MOQ Explained for New Brands

MOQ (minimum order quantity) is the smallest quantity a factory will produce for a given order — sometimes per style, sometimes per color or fabric within a style. It exists because setup costs (cutting a marker, threading machines for a specific construction, dyeing or sourcing a minimum fabric roll) are largely fixed regardless of order size.

• Fabric minimums from the mill often set the floor — a factory can't offer a lower MOQ than the smallest fabric roll it can source.
• Print and embroidery setups add their own per-color or per-design minimums on top of the base cut-and-sew MOQ.
• More automated or larger factories often carry higher MOQs because their line efficiency depends on longer runs.

Compare MOQ against your realistic sell-through, not against the lowest unit price. A factory quoting a low unit price at an MOQ you can't sell through in a season ties up more capital than a slightly higher unit price at a quantity you can actually move. When requesting quotes, state your target quantity honestly — factories quote differently for a first order than for a repeat order once trust is established.