MOQ - Minimum Order Quantity
Also known as: Minimum Order Quantity, MOQ
Minimum quantity set by the manufacturer from which a production or stock order will be accepted — varies widely by product: standard t-shirts from 500 units, own-colour production from 3,000-5,000 units, complete new developments often 10,000+.
Description
The MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is one of the most important negotiation points in textile B2B purchasing. It results from the cost structure of suppliers: set-up times for dye baths (typically 300-500 kg of fibre per colour), print cylinders or embroidery matrices, container load factors (a 40' HC takes about 12,000 t-shirts or 30,000 cotton bags), and minimum utilisation of sewing lines.
Typical MOQ orders of magnitude in textiles: stock blank textiles (t-shirts, polos, hoodies from stock of major brands such as Fruit of the Loom, Gildan or Stanley/Stella): from 1 unit, available any time. Pure cut-and-sew from stock fabric: 300-1,000 units per colour/size. Custom dyeing (Pantone colour matching): 3,000-5,000 units per shade (because one dye bath is the minimum). Complete new development (own pattern, own material recipe, labels, packaging): 5,000-10,000+ units, often split across sizes and colours. Promotional bags: often possible from as few as 100-250 units with one-colour screen print. Rule of thumb: the more individual the product, the higher the MOQ and the longer the lead time. MOQs are often negotiable within framework agreements with off-take guarantees across several colour and size combinations.
Properties
| MOQ blank stock | From 1 unit (Fruit of the Loom, Gildan, Stanley/Stella) |
|---|---|
| MOQ custom colour | 3,000-5,000 units per shade |
| MOQ full new development | 5,000-10,000+ units, splittable across colours/sizes |
| MOQ promotional bags | From 100-250 units with one-colour screen print |
Related product categories
Sources & references
1- Cambridge Dictionary - MOQ dictionary.cambridge.org https://dictionary.cambridge.org/de/worterbuch/englisch/moq
