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Description
Key attributes
Sri Lanka has one of Asia’s largest apparel sectors and a long-standing reputation for ethical manufacturing. This listing covers private-label CMT (cut, make, trim) and full-package production for buyers who want their own branded garments made in Sri Lanka, from small workshop runs up to factory volumes.
Build your garment brief and send it to the Trade Desk → Pick the garment, the fabric, the weight, the size run and how many per style, put your logo on it, and we come back with a price and a lead time.
Service Models
- CMT (Cut, Make, Trim): You supply fabric and trims; the factory provides labour and production. Best if you already have a fabric supplier.
- Full Package (FPP): The factory sources fabric, trims and all inputs; you provide the tech pack and the approvals. Best if you have no sourcing team in Asia.
- Private label / white label: An existing base style with your label and print. Faster, and the minimum is lower.
Two very different markets, and your quantity decides which one you are in
This is the first thing to get right, because it changes who can make your garment and what it costs.
| Pieces per style | Who makes it | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| 10 to about 1,000 | Workshops and small factories, including handloom and batik | The size we place most often and the quickest to get quoted. Higher price per piece, more hand finishing, and where a new label actually starts. |
| Thousands per style | The large Sri Lankan groups | Lower price per piece, longer development, and a tech pack expected up front. The large groups also quote direct; what we add at this size is comparing several of them and holding the schedule. |
Typical minimums by garment
Indicative starting points at factory level, not a quotation. A workshop will usually go well below these.
- T-shirts, polos, casual woven trousers, activewear: from around 500 pieces per style
- Knitwear (sweaters, cardigans): from around 300 pieces per style
- Lingerie and underwear: from around 1,000 pieces per style
The number that really matters is per style AND per colour. A factory quotes on the smallest run it has to set a machine up for, so 1,000 pieces in one colour and 1,000 spread over five colours are two different prices.
What we do not publish
We do not print a per-piece CMT rate on this page. Garment costs move with the fabric, the weight, the colour count, the trims and the print method, and a figure we would have to take back is worth less than no figure. Send the brief and you get a real number, priced against a real supplier quotation, with the lead time attached.
What a factory will ask you for
- A sample garment to copy, or a tech pack. If you have neither, send photos with your own measurements and say which garment you want it to fit like.
- The fabric in full: fibre, knit or weave, weight in GSM, and any colour that has to match a Pantone reference.
- Artwork at print size, and the method: screen, digital, transfer or embroidery.
- Labels and trims: main label, care label, size label, hangtags, and who supplies them.
- Packing: polybag per piece or not, how cartons are ratio packed, and any barcode or GS1 requirement.
We do not write your tech pack, your measurement chart or your size grading. We take what you have to the right kind of factory.
Typical Production Timeline
- Brief or tech pack review: 3 to 5 days
- Proto sample: about 2 weeks
- Pre-production (PP) sample: 1 to 2 weeks after approval
- Bulk production: 4 to 8 weeks, depending on quantity and complexity
- QC inspection and packing: about 1 week
- FOB Colombo shipment
A first run takes longer than a repeat. Treat these as planning figures, not a commitment; the lead time you get with your quote is the one that counts.
Compliance and audits
Sri Lankan export garment factories commonly hold WRAP, SA8000, Sedex/SMETA, ISO 14001, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and, for organic cotton, GOTS. We do not claim any of these on a factory’s behalf before your order is placed. If you need an audited factory, or your own code of conduct signed, say so in the brief rather than at the end: it narrows which factories can take the order, it changes the price, and we will confirm the certificate and its expiry with the factory in writing before anything is committed. A certificate held by a mill does not transfer to you as the importer.
Documentation
Certificate of origin, packing list, commercial invoice. Test reports (wash, colour fastness, physical) and third-party inspection to an agreed AQL are available on request and are quoted as part of the order.
Related products: Apparel Stock Lots and Export Surplus Garments, De-Labelled, by the Kilo or Piece
