Clothing Manufacturer MOQ Explained: What Every Startup Brand Needs to Know

You found a manufacturer you love. Their samples are on point, their communication is fast, and their facility is clean. Then they send you the quote, and there it is: MOQ: 500 units per style.

Your budget was built around 100 units.

This is the moment that kills more startup brands than anything else. Not bad design. Not slow sales. The gap between what a factory needs to operate profitably and what a first-time founder can afford to order.

At Plucky Reach, we work inside the LA Fashion District every day. We've placed hundreds of production orders across dozens of factories. We've negotiated MOQ down on behalf of our clients more times than we can count and we've also had to look a client in the eye and tell them a particular factory simply wasn't right for their current stage.

This guide gives you the complete picture: what MOQ is, why it exists, what's realistic at different factory types, and exactly how small brands can navigate it without burning cash on units they can't sell.

What Is MOQ and Why Do Manufacturers Have It?

MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is the smallest number of units a manufacturer will produce in a single order. It applies per colorway, per style, or sometimes per size run and the distinction matters enormously.

A factory quoting "MOQ 100 units" might mean:

• 100 units across all sizes in one color (reasonable for startups)
• 100 units per color (suddenly you need 300 units if you want 3 colorways)
• 100 units per size (you'd need 700+ units for a standard 7-size run)

Always clarify exactly what the MOQ applies to before you move forward.

The Economics Behind MOQ

Manufacturers aren't being difficult when they set minimum orders. Their business model depends on production runs that cover fixed costs. Here's what's actually happening on their end:

Setup costs are the same regardless of run size. A factory cutting a pattern, calibrating machines, ordering thread and interfacing, and training operators on a new style might spend 6-10 hours before a single unit gets made. Whether they produce 50 units or 500, that setup cost is constant. At 500 units, it's a rounding error. At 50, it can wipe out the entire margin.

Fabric minimums exist above the factory level. Fabric mills typically require 50-300 meters per color to run a custom dye. If you order 30 garments, the factory still has to buy the mill's minimum and eat the leftover fabric cost.

Production efficiency drops at low quantities. An operator sewing the same seam for 8 hours has a radically different efficiency rate than one who sews 25 units and moves to a different style. Factories build their pricing around production efficiency small runs mean higher labor cost per unit.

Quality control has a fixed component. Inspecting 30 units takes almost as long as inspecting 100. That cost has to land somewhere.

Understanding these economics doesn't just explain why MOQs exist it tells you exactly how to have a productive conversation with a factory about lowering them.

Typical MOQ Ranges by Factory Type

Not all manufacturers operate on the same scale. Here's what you'll realistically encounter:

Large-Scale Cut and Sew Factories (Domestic and Overseas)

• MOQ range: 500–1,000 units per style/colorway
• These are full-production operations with 100+ workers and industrial machinery optimized for high volume.
• Overseas factories in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Cambodia typically fall in this range.
• Domestic US large-scale factories (primarily in LA, NYC, and the Southeast) often sit at 300–500 but can go higher.
• Best for: Brands past proof-of-concept with strong sell-through data, ready to scale.

Mid-Size Contract Manufacturers

• MOQ range: 100–500 units per style
• The middle tier. Many LA-based contractors fit here they've got skilled operators, solid infrastructure, and can handle complexity, but they're not built for 10,000-unit runs.
• Quality and communication are generally stronger than large overseas factories.
• Best for: Brands on their second or third production run who have validated demand.

Small-Batch and Specialty Manufacturers

• MOQ range: 25–100 units per style
• These factories specifically target emerging brands and designers. They accept the inefficiency of small runs because their entire model is built around it sometimes charging premium pricing to compensate.
• Many are in the LA Fashion District, New York's Garnet Hill area, and scattered across the Southeast US.
• Best for: First-time founders, limited editions, test drops.

LA Fashion District Manufacturers (Our Network)

• MOQ range: 50–300 units per style
• LA's manufacturing ecosystem is genuinely unique. Because so many startup brands operate here, a critical mass of factories have adapted their operations to accommodate smaller runs.
• The tradeoff: labor costs are higher than overseas. But speed, communication, and quality control are significantly better.
• Through Plucky Reach's Clothing Manufactoring, our clients regularly access factories with MOQs of 50-150 units figures that are nearly impossible to find through cold outreach alone.

Print-on-Demand and Dropship Suppliers

• MOQ range: 1 unit
• Services like Printful, Printify, and SPOD have zero MOQ. You pay per unit.
• The tradeoff: per-unit cost is 2–4x higher than bulk manufacturing, customization is limited, and quality ceilings are real.
• Best for: Testing demand before committing to bulk production, not building a premium brand.

