From Tech Pack to Bulk: How a Cashmere Garment OEM Project Actually Works (7 Stages, 90 Days)

When a brand owner emails us a tech pack and asks “how long until I have sweaters in my warehouse?”, the answer is almost always a question back: how much of this can we run with stock yarn, how much of the silhouette is new, and do you need the order before Q4? Those three answers determine whether your cashmere garment OEM project runs the standard 90 days, compresses to 45-60 days, or stretches to 120-150 days.

This guide walks through the seven actual stages of a cashmere garment OEM project at our Ordos factory — what each stage produces, what the buyer delivers, what can be parallel-tracked, and what cannot. If you are planning a private-label cashmere sweater, cardigan, hoodie, or accessory line and want to know exactly where your calendar pressure points are, the timeline below is the reference.

Why Cashmere OEM Runs Slower Than Cotton or Polyester Knitwear

Cotton knitwear can go from tech pack to bulk in 45 days because cotton yarn is a commodity — it sits on cones in warehouses, ready to ship. Cashmere is seasonal. The dehairing season in Inner Mongolia runs April through June. By autumn, the year’s raw fiber is committed to spinning orders, and our yarn inventory is the only buffer between your tech pack and your ex-works date.

This biological clock is what makes cashmere OEM timelines longer and less flexible than other knit categories. The stages below assume a stock yarn path (2/26nm, 2/48nm, or 2/60nm from our 42-color stock card). Custom-dyed yarn adds 3-4 weeks; bespoke yarn count adds 6-8 weeks. Neither is on the 90-day path.

The 7 Stages, Calendar, and Buyer Deliverables

Stage 1 — Tech Pack Review and Quotation (Days 1-5)

The clock starts when your tech pack reaches us. A complete tech pack includes: flat sketches with measurements for every size (not just M), construction notes (gauge, stitch type, fully-fashioned or cut-and-sewn), yarn preference (count, ply, blend ratio), trim and label spec, and target FOB / ex-works quantity per size.

What we return within 3-5 business days:

• Yarn feasibility: stock yarn match, or custom dye MOQ and lead time
• Knit feasibility: gauge compatibility with our 3G/5G/7G/12G/14G/16G machines; flag any spec that needs different gauge
• Trim sourcing: lead time on custom buttons, zippers, labels, hangtags
• Cost breakdown: yarn cost + labor + finishing + trim + overhead = FOB unit price, with quantity breaks at 100/300/500/1000 pcs
• Calendar: stage-by-stage dates assuming PO signed today

What the buyer delivers: signed quotation, measurement spec confirmed, deposit invoice.

Stage 2 — Sample Development (Days 6-25)

Once the quotation is signed, our pattern makers cut the first sample. Plain-knit stock yarn projects hit 18-21 days. Custom-dyed or complex-stitch projects hit 20-25 days.

Sample rounds:

• Round 1 (proto sample): knit from stock yarn in your specified gauge, standard fit block. Ship via DHL within the timeline above.
• Round 2 (fit sample): after buyer feedback on Round 1, we adjust measurements, neckline, sleeve length, body shape. 7-10 days.
• Round 3 (pre-production sample): knit in your final yarn (custom dye if applicable) with all trims. This sample must match bulk production. 7-10 days.

What compresses: if the buyer accepts our standard fit block and stock yarn, Round 2 can be skipped — saving 7-10 days.

What cannot compress: Round 3 always runs. Even on rush jobs, the pre-production sample protects both sides from bulk surprises.

Stage 3 — Yarn Commitment (Days 6-12, parallel with Stage 2)

Yarn commitment starts as soon as the quotation is signed — it runs in parallel with sample development because yarn has the longest critical path.

• Stock yarn path: yarn allocated from our warehouse inventory. No delay.
• Custom dye path: 50kg MOQ per color, 18-25 days from Pantone approval to dyed cones in our knitting room.
• Custom count path: 6-8 weeks to spin new yarn count. Only for orders above 500 pcs that justify the setup cost.

For Q4 2026 delivery, custom dye was the bottleneck that closed the cutoff window in mid-September. Stock yarn is the path that still works in October.

Stage 4 — Bulk Production (Days 26-60)

Once the pre-production sample is approved and yarn is committed, bulk knitting begins. The knitting room runs 12-hour shifts on confirmed orders.

Knitting duration by gauge:

• 3G/5G (chunky, heritage knit): 18-22 days for 500 pcs, including linking
• 7G/12G (mid-gauge, classic sweater): 14-18 days for 500 pcs
• 14G/16G (fine-gauge, lightweight): 12-15 days for 500 pcs

Quality control checkpoints during knitting:

• First-piece inspection (Day 26-27): first garment off the line is measured against the tech pack. If wrong, we stop and fix the machine setup before running 50+ pieces.
• In-line inspection (every 50 pcs): measurements, stitch density, yarn consistency.
• Final panel inspection (Day 55-58): each panel before linking is checked for holes, slubs, stains.

What compresses: if the buyer accepts a relaxed AQL (say 4.0 instead of 2.5), in-line inspection frequency can drop and we save 2-3 days.

What cannot compress: linking and washing. Cashmere garments are linked (seams joined stitch-by-stitch) and washed before finishing. Linking alone takes 5-7 days for 500 pcs.

Stage 5 — Finishing (Days 61-75)

After linking, garments hit the finishing department: wet finishing to bring out hand-feel, dry finishing to set shape, pressing, and any embroidery or print.

