MOQ for Custom Sportswear: What Minimum Order Quantities Mean and How to Start Small
A minimum order quantity (MOQ) is the smallest number of pieces a factory will produce for one design. At Pro Bravio the minimum order is 10 pieces per design, with separate minimums for some customization methods. This guide explains why MOQs exist, what drives them, and how new brands can launch with a small first order.
Pro Bravio minimum order quantities at a glance
| What | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Any product, per design | 10 pieces |
| Printing (screen, flock, puff, DTF, DTG and others) | 100 pieces |
| Fabric washing (acid, enzyme, silicone, stone…) | 50 pieces |
| Custom woven, satin and heat-transfer labels | 500 pieces |
| Reactive dyeing to a custom color | 800 pieces |
| Sample before bulk | 1 piece — US$50 |
Exact minimums depend on the product and the combination of options, so always ask for a quote with your design.
Why factories set an MOQ
Every new design has fixed setup work before the first piece is sewn: making and grading the pattern, cutting the marker, setting up printing screens or embroidery files, and preparing the sewing line. Fabric and trims are also bought by the roll or in fixed quantities. The MOQ is the point where those fixed costs are spread over enough pieces to keep the price per piece reasonable.
What makes the minimum go up or down
- Fabric: stock fabrics in standard colors allow small orders; a custom-dyed color needs a full dye batch (for us, reactive dyeing from 800 pieces).
- Decoration: sublimation and digital methods have little setup, while screen printing needs one screen per color, which is why printing starts from 100 pieces.
- Trims and labels: custom woven labels, zips with logo pullers and branded elastic are made in batches (labels from 500).
- Construction: complex garments such as varsity jackets or puffers need more setup than a t-shirt.
How to launch a brand with a small first order
- Start with fewer designs. Two or three strong designs at the minimum are better than ten designs you can't afford to stock.
- Use stock fabric colors for the first run and save custom dyeing for re-orders.
- Choose low-setup branding such as sublimation, embroidery or heat-transfer logos for the first batch.
- Order one sample first (US$50, ready in about 2 days and shipped by DHL) to check fit, fabric and print before paying for bulk.
- Plan the size split from your market: for many adult apparel lines most of the order sits in M and L.
MOQ, price per piece and re-orders
Price per piece usually falls as quantity rises, because setup costs are shared by more garments. Once your pattern, artwork and labels exist, re-orders are faster and cheaper to set up. Ask for prices at two or three quantity levels so you can see where the price breaks are.
10 pieces per design. Printing starts from 100 pieces, fabric washing from 50, custom labels from 500 and reactive dyeing from 800.
Tell us the size split you need when you ask for a quote and we confirm what is possible for that product and fabric.
A sample costs US$50. Ask us when you request your quote how the sample is handled for your order.