Factors That Drive MOQ Higher

Before you negotiate, understand what's working against you. These elements will cause a factory to quote higher MOQs or decline small orders outright:

Design Complexity

A basic t-shirt or jogger with standard construction and no special finishes is a factory's easiest run. Every additional complexity element an unusual seam technique, a welt pocket, a curved hem with precise topstitching adds setup time and increases the minimum run needed to justify production.

A 5-panel cap with structured brim, custom embroidery, and a woven label at multiple placements might have an MOQ 3–4x higher than a plain blank-adjacent design.

Special Fabrics

Custom-dyed fabrics, performance textiles with special coatings, deadstock fabrics available in limited yardage, and woven designs (jacquards, dobby weaves) all carry their own minimums at the fabric supplier level. A factory can't produce below that threshold regardless of what you want.

Embellishments

Embroidery, screen printing, heat-transfer graphics, rhinestones, sequins, beading, specialty hardware each adds a setup cost and often a vendor minimum. Embroidery setups alone can cost $50–$200 per design for digitizing. At low volumes, that cost per unit becomes prohibitive.

Multiple SKUs

If you're launching with 5 styles in 3 colorways each, you're not ordering 15 SKUs at 50 units each. Most factories will want to treat each style/colorway combination as a separate run, which means each one needs to meet MOQ independently.

Custom Labels and Packaging

A factory that handles your labels and hang tags in-house needs enough volume to justify running their label printer or ordering label stock. This can add a secondary MOQ requirement on top of the garment order itself.

Domestic vs. Overseas MOQ: The Full Comparison

This is one of the most common decision points we work through with clients. Neither option is categorically better it depends on your stage, your product, and your priorities.

The math that surprises most first-time founders: an overseas factory with an MOQ of 500 units at $12/unit requires $6,000 minimum just for product before shipping, duties (typically 12–32% for apparel), quality inspection fees, and freight forwarding. A domestic LA factory with MOQ 100 at $35/unit requires $3,500. When you factor in total landed cost, the overseas "savings" often disappear entirely at small volumes.

How MOQ Directly Affects Your Price Per Unit

This is the relationship most new founders don't fully internalize until they've done at least one production run. Volume and unit cost are inversely correlated but the curve isn't linear.

The biggest cost drop happens in the first 100–200 units. Above that threshold, incremental savings per additional unit shrink.

Here's a realistic example using a mid-complexity women's woven top (button-down, 5 panels, standard interfacing) at a domestic LA manufacturer:

The lesson: if you can stretch your budget to hit the next pricing tier, you often should. The jump from 100 to 150 units might add $1,150 to your total cost but saves you $5/unit which compresses your margin far less over the life of that inventory.

6 Strategies for Small Brands to Meet or Negotiate MOQ

1. Start With a Smaller Style Count

Instead of launching 5 styles at once, launch 1-2. This concentrates your order volume and makes it far easier to hit MOQ on each style. Your factory relationship strengthens with each order and that relationship is the foundation of future MOQ flexibility.

2. Use a Tiered Commitment System

Some factories will accept a lower MOQ on the first order if you commit in writing to a larger follow-up run within a defined timeframe (typically 3-6 months). This is a legitimate negotiating position, but only make this commitment if you genuinely intend to fulfill it. Burning a factory relationship costs far more than the MOQ discount you gained.

3. Order Pooling With Other Brands

This is uncommon but it works. If you're connected to other small brands using the same factory (sometimes facilitated by consultants like Plucky Reach), you can sometimes combine orders of the same fabric to meet minimum yardage requirements, even while keeping the actual garment production separate.

4. Specialize in Deadstock and Available Fabrics

If you build your designs around what a factory or fabric supplier already has in stock, you sidestep the fabric minimums that often drive MOQ up. Several LA factories carry ready-to-cut fabric and can produce at 25-50 units because the material minimum is already solved. Our fabric sourcing service specifically helps clients identify these opportunities.

5. Explore Print-on-Demand for Demand Validation

Before committing to a bulk order, use a print-on-demand platform to test real market demand. If a design sells well POD, you have both the sales data to justify the MOQ and potentially the revenue to fund the bulk order. POD is not a long-term brand strategy for most premium brands, but it's an intelligent validation tool.

6. Work Through a Sourcing Consultant

Factories that won't take a cold inquiry from an unknown startup will often take an order from a known consultant who has placed reliable volume with them before. Our consulting clients get access to our manufacturer relationships directly relationships where we've already established trust, track record, and sometimes volume that allows factories to offer lower MOQs for new clients coming through us.

