Each sample in the sequence answers one question — is it buildable, does it fit, is it graded correctly, is it what bulk will look like, did bulk match — and each approval closes that question permanently. We run the same sequence on every order, whether the buyer arrives with a finished tech pack or a one-page brief.
What is the sampling process in garment manufacturing?
Garment sampling runs in a fixed order: proto sample, fit sample, size set, pre-production (PP) sample and top of production (TOP) sample. Each stage answers one question, and each is approved before the next begins, which keeps changes out of bulk production.
| Stage | What it proves | Fabric and trims | Signed off by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proto | Design is buildable; construction and proportion | Available or substitute | Buyer design team |
| Fit | Measurements on a body or form | Bulk quality or close substitute | Buyer technical team |
| Size set | Grading across the size range | Bulk quality | Buyer technical team |
| Salesman sample (optional) | Range presentation for selling | Bulk or substitute | Buyer merchandising |
| Pre-production (PP) | Garment exactly as bulk will be made | Bulk fabric and bulk trims | Buyer; sealed as reference |
| Top of production (TOP) | Bulk matches the approved PP | Taken from first bulk output | Buyer or inspection agency |
Three approvals run alongside the garment samples rather than in sequence with them. Lab dips confirm colour on the actual fabric before bulk dyeing; strike-offs confirm prints and embroidery on fabric before bulk decoration; trim cards confirm buttons, zips, labels and packaging. A late lab dip holds up the PP sample as surely as a late fit approval.
Who pays for each round, and when the cost is credited against the order, is set out in sample charges.
What does a proto sample prove, and what does it not?
A proto sample proves the design is buildable: construction, proportion, seam types and the sequence of sewing operations. It does not prove fit, colour or fabric performance, because it is frequently made in substitute fabric before the bulk fabric has been sourced.
The input to a proto is one of three things: a complete tech pack, a reference garment, or a written brief. Which one the buyer supplies sets the route. A tech pack or reference garment places the order on the OEM route, where the specification already exists; a brief places it on the ODM route, where the block is developed here. OEM manufacturing routes compares the two and explains where design ownership sits on each.
Industry timing for a proto runs 7 to 14 days from a complete specification, plus 3 to 5 days by express courier from Dhaka to Europe or North America. Comments return in writing, marked against the tech pack, so the next sample corrects named points rather than impressions. What a tech pack must contain lists the sections that prevent an extra proto round.
How many fit sample rounds are normal?
Two fit rounds are the industry norm for a buyer with a complete tech pack; three for a new block or a buyer without one. Each round adds one to two weeks once making, courier transit and buyer review are combined.
A fit sample is made in the base size and tried on a fit model or a dress form with the target body measurements. Every point on the measurement chart is recorded against its tolerance, and the fit comments state each correction as a number — "reduce chest by 1 cm", not "slightly loose". Fit sessions run in person or by video, with the measurements taken on camera.
After the base size is approved, the size set tests grading. The smallest and largest sizes in the range are made and measured, because a grading error is invisible in the base size and obvious at the extremes. A size set skipped to save a week surfaces later as returns concentrated in two sizes.
What is a PP sample, and why is it the reference for bulk?
The pre-production sample is made in bulk fabric, with bulk trims, using the production line's actual construction method. Once approved and sealed, it becomes the physical standard bulk is inspected against, and any dispute after shipment is settled by comparison with it.
Bulk fabric test results come before the PP sample: shrinkage, colour fastness, weight and, for knits, spirality. A PP made in fabric that later fails those tests approves nothing. With the tests passed, the PP is made, approved and sealed — tagged and signed, with one sample held at the factory, one held by the buyer and, where an inspection agency is appointed, one held by the agency.
A pre-production meeting follows approval. Merchandising, quality control and the line supervisor review the sealed sample, the measurement chart, the trim card and the buyer's comments before cutting starts, so every person who touches bulk has seen the reference. Cutting does not begin until the PP is approved in writing.
What is a TOP sample, and when is it taken?
A top of production sample is pulled from the first completed bulk pieces and sent for approval while production continues. It confirms that the line has reproduced the approved PP sample before the full order quantity is committed to the same method.
The TOP sample catches what only bulk reveals: tension drift on a new machine set-up, a cutting table laid in the wrong fabric direction, a wash batch that ran hotter than the wash sample. It is the earliest point at which a production fault costs one batch rather than the whole order.
TOP approval is followed by inline inspection during production and a final random inspection before shipment. How garment inspection works covers the AQL sampling method used at that final stage.
Which stage is the last point a change is still cheap?
The fit stage. After fit approval, bulk fabric is booked and dyed to the approved lab dip, and any change to fabric, colour or measurements from that point costs fabric, time, or both.
| Change made at | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Proto | One sample remade |
| Fit | One additional fit round; 1–2 weeks |
| After bulk fabric booking | Fabric re-ordered or re-dyed; dye-lot minimums apply again |
| After PP approval | PP remade and resealed; bulk start delayed |
| After cutting | Cut panels scrapped or re-cut; delivery date moves |
The table explains why sampling discipline protects delivery dates. A measurement change at fit costs a week; the same change after cutting costs the fabric and the shipping window. Lead times are built on the assumption that changes stop at fit.
Starting development with us
Send a tech pack, a reference garment or a written brief, with the destination market and target delivery date. We return a development plan listing each sample stage, the approvals running alongside it, and the date by which each approval is needed to hold the delivery date. Sample charges and the point at which they are credited are stated in the same plan.
Send the enquiry to start, or read how the manufacturing process runs across categories.