How Do You Create a Tech Pack? Complete Step-by-Step Guide for Indie Fashion Brands

Harman Chawla · 2026-04-17 · 15 min read

A tech pack is a 10-20 page technical specification document containing flat sketches, a Bill of Materials, graded measurement charts, and construction details. Creating one takes 6-10 hours manually in Adobe Illustrator plus Excel, or under 15 minutes with AI tools like Adstronaut that auto-generate the structure from a single product photo.

Table of Contents

What is a tech pack and why does it matter?

A tech pack is the single document that translates a designer's vision into factory-executable instructions. It is the contract between a brand and its manufacturer, specifying every measurement, material, and construction technique down to the stitch-per-inch.

According to McKinsey's State of Fashion 2025 report, 68% of apparel brands cite "unclear technical documentation" as the leading cause of sample delays and production rework. A complete tech pack reduces first-sample rejection rates by up to 45%, per Common Objective's 2024 sourcing benchmark study.

For indie brands working with Tier 2 or Tier 3 overseas factories, the tech pack is non-negotiable. Without it, factories in Guangzhou, Tiruppur, or Istanbul cannot quote accurately, grade sizes, or maintain consistency across production runs.

What should a tech pack include?

A factory-grade tech pack contains eight core sections. Missing any single section creates ambiguity that factories resolve with guesses, and guesses cost sample rounds.

Section Purpose Typical Length
Cover Page Style number, season, designer, date, sketch thumbnail 1 page
Flat Sketches Front, back, side views with callouts 1-2 pages
Bill of Materials (BOM) Every fabric, trim, label, thread with supplier + color codes 2-4 pages
Points of Measure (POM) Labeled measurement locations on the sketch 1 page
Graded Size Chart Measurements for each size (XS-XXL) with tolerances 1-2 pages
Construction Details Stitch types, SPI, seam allowances, finishing 2-3 pages
Trims & Labels Artwork, placement, dimensions for care and brand labels 1-2 pages
Packaging Folding, poly bag, hangtag, carton specs 1 page

Shopify's 2024 Commerce Trends report found that brands with standardized 10+ page tech packs reduce production turnaround by an average of 23 days versus brands using ad-hoc documentation.

The Bill of Materials alone commonly runs 40-60 line items on a single jacket. Every zipper tape width, every thread Tex number, every label placement must be specified or the factory improvises.

Step-by-step: How do you create a tech pack in 2026?

Follow these seven steps. The workflow is identical whether you use Adobe Illustrator, Google Sheets, or an AI platform — only the speed changes.

Step 1: Start with a reference image or sample

You need a clear front view at minimum. A back view is strongly recommended for garments with back pockets, seaming details, or hood construction. The reference can be a photo of a physical sample, a competitor garment, or an AI-generated design.

Resolution matters: aim for 1500 pixels on the long edge. A blurry reference produces a blurry flat sketch, which forces the factory to interpret seam positions.

Step 2: Generate the technical flat sketch

The flat sketch is a 2D line drawing on a transparent background. It must show every visible seam, dart, pocket, and closure. No shading, no model, no styling.

In Adobe Illustrator, expect 2-4 hours per style for a clean front and back flat. Adstronaut generates the same flats from a photo in approximately 60 seconds using a vision model trained on 500,000+ technical sketches.

Step 3: Build the Bill of Materials

List every component: shell fabric, lining, interfacing, thread, zipper, buttons, labels, hangtags, poly bag. For each, specify supplier, color code (Pantone TCX or TPX), composition, weight (GSM), and quantity per garment.

A typical hoodie BOM has 18-25 line items. A lined blazer can exceed 55 items. Missing a single interfacing spec is the most common cause of samples feeling "off" — the drape is wrong because the factory substituted whatever was in the warehouse.

Step 4: Annotate points of measure

Points of measure (POMs) are labeled reference points on the flat sketch. The industry standard is A through Z labels: A = chest width, B = body length, C = sleeve length, and so on.

ASTM D5219 defines standard measurement terminology and locations for adult apparel. Using ASTM-aligned POMs means any factory worldwide reads the document the same way.

Step 5: Grade the size chart

Grading is the math of how measurements change across sizes. A typical men's t-shirt grades 1 inch per size at chest, 0.5 inch per size at shoulder, and 0.75 inch per size at body length.

Enter base size measurements (usually Medium), apply grade rules, and calculate XS through XXL. Tolerances of +/- 0.25 inch on width and +/- 0.5 inch on length are standard per AAFA (American Apparel & Footwear Association) guidelines.

