Custom Leggings Manufacturer for Fashion and Activewear Brands

Why Brands Order Leggings From This Factory

Leggings Styles We Produce

Styles we produce

• Sports Leggings
• Yoga Leggings
• High-Waisted Leggings
• Seamless Leggings
• Compression Leggings
• Cycling Tights
• Running Tights

High-waist, full-length and 7/8

High-waisted with a wide elastic or fold-over waistband is the volume style. Full-length is the default inseam; 7/8 is the same block with the hem raised — confirm the inseam in centimetres on the spec, not as a name, because 7/8 on a tall grade is not 7/8 on a petite grade.

Compression-panel leggings

Compression-panel styles add graduated panels at the waist, thigh or calf; that is a different pattern and a different stitch plan, not a thicker fabric.

Seamless-knit leggings

Seamless-knit leggings are a different machine setup. The knitting-machine minimum does not scale down to 300 as easily as cut-and-sew, so seamless programs quote a higher MOQ.

Cycling and running tights

Cycling and running tights use the same stretch base with a different rise, inseam and often a gripper hem; tell us the sport at the brief so we do not sample a lifestyle block for a performance spec. Flare and capri cuts are on the yoga pants manufacturer page.

What 300 Pieces Per Style Means

The minimum is 300 pieces per style — not 300 per colour and not 300 per size. Those 300 pieces split across up to 3 colourways with sizes mixed. CMT, where you supply the stretch fabric, also starts at 300 pieces per style. Seamless-knit and compression-panel programs quote a higher MOQ.

An illustration, not a fixed ratio. Test your own split with the MOQ calculator before you brief a factory.

Leggings Fabric, Elastane and GSM

Nylon-spandex is the performance option — smoother, holds shape slightly better, dries fast. Polyester-spandex is the cost-efficient option and still 4-way stretch. Cotton-spandex is a lifestyle/lounge legging, not a squat-proof performance cloth; we will say so at quote rather than stretch a cotton blend past what it can do. Spandex content typically sits at 15–25%. Below about 15%, recovery drops after repeated washes.

Finished gsm by use

Quote gsm on the finished fabric, after dyeing and heat-setting, because greige weight misstates the garment. The exact figure and tolerance are fixed per style at quote; the gsm converter handles oz/yd² briefs.

Opacity and Squat-Proof Testing

GSM alone is not opacity. A 220 gsm cheap knit can still go sheer at the inner thigh; a well-constructed 200 gsm nylon-spandex often does not. Fabric that passes at rest can still go see-through at the back and inner thigh once it is stretched over a squat, which is why we test opacity at full stretch on every fabric lot before cutting starts — then run wash-cycle testing before bulk production, not after a customer complains.

We can supply lab reports for pilling resistance, colourfastness and stretch recovery on a new fabric lot before you approve bulk.

Test methods worth naming in the spec

Cutting, Seams, Waistband and Pockets

From fabric roll to cut panels

Four things decide whether stretch panels sew up true: the grade rule agreed on the base size before cutting, a marker made per style so fabric is quoted on its real efficiency, knit that is spread and left to relax before the knife, and every panel of one garment cut from one dye lot. Ask for a lab dip approved with a stated colour tolerance (ΔE) for any custom shade.

Stitch classes to write into the tech pack

Flatlock is the cleaner, lower-bulk seam for next-to-skin; overlock is faster and cheaper and can ridge under light-coloured fabric. Pick the seam when you pick the fabric, not after the first sample comes back see-through at the seam line. Name each seam by its ISO 4915 stitch class, and ask for the needle type (ball-point for knits) and stitches per inch to be written on the pack.

Waistband, gusset and pockets

Waistband is its own spec: wide elastic, inner-elastic with a fold-over, or a contour high-rise panel. Side, back, or waistband phone pockets add bartacks and a different pocket-bag fabric so the stretch of the shell does not blow the pocket out. Describe the crotch gusset on the tech pack too; it carries the most seam stress on the garment.

