Develop & order
Garment trims explained: the trims list for T-shirts, hoodies, polos and sets
Garment trims are every material on a garment other than the main fabric: rib, tapes, thread, labels, buttons, zips, cords, eyelets, interlining, hangtags and packing. A plain T-shirt has 9–12 trim points. Two quotes for the same garment usually differ on trims, and most re-sampling and customer complaints start there, so write every trim point into the tech pack.
Key takeaways
- A plain T-shirt has 9–12 trim points; hoodies and two-piece sets have more.
- Trims fall into eight categories: lining, interlining, thread, fasteners, rib and tapes, labels, packing and functional aids.
- About 60% of trims are shared across T-shirts, hoodies, polos and sets. The differences are in the structural trims.
- Structural trims decide how a garment wears: neck rib on a T-shirt, drawcord, eyelets and rib on a hoodie, collar, placket and buttons on a polo, elastic, drawcord and pocket bag on a set.
- Leave a trim vague and the sample gets remade, and the quotes stop being comparable.
The main fabric gets most of the attention, but trims are where orders actually go wrong. A trim point left vague in the tech pack means the sample is remade, and two quotes that look alike can be pricing very different trims.
This guide lists the eight trim categories, the 10 trim points on each of our four garment lines, and what goes wrong when one is not specified.
Interactive
Click through the 10 trim points of a T-shirt, hoodie, polo or set, choose what you want, and send the list for a quote.
Open the trims breakdown →What counts as a trim
A trim is everything on the garment except the main body fabric. In knitwear, trims are usually grouped into eight categories:
| Category | Examples in our T-shirts, hoodies, polos and sets |
|---|---|
| Lining | Hood lining (double-layer hoods), pocket bags (sets) |
| Interlining | Placket fusing (polo), reinforcement behind eyelets and pockets (hoodie) |
| Sewing & embroidery thread | Main sewing thread, high-stretch overlock thread, embroidery thread |
| Fasteners | Buttons (polo), zips (zip hoodies, set jackets), eyelets, elastic, drawcords |
| Rib, tapes & decorative | Rib, binding tape, piping, woven tapes |
| Labels & tags | Main label (woven or heat transfer), care label, size label, hangtag, tag pin, barcode sticker |
| Packing | Polybag, tissue, desiccant, export carton |
| Functional aids | Clear TPU shoulder tape, collar stay (polo) |
Structural trims: where the four garments differ
Across our four lines, roughly 60% of trims are the same: labels, thread, hangtags, polybags. The differences sit in the structural trims, the parts that decide how a garment looks after ten washes.
On a T-shirt that is the neck rib, which decides whether the neckline turns wavy. On a hoodie it is the drawcord, eyelets and rib. Drawcords also bring children’s-wear safety rules, since EN 14682 in Europe restricts drawstrings in the hood and neck area of children’s clothing. On a polo it is the collar, placket and buttons, and a crisp collar depends on placket interlining and a collar stay in the packing. On a set it is the elastic, drawcord and pocket bag. A waistband that rolls or twists is the No. 1 complaint on this kind of product.
T-shirt: 10 trim points
| # | Trim | Typical specification | Qty | If it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neck rib | 1×1 or 2×2 rib, 95% cotton / 5% spandex, 220–300 GSM, dyed in the same lot as the body | 1 | Stretched neck; colour off the body |
| 2 | Back-neck binding | Self-fabric strip 1.2–1.5 cm, or cotton herringbone tape | 1 | Exposed seam scratches the neck |
| 3 | Shoulder stay tape | Clear TPU tape 3–5 mm, or woven tape | 2 | Shoulder seam stretches after washing |
| 4 | Main label | Woven centre-fold, or tagless heat transfer | 1 | Scratchy labels, returns |
| 5 | Care / content label | Printed satin or cotton tape: fibre, care, origin, standards | 1 | Compliance risk, checked at customs |
| 6 | Size label | Satin or woven | 1 | Sizes mixed up |
| 7 | Sewing thread | Textured polyester (overlock) + spun polyester (needle) | approx. 120 m | Seams crack or pucker |
| 8 | Hangtag + tag pin | 300–350 g card with plastic pin | 1 set | Looks cheap when unboxed |
| 9 | Polybag | OPP / PE self-seal with suffocation warning | 1 | Non-compliant for export |
| 10 | Barcode / size sticker | Self-adhesive, on the polybag | 1 | Mis-picks in the warehouse |
Hoodie: 10 trim points
| # | Trim | Typical specification | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rib trims | 2×2 high-stretch rib, 380–550 GSM | Cuffs + hem (+ neck on crewnecks) | Poor recovery gives flared cuffs |
| 2 | Drawcord | Cotton round or flat cord, metal / resin ends or knotted | 1.2–1.4 m | No free ends on children’s or school wear |
| 3 | Cord ends / stoppers | Metal aglets, resin ends, plastic stoppers | 2 | Ends that come off are a choking risk in kidswear |
| 4 | Eyelets | Nickel-free brass 8 mm, or embroidered | 2–4 | Must have fusing behind, or they tear |
| 5 | Zip | YKK / SBS #5 metal, resin or closed-end nylon | 1 (zip styles) | Turns wavy if the tape isn’t pre-shrunk |
| 6 | Zip puller | Metal slider, custom pull | 1 | Hand feel and brand detail |
| 7 | Main + flag label | Woven; flag on side seam or cuff | 1 each | The flag is a common streetwear position |
| 8 | Care label | Printed | 1 | — |
| 9 | Tape & interlining | Back-neck herringbone tape; fusing at pocket and eyelets | As needed | The pocket mouth is the easiest place to tear |
| 10 | Polybag | Large PE zip bag | 1 | Bulky, so fewer pieces per carton |
Check drawcord rules for your market with the drawstring safety checker before approving a children’s hoodie.
