Knowledge Library
What Is a Tech Pack? A Complete Guide for Fashion Brands
The short answer
A tech pack (technical package) is the complete specification a factory needs to turn a design into a produced garment. It is not a sketch and it is not a mood board — it is a precise, measurable document that answers every question a factory would otherwise have to ask. A good tech pack lets a factory quote, sample, and produce without a single clarifying email. That is the test of whether a tech pack is finished: could a factory work from it today, unchanged?
What a tech pack contains
A complete tech pack has five core components. First, a technical flat — a precise, proportional drawing of the garment from front and back, with construction callouts pointing to every seam, closure, and detail. Second, a bill of materials (BOM) listing every fabric, trim, thread, label, and component, with placement, quantity, and supplier. Third, a points-of-measure sheet specifying every measurement of the garment at a stated tolerance, so 'slim fit' becomes an exact chest measurement rather than an opinion. Fourth, a construction sheet describing seam types, stitch density, and finishing, sequenced in the order a machinist actually sews. Fifth, grade rules and a size chart, defining how the garment scales across the full size run. Colour is specified with genuine Pantone TCX codes so the dye house has an unambiguous reference.
Why each part matters commercially
Every omission in a tech pack becomes a cost later. A missing point of measure produces a sample that fits wrong, and a revision cycle costs weeks of calendar and a slice of the sampling budget. An ambiguous construction note produces a garment finished the wrong way. An incomplete BOM makes accurate costing impossible, so the brand cannot price with confidence. This is why the tech pack, not the sketch, is where a garment's cost and quality are actually determined. Brands that treat the tech pack as an afterthought pay for it in samples; brands that get it right before the factory quotes protect both their margin and their timeline.
Who normally makes a tech pack
Traditionally, a technical designer builds the tech pack — a specialist role that commands a full salary and deep experience. Smaller brands without that role freelance it, which fragments the pipeline and slows every style. This is precisely the kind of repeatable, knowledge-heavy work that can be systematised: the rules of a good tech pack are consistent, and the data can be generated directly from the design. Lyons Intel produces a complete, factory-ready tech pack — flat, BOM, points of measure, construction sheet, and grade rules — from a single design, in the formats a factory can load directly.
How to know your tech pack is ready
Apply one test: hand it to a factory and ask whether they can quote and cut from it without a single question. If the answer is no, it is a draft. Check that every measurement carries a tolerance, that the BOM accounts for every component down to the thread, that construction is sequenced in sewing order, and that colour is specified in TCX. A tech pack that passes this test collapses the revision cycle, because the factory never has to guess. That is the difference between a document that looks professional and one that actually produces the right garment the first time.