Tech packs · 4 min read
How much does a tech pack cost?
Published prices vary a lot, for good reason. Here is what you might pay, what drives the number, and which parts you can do yourself.
The short answer
A guide from Onbrand puts tech packs at roughly $100 to $1,200 or more per style, while Guru reports $500 to $2,000 for a standard pack from a professional US designer. A plain T-shirt sits near the low end, and a lined jacket near the top. You can lower the price by bringing your own flats, materials and measurements.
What published prices say
There is no standard rate, and very little independent data. These figures come from a software company and a freelance marketplace, each of which has something to sell, so treat them as rough guides.
| Type of pack | Typical price per style | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Simple garment, limited details, few revisions | About $100 to $500 | Onbrand |
| Mid-range, several sizes, detailed notes and trims | About $300 to $1,000 | Onbrand |
| Highly detailed, production-ready | $1,200 or more | Onbrand |
| Standard pack from a professional US designer | $500 to $2,000, around 5 to 20 hours | Guru |
You will also find much lower prices on marketplaces. These often cover flats and basic measurements only. Check the scope, because the headline price can compare two different things.
What changes the price
- The garment. A T-shirt has a few pieces and simple stitches. A lined trench has dozens of pieces, trims and finishes.
- How much you have decided. If you bring materials, measurements and a reference garment, the freelancer spends less time asking and guessing.
- Sizes. One sample size costs less than a full graded range.
- Revisions. Fixed prices usually include a set number of changes. Find out how many.
- Who makes it. Experience with your type of garment costs more, and usually saves sample rounds.
- Extras. Patterns, print artwork, sourcing and factory liaison are often separate.
Your options, compared
| Option | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance technical designer | Your first styles, or complicated ones | Scope and revisions, so get them in writing |
| Your factory | Styles it is going to make anyway | The pack may stay with the factory if you move |
| Tech pack software or PLM | Teams making many styles | A monthly fee, and you still need flats |
| Do it yourself in a template | Simple styles and tight budgets | Your time, and gaps you may not notice |
How to pay less without cutting corners
Most of the cost of a tech pack is someone's time. So anything you already have ready saves money.
- Bring your own flats. Drawing the front and back is often a big part of the hours. Even a clean draft saves time. Our guide on drawing flats in Illustrator shows how.
- Send a reference garment, or a photo of one, with the measurements you like.
- Choose materials first. A list of fabrics, trims and suppliers fills in most of the BOM.
- Bundle similar styles. A polo and a long sleeve polo share most of their pack, so ask for a price on both.
- Keep your master files. Make sure you own the editable files, so next season's version is a small update, not a new job.
What a bad tech pack really costs
The price of the pack is only part of it. A vague pack leads to a wrong sample, and a wrong sample costs money, shipping and weeks of waiting. Sample rounds add up quickly, and a garment that passes all of them and is still wrong in production is far more expensive. It is often worth spending a little more on the document that everything else depends on.
Questions people ask
How much should I pay for a tech pack?
Published ranges start at about $100 per style for a simple garment and go well past $1,000 for a complicated, production-ready pack. Get a fixed quote, and check it covers what your factory needs, since two packs at the same price can hold very different amounts of work.
Why are some tech packs so cheap?
Usually the scope is smaller: flats and a basic measurement chart, with no detailed construction, no grading and few revisions. That can be fine for a very simple style. Ask for a sample of the freelancer's work before you decide.
Can I make a tech pack myself?
Yes. Many small brands do, using a spreadsheet template and their own flats. It takes more time, and your first one may have gaps, but your factory can often tell you what is missing. A freelancer can then check your work for less than the cost of creating it from nothing.
Does a tech pack price include grading?
Not always. Some freelancers include one sample size and charge extra for a full graded size range. Ask directly, and also ask how many rounds of revisions are included.
Do I pay again for each colour or size?
A colour change is often a small add-on, because the drawing does not change. A new size range costs more if the grading was not included. A new style, even a similar one, is usually a new tech pack, though many freelancers discount similar styles.
Is a cheap tech pack worth it?
It depends on what it saves or costs you. A mistake in a tech pack can cost a sample round, which often costs more than the difference between a cheap pack and a good one. Pay for what your garment needs.
