A knitted fabric quote 20 % under the cluster has moved one of three things: the yarn count, the stitch length on the machine, or the inspection line.
Where the money goes in knitted fabric
| Cost line | Share of price | What moves it | Yarn | 45-60 % | Combed versus carded is the biggest single lever, and it shows up in pilling | Knitting | 12-18 % | Machine gauge and speed; do not buy on price per kg alone | Dyeing and finishing | 20-28 % | Reactive dyeing plus compaction; the compaction step is what prevents shrinkage claims | Testing | 2-4 % | Cheap relative to a chargeback | Packing and freight | 6-10 % | Bale or roll compression changes container utilisation by 15-25 % |
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Reading the knitted fabric structure
The smallest line is often the one that protects you: packing and freight at 6-10 %.
Knitted fabric: three levers that actually move the price
Colour count, which is where knitted fabric cost is really set
Most buyers push on total quantity. The factory cost is driven by setups, not by total metres, and 500-800 kg per colour is quoted per colour because a colour change resets the process.
Loosening skew (torque), if the product allows it
Skew (torque) at <= 5 % is usually where a specification has been carried over from another programme without being re-examined.
Timing against a 20-30 days cycle on knitted fabric
Production slots matter. A 20-30 days cycle can usually be met; a two-week expedite usually cannot, and when it is accepted the cost appears as overtime and air freight rather than in the unit price.
Where knitted fabric savings come back as claims
The cause is high twist yarn, poor relaxation, or tubular fabric slit without rest.
Knitted fabric: what to ask for in the quotation
- The specification, line by line, against weight and stitch length at the values you asked for.
- The validity period, because the raw material index moves before the price list does On knitted fabric that is structure at jersey, interlock, rib or fleece.
- What is included: dimensional change, packing, certification, sample courier.
- The MOQ per colour (500-800 kg per colour is typical) separately from the order minimum.
- The payment terms and what would change them For knitted fabric it is weight at 120-320 gsm that settles it.
Cost detail for the material itself is on the knitted fabric page; the commercial terms we work to are on the logistics page.
Questions buyers ask before ordering
What is the actual tolerance behind cost breakdown?
On cost breakdown, that figure is 45-60 %.
Can you hold tolerance at 45-60 % for cost breakdown on a repeat order?
On cost breakdown, we can meet 45-60 %.
What drives the price of cost breakdown at tolerance of 45-60 %?
On cost breakdown, 45-60 % applies to the roll as delivered.
Knitted fabric: reading a quote that looks too low
- Structure jersey, interlock, rib or fleece — measured at three positions on the roll, recorded as a number rather than pass or fail On knitted fabric, skipping this is what produces spiralling side seams from torque.
- Weight 120-320 gsm — cut from the middle of the lot, not from the end of the roll For knitted fabric, the figure to write down is stitch length at 2.6-3.4 mm.
- Stitch length 2.6-3.4 mm — read at 23 C / 50 % RH after conditioning, not straight off the machine On knitted fabric that is structure at jersey, interlock, rib or fleece.
- Shrinkage 5 % length, 4 % width — checked on production material, at in-process rather than only at pre-shipment For knitted fabric it is weight at 120-320 gsm that settles it.
- Skew 5 % or less — stated in the purchase order with the test method beside it On knitted fabric, skipping this is what produces spiralling side seams from torque.
- ISO 6330 for domestic washing, ISO 13938-1 for bursting strength — run to the method named above; the report travels with the lot For knitted fabric, the figure to write down is stitch length at 2.6-3.4 mm.
Knitted fabric: three concessions that lower the price honestly
- Fewer colours. Setup is per colour, so consolidating shades cuts cost without touching the specification On knitted fabric that is structure at jersey, interlock, rib or fleece.
- A longer slot. Four extra weeks lets the factory combine runs; the saving is real and it costs you nothing if the launch date allows it For knitted fabric it is weight at 120-320 gsm that settles it.
- Looser non-critical tolerances. A tight figure on skew (torque) adds cost and the product does not need it.
The three price bands behind a knitted fabric quotation
A knitted fabric price is a stack, not a number. Almost all of the spread between offers comes from the yarn count, then the stitch length on the machine, and only then whether the greige is pre-shrunk before dyeing.
| Tier | What changes in knitted fabric | What it means at structure | Where it shows up | Entry | a looser stitch length and no pre-shrinking | structure from jersey, interlock, rib or fleece upward, weight from 120 | spiralling side seams from torque inside the first season | Standard | structure held at jersey, interlock, rib or fleece | structure inside jersey, interlock, rib or fleece, weight inside 120-320 gsm | The knitted fabric lot matches the sample | Controlled | whether the greige is pre-shrunk before dyeing plus retained samples | stitch length at the top of 2.6-3.4 mm, logged per lot | An audit trail a brand customer accepts; measured on structure, jersey, interlock, rib or fleece |
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The step from entry to standard on knitted fabric is usually 6-12 %%, and it buys the distance between spiralling side seams from torque and a knitted fabric lot that passes inspection. The step to controlled is smaller in money and larger in paperwork: the stitch length on the machine on file, per knitted fabric lot, for as long as the warranty runs.
Ask which tier a knitted fabric quotation sits in before comparing it. Two knitted fabric offers that both name structure at jersey, interlock, rib or fleece can be compared; two that name only the category cannot.
What a knitted fabric quote below the floor has already removed
A knitted fabric offer 15 %% under the median is rarely a better deal. The saving is taken from one of four places, and three of them are visible if you ask about structure.
- the yarn count — moved one step down the range, still inside the band, no longer inside what home textiles needs.
- the stitch length on the machine — reduced until the knitted fabric sample still looks right and the fifth lot does not.
- whether the greige is pre-shrunk before dyeing — dropped to a standard option that meets the drawing and not the home textiles use.
- Inspection and retained samples — the line nobody prices on knitted fabric, and the first thing a low quote removes.
None of the four shows up as a defect at goods-in on knitted fabric. Spiralling side seams from torque appears at the end user, which is why a claim on a cheap lot is hard to win: the material is inside the written shrinkage band and outside the written use.
The counter is one paragraph in the enquiry: name structure at jersey, interlock, rib or fleece, name weight at 120-320 gsm, and ask which of the four was changed to reach the price.
Sourcing knitted fabric for a programme already in production?
Send the structure you are running now and the failure you are trying to design out. The reply names the test that separates the two options and what each one costs.
Products in this range
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