabric and trims, is what the bulk order is inspected against. Do not release cutting without approving it.

Inspect twice. Inline checks catch problems while there is still time to fix them; a final random inspection at AQL 2.5 decides whether a lot ships. See how AQL inspection works.

Choose the Incoterm deliberately. Most Bangladesh programmes are priced FOB Chattogram, which means you arrange and pay main freight. Incoterms for apparel buyers explains the alternatives.

How long does a first order take?

Plan for 14–18 weeks from brief to warehouse: about a week for costing, three to four weeks for sampling, six to nine for production and three to six for shipping. Build in slack for two things you do not control. The Eid holidays close factories for a week or more, and fabric lead times can exceed sewing time on woven and denim programmes. Work backwards from your in-store or launch date with the MOQ and lead-time estimator and agree a time and action calendar at order confirmation.

How much does clothing from Bangladesh cost?

Factory quotes are normally FOB per piece, so the price you compare is not the price you pay. Landed cost adds freight, insurance, duty, taxes and clearance. For cotton basics in volume, Bangladesh often lands below China in the EU, UK and Japan, mainly because of the duty difference; for the United States the gap is smaller. The cost and duty guide explains each line, and the landed-cost calculator runs the arithmetic for your product and destination.

Published price bands appear in the pricing guide once three written factory quotes support a band. Until then, treat every figure in a guide as indicative.

How do you choose the right factory?

Match the factory to the programme rather than to the lowest quote. Five checks do most of the work.

• Product fit. Does it make your category every week, not once a year? Ask for similar styles it has shipped.
• Capacity and MOQ. Your order should be a meaningful but not dominant share of a line’s monthly output. Too small and you queue behind larger buyers; too large and you strain the plant.
• Compliance status. Current audit reports and certificates with numbers and expiry dates (see what to ask for). Fire, electrical and structural safety status comes first.
• Vertical depth. Knitting, dyeing and cutting under one roof shorten lead times and reduce shade risk on knits.
• Sample behaviour. The speed and quality of the first proto predict how the bulk will go. Late, vague or inconsistent samples rarely improve in production.

A buying house screens factories on these points before you see a quote. If you source directly, a visit is worth the cost; see how a Dhaka trip works.

How should you pay a Bangladeshi factory?

Never pay the full amount before goods are inspected. Two structures are common. The first is a deposit (30% is a typical starting point; terms are negotiable) with the balance paid against a clean final inspection and copies of the shipping documents. The second is a letter of credit issued by your bank that releases payment only against compliant documents. Bangladeshi factories often finance fabric through a back-to-back LC and are used to LC-based orders.

Decide the structure at costing stage because it affects price: letters of credit carry bank fees, and deferred (usance) terms add financing cost.

What mistakes do first-time buyers make?

• Costing from an incomplete tech pack, then paying for every change.
• Skipping the PP sample to save two weeks.
• Ignoring fabric lead time. On wovens and denim the fabric can take longer than the sewing.
• Ordering below the dye-lot minimum without checking how colour will be handled.
• Treating the FOB price as the final cost.
• Shipping without an independent final inspection.
• Under-specifying labels and packaging: fibre content, care instructions and country of origin differ by destination.