• Washing + drying: 3-4 days
• Pressing / ironing: 2-3 days
• Embroidery / print (if applicable): 5-7 days, depending on coverage and stitch count
• Trimming: hand-sewn labels, hangtags, polybags — 1-2 days

What compresses: skipping embroidery and accepting stock care labels instead of custom woven labels saves 3-5 days. Acceptable for sub-300 pc trial orders.

What cannot compress: washing. Cashmere must be washed to bloom the fiber and lock in hand-feel. Skipping washing produces flat, lifeless garments that pill within one wear.

Stage 6 — Final Inspection and Packing (Days 76-83)

Final inspection follows AQL 2.5 sampling unless the buyer specifies otherwise. Each inspected garment is checked for:

• Measurements against the spec measurement sheet (all sizes)
• Visual defects: holes, slubs, stains, color shading
• Hand-feel consistency
• Trim correctness: labels, hangtags, polybags, carton marks

Packing into export cartons with the buyer’s carton specification. A standard export carton is 50-60 garments depending on silhouette (folded sweaters pack denser than cardigans).

What compresses: if the buyer waives third-party inspection (or accepts our in-house inspection only), 3-5 days saved.

What cannot compress: the actual inspection pass. Skipping it is not acceptable on our side regardless of buyer pressure.

Stage 7 — Shipping and Documentation (Days 84-90)

Ex-works to port of departure:

• Tianjin port (our default) — 1 day by truck from Ordos
• Shanghai port — 2 days by truck
• Shenzhen port — 3 days by truck

Documentation prepared the same week: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin (Form A or Form E depending on destination), GCS or OEKO-TEX certificate if requested, shipping marks per buyer instruction.

Buyer-side timeline from ex-works to warehouse:

• EU (Hamburg/Rotterdam): 28-35 days sea + 5-10 days customs/inland
• US East Coast: 30-38 days sea + 5-10 days customs/inland
• US West Coast: 18-25 days sea + 5-10 days customs/inland
• Japan/Korea: 8-12 days sea + 3-5 days customs/inland

Total tech-pack-to-warehouse: 120-150 days for EU/US buyers, 100-120 days for Japan/Korea buyers on the standard 90-day production schedule.

The Three Variables That Decide Your Timeline

Variable 1 — Yarn Path

• Stock yarn, stock card: standard timeline. Most flexible.
• Stock yarn, custom dye: add 18-25 days for dye. Order must be placed earlier.
• Custom yarn count: add 6-8 weeks for spinning. Only orders above 500 pcs justify this.

Variable 2 — Sample Approval Speed

• Buyer responds to samples within 48 hours of DHL delivery: standard timeline.
• Buyer takes 7+ days per round: each delayed round adds 5-7 days to the project. Three slow rounds can extend a 90-day project to 110 days.

Variable 3 — Decoration Complexity

• Plain knit, stock labels: no decoration bottleneck.
• Embroidery / print: add 5-7 days at finishing stage.
• Hand-linked seams, hand-sewn trims, beading, intarsia: each adds 1-2 weeks at linking and finishing.

Compressed Pathways for Late-Stage Buyers

If you are booking in October and need Q4 2026 / Holiday 2026 delivery, three compression paths exist — each has trade-offs.

Path A — Stock Yarn + Standard Fit + Skip Round 2

Saves 10-14 days. Trade-off: you accept our standard fit block instead of your custom measurement spec, and the garment will fit close to your tech pack but not exactly. Acceptable for reorders of styles already in production, or for buyers running first-time product testing on a tight calendar.

Path B — Stock Yarn + Drop Decoration

Saves 5-7 days. Trade-off: garments ship plain with stock labels, no embroidery, no print. Branding added via sticker or hangtag after arrival. Common for fast-fashion drops and price-sensitive SKUs.

Path C — Parallel Yarn + Production (decoupled)

Not recommended. Attempting to knit bulk before yarn is fully tested produces re-knit waste and missed ex-works dates. We will not run this path on Q4 rush orders.

What Happens After the 90-Day Window

For Q1 2027 delivery, the calendar opens again on 2026-10-15 for new orders. Standard 90-day timeline applies. Yarn cost is typically 3-5% lower in Q1 than in Q4 because spinning mills are running below peak utilization. This is the window for full custom development — new silhouette, custom yarn count, full decoration — that the Q4 cutoff calendar does not allow.

For custom yarn count + new silhouette + full decoration, plan a 120-150 day timeline and book before mid-November 2026 for Q2 2027 delivery.

Calendar Pressure Points for Your Specific Order

If you send us a tech pack today with target delivery of late November 2026, the answer is conditional:

• Stock yarn + standard fit + 300-500 pcs: feasible, lock the PO within 5 business days.
• Stock yarn + custom dye + 300-500 pcs: not feasible for 2026. Move to Q1 2027.
• Custom yarn + new silhouette + any quantity: not feasible for 2026. Move to Q1 2027 and use the calendar for tech pack refinement.

The most expensive mistake late-booking buyers make is forcing a complex custom order into a 60-day window. It always ends in air-shipment costs, missed retail dates, or quality compromises. Better to defer to Q1 2027 with a clean production slot than to ship a half-finished holiday collection.

Send Us Your Tech Pack

Send your spec sheet, measurement spec, yarn preference, quantity per size, and target ex-works date. We respond within one business day with a confirmed timeline, FOB unit price, and the specific bottleneck stages for your order. No commitment until PO signed.

For Q4 2026 delivery inquiries, please mention “Q4 booking” in the subject line so we route to the rush-desk team.