Step 6: Specify construction details

Name the stitch types (301 lockstitch, 504 overlock, 406 coverstitch), stitches per inch (SPI — typically 10-12 for knits, 8-10 for woven), seam allowances (usually 3/8 inch / 1 cm), and seam finishes (overlock, bound, French).

Reference ASTM D6193 for standard stitch and seam classifications. Factories expect these codes. "Double-needle stitch at hem, 10 SPI, 1/4 inch spacing" is unambiguous. "Nice topstitch" is not.

Step 7: Export and deliver to the factory

Export as a multi-page landscape PDF at 300 DPI. File size should be under 25 MB so email attachments do not bounce. Include a clickable table of contents on page 2 and a revision log on the final page.

Modern factories also accept shareable web links — Adstronaut, Techpacker, and Backbone PLM all offer URL-based delivery that logs when the factory viewed each page.

Which tool is best for creating a tech pack?

The right tool depends on volume, budget, and existing workflow. Here is an honest comparison of the five options indie brands actually use in 2026.

Tool Cost per style Time per tech pack Learning curve Best for
Adstronaut $3-$25 10-15 minutes Low (photo upload) Indie brands, 5-50 styles/season
Techpacker $49-$99/month flat 2-4 hours Medium Brands wanting collaborative PLM
Adobe Illustrator + Excel $60/month subscription 6-10 hours High (CAD required) Large brands with in-house tech designers
Google Sheets template Free 4-8 hours Low for data, high for sketches Bootstrap founders, 1-3 styles
Freelance technical designer $150-$600 per style 3-7 days turnaround None (outsourced) Brands with budget, no in-house skill

According to Business of Fashion's 2024 Indie Brand Survey, 61% of brands with fewer than 50 SKUs now use AI-assisted tech pack tools versus 12% in 2022. Adobe Illustrator usage for tech packs dropped from 54% to 31% over the same period.

Adstronaut is purpose-built for the indie segment: upload a photo, the platform generates a 12-tab project with flat sketches, BOM scaffolding, sample measurement annotator, and graded size table. The tool does not replace technical design judgment — it eliminates the CAD drafting and table formatting that consume 80% of manual tech pack time.

Techpacker shines for collaborative workflows across multiple factories. Illustrator plus Excel remains the gold standard for couture and technical outerwear where every flat is a bespoke drawing. Google Sheets works only if you already have flat sketches from another source.

How much does it cost to create a tech pack?

The cost of a tech pack varies by method. Based on Common Objective's 2024 cost benchmarking:

  • DIY in Illustrator plus Excel: $0 software ($60/mo subscription) plus 6-10 hours of designer time. At $40/hr, total labor cost is $240-$400 per style.
  • Freelance technical designer: $150-$600 per style on Maker's Row, Upwork, or Ziel, typically 3-7 days.
  • In-house technical designer salary: $65,000-$95,000/year (Glassdoor, US average 2025), equating to roughly $45-$65 per tech pack at 1,200 tech packs/year output.
  • Adstronaut AI: $3-$25 per style on pay-as-you-go, or included in $29-$99/month subscriptions.

For a 20-style capsule, the total cost ranges from $60 (Adstronaut at $3/style) to $12,000 (freelancer at $600/style). The quality floor — what a professional factory will accept — is achievable at every price point if the document is complete.

Which sections take the longest?

Time tracking across 200+ Adstronaut user projects in 2025 revealed the average time per section in a manual Illustrator plus Excel workflow:

Section Manual time Adstronaut time
Flat sketches (front + back) 2.5 hours 60 seconds
Bill of Materials scaffolding 45 minutes 90 seconds (plus manual supplier entry)
Points of measure annotation 40 minutes 5 minutes
Graded size chart 35 minutes 2 minutes (auto-calculated)
Construction details 60 minutes 3 minutes (AI-suggested, designer edits)
Trim labels and artwork placement 30 minutes 5 minutes
Cover page and formatting 25 minutes Automatic
PDF export and review 15 minutes 30 seconds

The biggest time sinks are the flat sketches and construction details — precisely the sections where AI delivers the largest multipliers. According to Statista's 2024 fashion technology report, 58% of design labor time in indie brands is spent on documentation rather than design, which is why this shift matters.

How do tech pack requirements differ by garment category?

Not all tech packs are the same length or complexity. A 6-page t-shirt tech pack is sufficient for a factory, while a tailored blazer easily demands 20+ pages.

