MOQ & lead-time estimator
Is my quantity realistic, and when would it arrive?
Minimums are set by the fabric mill, not the sewing line. This tells you the true floor for your fabric choice and the honest ways around it, plus a first-order calendar.
YOUR QUANTITY WORKS: 500 pcs min. 500 pieces per colour clears the 500-piece minimum for t-shirts on stock fabric. A first order takes about 15–20 weeks door to door.
500 pieces per colour clears the 500-piece minimum for t-shirts on stock fabric. A first order takes about 15–20 weeks door to door.
- Minimum on stock fabricPer style, per colour; sizes pool together
- 500 pcs / colour
- Your programme500 × 2 colours
- 1,000 pcs
- Proto sampleplus courier 3–5 days
- 10–14 days
- Bulk after PP approval
- 45–60 days
- Shipping to United KingdomSea, Chattogram → destination port
- 28–35 days
- First order, door to door
- 15–20 weeks
- Costingwk 1–1
- Samplingwk 2–3
- Fabric & trimswk 4–6
- Production + QCwk 7–15
- Shippingwk 15–20
How it works
- 1Choose the product, fabric type, colours per style, decoration and your quantity per colour.
- 2The minimum is the category floor, raised for custom-dyed (1,000), custom-knit (3,000) and all-over print.
- 3Lead times add costing, sampling, fabric and trims, bulk production and transit to your destination.
- 4Add a needed-by date and the tool works backwards to the latest bulk order date and the latest brief date.
Questions people ask here
Why does custom-dyed fabric raise the minimum?
Mills dye in lots of roughly 1,000 metres. One lot makes about 1,000 T-shirts, so anything smaller leaves the mill with leftover fabric it charges you for.
Can I split 1,000 pieces into two deliveries?
Yes. Fabric is dyed once; sewing and shipping can be phased, which spreads your cash outlay.
Does mixing sizes count?
Yes. S to XXL within one style and colour pool toward the minimum.
Data sources and dates
The tables behind these numbers, the date each was last updated and whether a person has checked it.
| Table | Covers | As of | Source | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimums | Category MOQ; custom-dyed 1,000 and custom-knit 3,000; all-over print behaves like a dye lot | 12 Oct 2026 | Partner factory terms | Needs human review |
| Lead times | Costing, sampling, fabric and trims, bulk, decoration, transit | 12 Oct 2026 | Sample-room averages Q3 2026; T&A records 2026; forwarder schedules (prototype values) | Needs human review |
| Freight table | Chattogram → 9 destinations, sea LCL, sea FCL and air, converted to a per-piece cost with packing profiles | 15 Oct 2026 | internal: forwarder rate card (seed values, not yet confirmed by a forwarder) | Needs human review |
Seed values are labelled wherever they are used. A table only loses its review flag when a named person signs it off in the admin tools-data screens.
Related guides
Need an exact number?
Your spec, three factories, one line-by-line costing within 3 business days.