The Custom Apparel Glossary: 40 Terms Every Brand Should Know

Ordering custom apparel means meeting a wall of jargon — GSM, DTF, MOQ, DDP, tech packs and more. Here is a plain-English glossary of the terms you will actually come across, grouped so you can find them fast.

Fabric & garment terms

• GSM — grams per square metre; the weight and density of a fabric, and the best single quality indicator.
• Combed cotton — cotton with short fibres removed for a smoother, stronger, softer yarn.
• Ring-spun — yarn spun by twisting fibres into a finer, softer, stronger strand.
• Staple length — fibre length; longer staples make better cotton (e.g. Pima).
• Piqué — a textured knit used for polo shirts; breathable and structured.
• Fleece — the brushed or looped knit used for hoodies and sweats (loopback or brushed-back).
• Pre-shrunk — fabric treated so it will not shrink significantly after washing.
• Colourfast — dyed so the colour resists fading and bleeding in the wash.
• Grading — how measurements step up from one size to the next across a size run.
• GSM vs oz — denim and some fabrics are measured in ounces per square yard instead of GSM.

Printing & decoration

• DTF — direct-to-film; full-colour transfer printing with no per-design minimum.
• Screen printing — ink pushed through a stencil, one screen per colour; durable at volume.
• Plastisol — a plastic-based screen ink that is opaque and very durable.
• Water-based ink — a screen ink that soaks into the fabric for a soft, vintage finish.
• Discharge — removing garment dye and replacing it with new colour for a soft result on darks.
• Sublimation — dye baked into polyester for all-over, crack-proof prints.
• Embroidery — a design stitched into the fabric with thread.
• Digitizing — converting a logo into a machine stitch file for embroidery.
• 3D puff — raised embroidery, popular on caps.
• Vector — scalable artwork (AI, EPS, PDF) that stays sharp at any size.
• Pantone — the standard physical colour-matching system (TCX/TPX for fabric, C/U for ink).

Production & business

• MOQ — minimum order quantity; the fewest units a manufacturer will produce per design.
• Blank — an undecorated garment before printing or embroidery.
• Tech pack — the technical blueprint of a garment used for manufacturing.
• BOM — bill of materials; every fabric, trim and component in a garment.
• Sample / strike-off — a pre-production proof of the garment or print, for approval.
• Sew-out — a stitched proof of an embroidery design.
• Cut-and-sew — making a garment from scratch from fabric, not decorating a blank.
• Private label — selling quality blanks under your own brand with custom labels.
• Lead time — the total time from approval to delivery.
• Incoterms — who pays for shipping, duties and taxes (e.g. DDP, FOB, EXW).
• DDP — delivered duty paid; an all-in landed price including shipping and duties.
• AOV — average order value; the average a customer spends per order.

Know the language and you negotiate better, brief more clearly and avoid costly misunderstandings. Velocity Wear keeps quotes jargon-free and itemised, so you always know exactly what you are buying. Send your project for a plain-English quote.