Print, Labels and Packing

Private label is the default: your waist labels, care labels, hangtags and packaging. Decoration method is chosen by fabric, stretch, artwork and wash requirement, not by habit.

Private Label, OEM and Cut-Make-Trim

Private label is the default: your waist labels, care labels and packaging. OEM follows your tech pack — rise, inseam, compression map, pocket placement, seam type. CMT, where you supply the stretch fabric, also starts at 300 pieces per style. Model comparison: OEM vs ODM vs CMT and the private label guide.

Sampling, Sizing and Lead Time

A proto sample typically takes 10–14 days from a confirmed tech pack. The first sample is where opacity and rise get decided — send the sample back with photos of a squat, a bend, and a seated shot, not just a hanger photo. Up to 10 free revision rounds before bulk cutting. Bulk runs 30–45 days after pre-production sign-off, AQL 2.5 before shipment.

1. Brief / tech pack receivedRise, inseam in cm, waistband, pockets, seam type, fabric and gsm in one document.
2. Quote within 48 hoursFOB pricing and lead time for your spec.
3. Fabric, colour and opacity testLab dip for custom shades; opacity checked at full stretch on the lot.
4. Proto sample — 10–14 days; up to 10 free revisionsReview a squat, a bend and a seated photo, not only a hanger shot.
5. Pre-production sample sign-offThe approved sample is the standard the bulk order is judged against.
6. Bulk cut-and-sew — 30–45 daysCounted from pre-production sign-off.
7. AQL 2.5, pack, FOB shipmentInspection, packing, then loading at the port under FOB terms.

Grade to your spec or our size chart guide (US, UK, EU). If the line includes a petite or tall, say so before the first grade; stretching a standard inseam after the block is locked wastes a sample round.

Quality Control and AQL 2.5 Sample Size

AQL is a sampling rule, not a promise of zero defects. A style of 300 pieces is one lot, so the sample is fixed by lot size: read the code letter from the lot, the sample size from the code letter, and the accept and reject counts from the AQL column. The sampling logic follows ISO 2859-1, and our AQL inspection guide walks through the numbers.

Defects are classed critical, major or minor. Critical defects, such as a safety hazard, are not accepted in the sample at all. A lot that fails is reworked and re-inspected before it ships.

What is checked on leggings

Shipping to the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Japan

SDF ships leggings FOB to brands in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Japan. Label wording and duty depend on the destination, so both are confirmed at quote.

Check current rules at the source, including the UK GPSR guidance and the ACCC care labelling standard.

Likely HS heading and shipping documents

The first six digits of an HS code are shared worldwide; each country adds its own digits and sets its own duty. Your customs broker confirms the national code, and duty is looked up at the source for your destination and date. Start with the HS code tool.

Each FOB shipment travels with a commercial invoice, a packing list that shows pieces, cartons, volume and weights, and the bill of lading; a certificate of origin is issued on request. The US also requires an ISF filing before an ocean shipment departs, handled by your broker as importer of record.

Market pages: US brands · UK brands · Canadian brands · Australian brands · Japanese brands

What to Send a Leggings Manufacturer for a Quote

Send ten details to get an accurate leggings quote. A tech pack or reference garment lets a factory quote against a real specification instead of a description. SDF replies within 48 hours.

1. Style (full-length, 7/8, high-waist, compression, tights)
2. Inseam in cm and rise, not just a name
3. Fibre + elastane % + target gsm
4. Seam (flatlock or overlock) and any pocket
5. Waistband (wide elastic, fold-over, contour high-rise)
6. Qty by size and colour (up to 3 colourways inside 300)
7. Decoration and label needs
8. Destination market
9. Tech pack or reference garment
10. Target ex-factory date

Not sure how to word it? The manufacturer email generator drafts the brief for you.

Leggings Manufacturer FAQ