MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is the smallest order a factory will run for a custom design. If you have ever shopped for custom apparel and been told 'our MOQ is 500 pieces' — that is the factory protecting itself from the setup cost of small runs. Our 50-piece MOQ is genuinely small for the industry. Here is why MOQ exists and how to make the most of low-volume orders.
01.Why Factories Have MOQ
Every custom apparel order has a fixed setup cost — screens for screen print, transfer film for DTF, thread cones for embroidery, fabric sourcing, sampling, and machine setup. For a 50-piece order, that setup cost is divided across 50 pieces. For a 500-piece order, across 500.
At very small runs (under 50 pieces), the per-piece cost is dominated by setup — making the order unprofitable for the factory and expensive for the customer. MOQ is the smallest order where the per-piece price is still reasonable.
02.Our MOQ by Technique
50 pieces: sublimation, screen printing, embroidery, DTF, DTG, rhinestone, foil, all-over print.
100 pieces: 3D puff, 3D embroidery, applique, terry embroidery, silicone, flocking, glitter, reflective, metallic.
30 pieces: DTG and DTF can drop to 30 pieces for simple designs on stocked blank garments.
No minimum: pure print-on-demand (we handle the inventory and ship to your end customers).
03.How to Keep Costs Down at Low Quantities
Use blank garments from our stocked fabric library (saves fabric sourcing time). Stick to one or two decoration techniques (mixing techniques adds setup). Reuse your previous design's screens or transfer files (saves setup cost). Order in groups (combine multiple designs in one production run).
04.When to Push for Lower MOQ
If you are launching a new brand and don't yet have demand, ask the factory about sample runs or pre-production samples. We can run as few as 3-5 pieces for samples, charged at a premium per-piece rate. This lets you validate the design before committing to a 50+ piece bulk order.
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