Red Flags When Discussing MOQ With Manufacturers

Not every factory that offers a low MOQ is worth working with. Watch for:

MOQ that's suspiciously low with no explanation. A legitimate factory offering 10-unit MOQs on complex garments at competitive pricing either has a hidden cost structure you haven't discovered yet or isn't built for real production quality.

MOQ that keeps shifting. If a factory quotes one MOQ, then raises it after you've done sampling and invested time, that's a sign of poor communication practices at best and a bait-and-switch at worst.

MOQ quoted without specifying what it applies to. As we covered earlier, you need to know: per style, per color, per size run? A factory that can't or won't clarify this isn't organized enough for a reliable production run.

No transparency about why their MOQ is set where it is. A legitimate factory can explain the economics. "Our embroidery vendor requires 200-piece minimums" is a real answer. "That's just our policy" without further explanation is a red flag.

Requesting 100% payment upfront before sampling. Standard industry practice is 30-50% deposit on confirmed orders, with the remainder due before or at shipping. A factory demanding full payment before you've even seen a production sample has poor financial controls or worse.

How Plucky Reach Helps Startups Navigate MOQ

We built our manufacturing network specifically for the gap where most consultants stop: first-time founders who don't have the volume history to get good factories to take their calls.

Here's what that means practically:

We maintain active relationships with 100+ vetted LA manufacturers not a directory, but actual working relationships where we've placed orders and vouched for quality. When we introduce a new client, the factory already trusts the introduction. That trust translates directly to lower MOQ flexibility for our clients.

We know which factories in our network are actively looking for small-brand business right now versus which ones are at capacity and won't budge on minimums. That intelligence alone saves our clients weeks of outreach and rejection.

We also help clients structure their production orders intelligently starting with manageable quantities, validating demand, then scaling into better pricing tiers with the same factory. The worst outcome for any brand is ordering 500 units of a style that doesn't sell. We'd rather help you order 75, validate, and scale than encourage you to overcommit.

If you're at the stage of figuring out how to make your first production run work within a real budget, talk to us. That conversation costs nothing and usually clarifies the path forward faster than six months of cold manufacturer research.

FAQ: Clothing Manufacturer Minimum Order Quantity

1. What does MOQ stand for in clothing manufacturing?
MOQ stands for Minimum Order Quantity the smallest number of units a manufacturer will produce in a single production run. It can apply per style, per colorway, or per size run, so always clarify exactly what the MOQ covers before accepting a quote.

2. What is a realistic MOQ for a startup clothing brand?
A realistic MOQ for a first-time brand working with a small-batch or LA-based manufacturer is 50–150 units per style. Very low MOQ operations (under 25 units) tend to carry significant price-per-unit premiums. Large overseas factories typically start at 300–500 units.

3. Can I negotiate a lower MOQ with a manufacturer?
Yes, but your leverage depends on your relationship with the factory, the complexity of your design, and what you can offer in return (such as a commitment to future orders or flexibility on timeline). Working through an established consultant like PluckyReach often provides more negotiating leverage than cold outreach.

4. Why do overseas manufacturers have higher MOQs than domestic ones?
Overseas factories are generally built for high-volume efficiency. Their equipment, staffing, and supply chains are optimized for large runs. Domestic manufacturers, especially in LA, often specialize in small-batch production and have adapted their operations accordingly.

5. Does MOQ apply to each color separately?
Usually, yes. Most manufacturers apply their MOQ per colorway, not across all colors combined. A 100-unit MOQ across 3 colors typically means 300 total units. Always confirm this before planning your SKU structure.

6. What happens if I order below the manufacturer's MOQ?
A few possible outcomes: the factory declines the order, they accept it at a significantly higher per-unit price (a "small order surcharge"), or they require you to pay for the full MOQ's worth of materials even if you take fewer finished units. None of these is ideal it's better to match your style count and colorways to the factory's actual MOQ.

7. Is print-on-demand a good alternative to dealing with MOQ?
For demand validation and testing, yes. For building a premium or mid-market brand, no. Print-on-demand has limited fabric options, limited construction quality ceilings, and significantly higher per-unit costs. It's a tool, not a long-term manufacturing strategy for most brands.

8. How does MOQ affect my pricing and margins?
The more units you order (up to a point), the lower your per-unit manufacturing cost. The most significant cost drops happen between 50 and 200 units. Beyond 300-500 units, the per-unit savings become incremental. Order at whatever quantity lets you sell through inventory without sitting on dead stock profit on 100 units sold beats a loss on 400 units unsold.