Real figures from our current production catalogue, broken down by category — plus the five things that actually push MOQ higher, and why MOQ applies per colourway rather than per order.
The honest answer is that MOQ is not one number — it depends on what you are asking the factory to change. A blank heavyweight hoodie in a stock colour with a screen print can start at 5 pieces. The same hoodie in a custom-dyed colourway with a custom woven label realistically starts at 100 or more, because the dye house and the label supplier each have their own minimums.
Across our current 65-style catalogue, here is the real distribution. These are the published figures on our own product pages, not a sales range.
| Category | Our MOQ | Styles at that MOQ |
| Hoodies & sweatshirts | 5 pieces | All 16 styles |
| T-shirts | 1–5 pieces | 1 pc on 1 style, 2 pc on 3, 4 pc on 1, 5 pc on 11 |
| Men's sets & tracksuits | 5–10 pieces | 5 pc on 13 styles, 10 pc on 3 |
| Jackets (bomber, varsity, coach) | 10 pieces | 10 pc on 15 styles, 5 pc on 1, 100 pc on 1 |
Structured outerwear carries more components. An MA-1 bomber has a shell, a lining, a quilted interlining, ribbed collar, cuffs and hem, a two-way zip, and often a sleeve pocket zip. Each of those is sourced separately and each supplier has a minimum.
A pullover hoodie is one fabric, one rib, and a drawcord. The component count is the reason 15 of our 17 jacket styles sit at 10 pieces while all 16 hoodie styles sit at 5.
Per style, and per colourway. This is the single most misunderstood part of apparel MOQ and it changes your planning completely.
If you want a 3-colour hoodie drop at a 5-piece MOQ, that is 15 pieces total — 5 black, 5 bone, 5 washed grey. It is not 5 pieces split across three colours. The reason is physical: each colour is a separate fabric roll, a separate cutting spread and a separate production lot.
The practical consequence for a first drop is that colour count drives your total units faster than style count does. Two styles in one colour is a smaller commitment than one style in four colours.
When a supplier quotes you a higher MOQ than advertised, it is almost always one of these five things. Knowing which one lets you negotiate on the specific constraint rather than on the number.
| What drives MOQ up | Why |
| Custom fabric colour | Dye lots have minimums. Stock colours avoid this entirely. |
| Custom woven label or hardware | Trim suppliers set their own minimums, often 100–500 units. |
| Cut-and-sew from a new block | Pattern making and marker efficiency need volume to amortise. |
| Screen printing with many colours | Each colour is a separate screen. Setup cost spreads over quantity. |
| Structured outerwear | Linings, interfacing and hardware each carry their own minimum. |
No, and this is worth being clear about. At 5 pieces you are paying a per-unit price that reflects setup cost spread over five garments. Our catalogue shows unit prices from US$4.21 to US$30.00 FOB, and the low end of that range is reached at volume, not at MOQ.
The useful way to think about a low MOQ is as a risk-reduction tool for validating a design, not as the price you will build a business on. Most brands we work with run 5 to 10 pieces to confirm fit and finish, then move to 100 to 300 pieces per colourway once the style sells.
Three questions separate a real answer from a sales answer:
"Is that MOQ per style or per colourway?" — if the answer is vague, assume per colourway and plan accordingly.
"What specifically would raise this MOQ for my design?" — a factory names the constraint (dye lot, label minimum, zip supplier). A trader gives a general answer.
"What is the unit price at MOQ versus at 300 pieces?" — the gap tells you how much of the MOQ price is setup cost. If a supplier will not give both numbers, that itself is information.
Our hoodie MOQ is 5 pieces per style and per colourway, and that applies to all 16 hoodie styles in our catalogue. T-shirts go lower — one style starts at 1 piece and three start at 2 pieces.
Yes. A 5-piece MOQ can be any size breakdown you want, for example S/M/L/XL/XXL one each. Sizes are cut from the same fabric spread, so mixing them costs nothing extra.
No. MOQ applies per colourway because each colour is a separate fabric roll and a separate cutting spread. Three colours at a 5-piece MOQ means 15 pieces total.
Yes, and any supplier who says otherwise is hiding the setup cost somewhere. Price breaks are published on each product page so you can see the gap between MOQ pricing and volume pricing before you commit.
Send your style, target quantity and artwork to duocaiyears@gmail.com or WhatsApp +86 139 6021 7862. Our full numbers are on the manufacturing FAQ.
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