Polo: 10 trim points
| # | Trim | Typical specification | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flat-knit collar | Knitted to order: plain, tipped or jacquard | 1 | The heart of a polo; a collapsed collar is a reject |
| 2 | Rib cuffs | Flat-knit or rib | 2 | — |
| 3 | Buttons | Resin, shell or urea, 11.5 mm (18L) | 2–3 + 1 spare | Spare sewn beside the care label |
| 4 | Placket interlining | Knitted or non-woven fusible | 1 | Decides whether the placket bubbles after washing |
| 5 | Back-neck / side-vent tapes | Self fabric or herringbone tape | 2 | Split side vents are a common complaint |
| 6 | Main, care and size labels | Woven + printed | 1 each | — |
| 7 | Collar stay | Butterfly plastic stay or paper strip | 1 | Keeps the collar from being crushed in the carton |
| 8 | Embroidery backing | Tear-away or water-soluble | Per style | Chest embroidery puckers without it |
| 9 | Sewing thread | 40/2 polyester + high-stretch overlock thread | approx. 150 m | Buttonholes and buttons need high-strength thread |
| 10 | Hangtag + polybag | As T-shirt | 1 set | — |
Two-piece set: 10 trim points
| # | Trim | Typical specification | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waistband elastic | 3.5–5 cm dense knitted elastic, multi-needle stitched | 1 | Rolling or twisting is the No. 1 complaint |
| 2 | Drawcord + eyelets | Cotton / polyester flat cord + metal eyelets, or internal openings | 1 set | Adjustable waist |
| 3 | Pocket bag | Light cotton jersey or poly-cotton mesh, 120–150 GSM | 2 | Body fabric makes pockets bulge |
| 4 | Zips | Jacket front zip, invisible pocket zips, leg zips | Per style | Common on athletic sets |
| 5 | Rib / contrast | Matching or contrast stretch rib at cuffs, leg openings, neck | As needed | Contrast side stripes and piping are typical |
| 6 | Piping & binding | Contrast piping, binding strips | Per style | Makes the two pieces read as a set |
| 7 | Main labels (top + bottom) | Back neck of top + back waist of bottom | 2 | Must be labelled as a set, no mixed sizes |
| 8 | Care labels | One in each piece | 2 | — |
| 9 | Set hangtag | One tag for both pieces | 1 set | Top and bottom sizes must pair |
| 10 | Set polybag | Both pieces folded together | 1 | — |
Shared trims, different specifications
| Trim | T-shirt | Hoodie | Polo | Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main label | Woven / tagless | Woven + flag | Woven | Top + bottom |
| Care label | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ ×2 |
| Size label | ✓ | Often combined with care label | ✓ | ✓ ×2 |
| Sewing thread | Textured + spun polyester | Heavy 40/2, 20/2 | 40/2 + high-stretch | High-stretch overlock + coverstitch |
| Hangtag / pin | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Set hangtag |
| Polybag | OPP self-seal | Large PE zip bag | OPP + collar stay | Large set bag |
| Rib | Neck | Cuffs + hem | Cuffs | Cuffs + leg openings + waist |
| Interlining | Embroidery area | Pocket / eyelets | Placket | Waistband / pocket mouth |
How to write trims into a tech pack
- List every trim point instead of writing “standard trims”. The tables above work as a checklist.
- Give a specification, not a name: material, size, colour and position. Write “1×1 rib, 95/5, 260 GSM, same lot as body”, not just “rib”.
- Mark the structural trims and approve them on the fit or PP sample.
- Label requirements depend on your market, because fibre content, care, origin and language rules differ. See care labels and symbols and the label requirements generator.
- If you don’t know, say so. Mark the point “factory to propose” rather than leaving it out, so it gets quoted and sampled on purpose.
The tech pack builder now includes a trims checklist in these eight categories, and flags any point left blank.
Final thoughts
Trims are a small share of a garment’s cost and a large share of its problems. List all 10 points and agree the structural ones on the sample, and you get comparable quotes, a first sample that is close to right, and a bulk order without complaints. If you’d rather not specify every point yourself, choose what you know in the trims breakdown and let our design team propose the rest.