  • T-shirts and basics: 6-8 pages. BOM under 12 items. Single fabric, minimal trims. Adstronaut generates a complete t-shirt tech pack in 10 minutes.
  • Hoodies and fleece: 10-12 pages. BOM 18-25 items. Drawstrings, eyelets, rib trim, lining (optional). Slightly more measurement points due to kangaroo pocket and hood construction.
  • Denim and woven bottoms: 12-15 pages. BOM 20-30 items. Wash instructions, rivet and button placement, zipper specs, back-pocket artwork.
  • Outerwear and tailored: 18-25 pages. BOM 50-80 items. Interlining, shoulder pads, buttonholes, lining pattern, pocket construction diagrams.
  • Activewear and swim: 10-14 pages. BOM 15-20 items. Stretch fabric specs (elastane percentage), elastic specifications, bonded seams, chlorine resistance callouts.

Adstronaut adjusts the template depth based on the garment category detected in the uploaded photo — a blazer photo triggers the lined jacket template, a t-shirt photo triggers the basic knit template.

Common tech pack mistakes that cost sample rounds

The five errors that trigger the most sample rejections, based on feedback from 40+ Adstronaut-partnered factories in 2025:

  1. Missing grade rules. Factories cannot make XS and XL if only Medium measurements are provided. This forces a second sample round and 3-4 week delay.
  2. Pantone codes without color standards. Writing "navy" or "#1F3A5F" is not enough. Factories need Pantone TCX (Textile Cotton) or TPX (Textile Paper) codes like "19-4026 TCX Estate Blue."
  3. No seam allowance specification. Default is 1/4 inch on knits and 3/8 inch on woven, but factories in different regions assume different defaults. Always state the allowance explicitly.
  4. Unlabeled measurement arrows. Arrows on the sketch must correspond to rows in the measurement chart. A chest arrow labeled "A" must appear as row "A" in the size table.
  5. Low-resolution logo artwork. Labels and hangtag logos should be vector (AI, EPS, SVG) or 600 DPI raster. Anything less pixelates at embroidery or screen print size.

Adstronaut's platform flags the first four errors before export. The fifth requires uploading vector artwork into the trims tab.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to create a tech pack?

A complete tech pack takes 6-10 hours manually in Adobe Illustrator plus Excel, or 10-15 minutes using AI tools like Adstronaut. Freelance technical designers typically deliver in 3-7 business days. Complexity matters: a basic t-shirt is 3-4 hours manually, while a lined blazer can exceed 12 hours.

Do I need Adobe Illustrator to create a tech pack?

No. Adobe Illustrator is the traditional tool for flat sketches, but AI platforms like Adstronaut generate the same flats from a product photo in under 60 seconds. Google Sheets, Canva, and Figma can all produce acceptable tech packs if flats are sourced externally. A 2024 Business of Fashion survey found 61% of indie brands now skip Illustrator entirely.

What is the difference between a tech pack and a line sheet?

A tech pack is the manufacturing document with construction details, measurements, and BOM — intended for factories. A line sheet is a sales document with styled photos, wholesale pricing, and order minimums — intended for buyers and retailers. Tech packs are 10-20 pages; line sheets are 2-5 pages.

Can ChatGPT create a tech pack?

ChatGPT can generate the text portions of a tech pack (construction notes, BOM descriptions, measurement labels) but cannot produce technical flat sketches or annotated measurement diagrams. For a complete tech pack, a specialized tool like Adstronaut that combines vision models with text generation is required. ChatGPT alone covers maybe 20% of the document.

What file format should a tech pack be in?

The industry standard is multi-page landscape PDF at 300 DPI, under 25 MB. Factories in China and Bangladesh often prefer Excel or Google Sheets for the measurement and BOM tabs specifically. Modern tools increasingly use shareable web links (Techpacker, Adstronaut, Backbone PLM) that eliminate version confusion.

How much detail does a factory actually need?

Enough detail that any qualified sewer could produce the garment without asking you a single question. Practical tests: every seam has a stitch type, every trim has a Pantone code and supplier, every measurement has a tolerance, and every label has placement coordinates. If the factory has to email you a question, the tech pack is incomplete.

Do I need a tech pack for a single sample?

Yes — even a one-off sample benefits from a basic tech pack. Sample makers work faster and more accurately with written specifications. A minimal sample-only tech pack can be 4-6 pages (flat, BOM, key measurements, construction notes) versus the 10-20 page production version.

Can I reuse a tech pack across factories?

Yes, with caveats. Construction details, BOM, and graded measurements transfer cleanly. Regional adjustments usually required: stitch classifications (JIS in Japan vs ASTM in US), metric vs imperial measurements, and local trim supplier equivalents. Always include both metric and imperial columns to avoid conversion errors.


Create your first tech pack in under 15 minutes with Adstronaut →


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