Sourcing · How to
CMT vs FPP: which garment manufacturing model fits your brand?
The two ways factories work: CMT (you supply fabric, they cut-make-trim) versus FPP full-package production (the factory sources everything). What each costs, who owns which risk, why quotes aren’t comparable across models, and which fits your stage.
Founder, Trishakti Apparel 2 min read
Two quotes land in your inbox for the same hoodie: $2.80 from one factory, $6.50 from another. Nobody is lying. The first is a CMT charge, labour only; the second includes the fabric, which is most of the garment. Before comparing prices you need to know which model each quote belongs to — and which structure actually fits your stage. (OEM vs ODM vs white label is a different axis entirely — explained here.)
The two models, side by side
| CMT | Full package (FPP) | |
|---|---|---|
| You supply | Fabric, usually trims, tech pack | Tech pack (or a reference garment) |
| Factory supplies | Labour: cutting, sewing, trims application | Everything: fabric, trims, make, packing, export docs |
| Price looks like | $2–3.50/pc labour charge | $5–9/pc all-in for a tee/hoodie tier |
| Fabric risk (quality, delay, wastage) | Yours | The factory’s |
| Best for | Brands with fabric expertise and supply relationships | Most brands, one accountable partner, one price |
The hidden costs of CMT nobody quotes
- Fabric wastage: cutting loss runs 8–15%, and under CMT the over-buy is your money.
- Coordination: your fabric must arrive at the factory on time, approved, and in full, every delay is your delay.
- Accountability splits: when a garment fails, was it the fabric (yours) or the make (theirs)? CMT disputes live in that gap.
- Freight and duty on fabric into the production country, a line item buyers forget until it lands.
Why we run full-package, and when we’ll happily do CMT
We’re built as a full-package factory: we source knit fabric to your spec, dye to your approved lab dip, cut, sew, finish, pack, and hand you export documents, one price, one responsible party. That’s the right structure for most growing brands. But CMT is genuinely right for some buyers, established brands with their own mill relationships, or decorators supplying speciality fabric, and we quote it plainly when it fits. The wrong answer is comparing a CMT number against an FPP number and thinking you found a bargain. See what’s inside a real garment price.
How our full-package process works, step by step — or send your spec and we’ll quote it in the model that fits you, labelled clearly.
Frequently asked
What does CMT stand for in clothing manufacturing?
What is FPP in garment manufacturing?
Is CMT cheaper than full package?
What is the difference between CMT and OEM?
About the author
Santosh Rijal runs Trishakti Apparel, the export knitwear factory his family built on three decades in Nepal’s fashion trade. He writes about sourcing, duty and production from the factory floor in Gaindakot.