The activewear manufacturing glossary
Every term you’ll meet between your first sketch and your first container — defined in plain language by the people who use them daily.
AQL
Acceptable Quality Limit — the statistical sampling standard (ISO 2859-1) used to inspect a production lot and decide pass or fail before shipment.
BSCI
amfori BSCI is a social-compliance audit covering working conditions, hours, safety and wages in a factory.
Bulk production
The main manufacturing run after your sample is approved — at Yesseam typically 30 days standard or 15 days rush.
Compression
Deliberate garment pressure created by spandex content and knit tension, often graded by body zone.
Cut-and-sew
Construction where fabric panels are cut and sewn together — best for pockets, zips and structured styles.
DDP
Delivered Duty Paid — the factory quotes door-to-door including freight, customs and duties, so you compare true landed cost.
Dye-sublimation
Printing where ink turns to gas and bonds inside polyester fibre — zero hand-feel, all-over designs, light poly bases only.
Elastane (spandex)
The stretch fibre blended into activewear knits; compression bottoms typically run 20–25%+.
Fit sample
The development garment used to judge fit on a real body — at Yesseam produced in 7–10 days.
Flatlock
A flat, low-profile seam that joins panels edge-to-edge — reduces chafe in activewear.
FOB
Free On Board — the price includes getting goods onto the vessel; freight, insurance and duties after that are yours.
GRS
Global Recycled Standard — third-party certification tracing recycled content through the supply chain.
Grade rules
The fixed increments used to scale a base size up and down; stretch fabrics need zone-specific rules.
GSM
Grams per square metre — fabric weight. Light 140–180 for tops, mid 180–240 for leggings, 240+ for compression and opacity.
Heat transfer
Applying a printed film logo to fabric with a heat press — works on nylon and dark bases where sublimation can’t.
ISO 9001
The international quality-management-system standard — certifies documented, auditable processes across the factory.
Lead time
Total time from order to goods ready or delivered; at Yesseam samples run 7–10 days and bulk 30 days (15 rush).
MOQ
Minimum Order Quantity — the smallest run a factory will produce; at Yesseam ~100 pcs/style on stock programs, ~300 full custom.
Nylon (polyamide)
A soft, strong synthetic fibre with buttery hand-feel — the default for premium leggings; dyes rich solids but can’t be sublimated.
ODM
Original Design Manufacturing — you start from the factory’s designs and fabric library and co-develop your version.
OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturing — the factory produces exactly to your tech pack and spec.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Independent testing certifying textiles free from harmful substances — safe for skin contact.
Polyester
Fast-drying, hydrophobic synthetic fibre — the base for dye-sublimation printing and quick-dry styles.
PP sample
Pre-production sample — the final reference garment approved before bulk; production is measured against it.
Private label
Putting your brand on the factory’s proven ready-to-produce styles — the fastest route to a sellable line.
Seamless (circular knit)
Garments knit as a single tube on circular machines, with compression and mesh zones knit directly in.
Screen print
Ink pushed through a stencilled mesh onto fabric — bold spot colours on any fibre, one screen per colour.
Tech pack
The technical document that defines a style: measurements, materials, construction, trims and tolerances. Yesseam builds one free from your sketch.
Five terms that decide your invoice
If you only internalise five entries from this page, take these: MOQ — and specifically whether a quote means per style or per color, because that distinction alone can double a first order (why). GSM — the honest measure of how much fabric you are buying; two identical-looking leggings at 190 vs 240 GSM are different products (guide). AQL — the statistical standard your pre-shipment inspection runs against; without it "we checked the goods" means nothing (guide). Lab dip — the dyed swatch you approve before bulk; skip it and color becomes a lottery. DDP — the incoterm that turns freight, customs and duty into one door-to-door number (guide).
How to use this glossary
Read it once before your first quote request, then write the terms into your communication: a tech pack that says "75/25 nylon-spandex, 240 GSM, AQL 2.5 final inspection, DDP New York" removes four ambiguities in one line. Factories quote sharper and faster for buyers who speak spec — and misunderstandings caught at vocabulary level cost nothing, while the same misunderstanding at the shipping dock costs a season.