A hoodie stock program is inventory placed in advance by the factory so the buyer can order small, ship fast, and reorder against sell-through. Knitwear Base (Finetex) publishes a stock program on its hoodie page: a 100-piece MOQ for stock hoodies, DTG turnaround of about 72 hours for orders over 100 pieces, and light customization on the ready-to-ship styles. This guide explains how the mechanism works, what the numbers actually buy, and when the stock route beats a custom run.
What a Stock Program Actually Is
The stock program is inventory the factory pre-produces and holds, which moves the lead time and the minimum from the buyer’s side to the factory’s. The buyer orders from what is already made, so the minimum drops, the shipment window shortens, and the cash commitment shrinks. The trade is that the buyer works inside the factory’s catalog: the styles, the colors, and the base fit are set in advance.
The mechanism is built for the wholesale test. A distributor that is unsure whether a hoodie color will sell can order 100 pieces, measure the sell-through, and reorder with evidence instead of with a forecast. The stock program converts the market test from a bet into a data point.
The same factory also runs a custom program, and the two programs sit on the same quality system. According to the about-us page, the company behind Knitwear Base has around 20 years of experience serving global high-end brands, with end-to-end supply chain management from fabric development to production and export, its own R&D center, and an in-house quality assurance system covering development through bulk production. That published background is the scale behind both the stock inventory and the custom production line. The stock program is not a separate product; it is the same factory running a faster track.
MOQ 100: What the Number Buys You
The 100-piece stock minimum is a small-order tool, and the number buys three things: a color and size test, a cash-limited launch, and a reorder baseline. The page states that stock hoodies carry a 100-piece MOQ and are ready to ship, and the mixing rules, whether the 100 pieces can be spread across colors and sizes, are the first thing to confirm before the order is treated as a test structure. A distributor that confirms the mix can measure which color sells first and use the data to decide the next order.
The stock minimum should be read against the custom minimum to see the full structure. The homepage FAQ states that the full-customization MOQ is 500-3,000 pieces per style with mixed sizes depending on the product, which means the jump from the stock test to the custom run is a planning step, not a surprise. The buyer should ask whether the 100-piece minimum applies per stock style, whether the sizes mix inside it, and whether light customization changes the number.
The number also has a cash meaning. At 100 pieces, the buyer funds a test rather than a season, and the cash that is not tied to the test is available for the reorder. The stock program’s economics only work when the buyer treats the first order as the measurement, not as the inventory target.
The minimum should also be read per style and per color. The 100-piece number on the hoodie page describes the stock program’s entry point, and the buyer should confirm whether the minimum applies to each stock style, whether the sizes mix inside it, and whether a second color triggers a second minimum. The structure is where a three-style test can quietly become a 300-piece commitment, so the written confirmation is the budget’s protection.
DTG Turnaround: The 72-Hour Promise
The 72-hour DTG promise is the stock program’s speed engine, and the clock should be read precisely. According to Knitwear Base’s published program details on its hoodie page, DTG orders of over 100 pieces ship within about 72 hours. The boundary has four parts: it applies to DTG decoration, not automatically to heat transfer or embossing; it means the order ships, not that it arrives at the buyer’s door; the freight window is separate; and the start point, order confirmation, artwork approval, or payment, must be confirmed in writing.
The speed only matters if the decoration survives the customer’s use. The buyer should request a decorated sample, wash it in the customer’s cycle, and check the adhesion, the cracking, and the hand feel before relying on the turnaround. A fast shipment that fails the third wash costs more than a slow one that holds.
The turnaround should also be confirmed in writing with the trigger named. Whether the clock starts at the order confirmation, the artwork approval, or the payment changes the plan, and the written confirmation is the difference between the 72-hour promise and the 72-hour estimate.
Light Customization on Stock Hoodies
Light customization is what makes the stock program usable as a brand test. The buyer can add a logo through DTG, heat transfer, or embossing, and apply the brand’s labels and hang tags to the ready-to-ship blanks, which turns the factory’s stock into the buyer’s product without a custom production run.
The limits of light customization should be confirmed before the order. The stock program works inside the catalog’s colors and fits, so a new fabric weight, a new silhouette, or a deep color change moves the order to the custom track. The buyer should ask which changes stay inside the stock minimum and which trigger the custom program, because the answer decides whether the test can scale.
The light-customized sample is the approval gate. The logo placement, the label position, and the packaging should be approved on one decorated stock hoodie before the bulk, with the wash test included, so the fast reorder does not inherit an unapproved configuration.
Reorder Rhythm and Inventory Handoff
The reorder rhythm for a stock program is shorter than for a custom line, because the replenishment gap is smaller. The trigger is calculated, not guessed: the reorder point equals the daily sales multiplied by the total replenishment lead time, plus the safety stock. The total lead time covers the production and decoration window plus the freight window, and the safety stock covers the variation in the sales and the shipment.
The calculation works with example numbers. If a style sells 20 units a day, the stock program’s production and decoration take about 3 days, the sea freight runs about 20 days, and the distributor holds 100 units of safety stock, the reorder point is 20 multiplied by 23, plus 100, which is 560 units. The numbers are an example for the method, not a recommendation, and the buyer should replace them with the actual rate, the confirmed turnaround, and the real freight window.
The 100-piece test order also needs a size plan. A starting split for a streetwear hoodie might carry the middle sizes deepest, for example 30 percent medium, 35 percent large, 20 percent extra-large, and 15 percent across the ends, but the ratio belongs to the channel and should be confirmed against the sell-through data rather than treated as a fixed rule. The weekly or biweekly review by color and by size catches the fast color before it sells out.
The cash review belongs on the same rhythm. Each stock reorder ties up cash in the next batch, so the distributor should review the sell-through value against the reorder value before the order is placed, and let the data decide whether the fast color earns the depth or the slow color waits. The review keeps the stock program from turning the low minimum into a repeated overstock.
The inventory handoff should be written down. The quantities per color and per size, the target arrival date, and the acceptance standard should be confirmed with the factory in the same format as the first order, because the reorder is a repeat of an approved configuration rather than a new negotiation. The buyer who keeps the first order’s record gets a reorder that matches it.
The safety stock still belongs in the plan. The stock program shortens the gap, but it does not remove it, so the distributor should hold a small buffer of the core sizes and reorder before the stockout rather than after.
Stock vs Custom: The Decision Framework
The route decision is made on the order’s timeline, cash, and brand needs. The framework below summarizes where each route wins, with the numbers from Knitwear Base’s published program details.
| Decision input | Stock route | Custom route |
|---|---|---|
| MOQ | 100 pieces per stock style | 500-3,000 pieces per style |
| Turnaround | DTG 100+ pcs in about 72 hours | Bulk 15-45 days after deposit |
| Customization | Light: logo, labels, stock colors | Fabric, fit, colors, trims |
| Cash | Small test commitment | Larger program commitment |
| Best for | Market tests and fast reorders | Brand ownership and scale |
The framework should be run with the selling window in view. A distributor testing a streetwear color inside the season belongs on the stock route; a brand building a hoodie line for the fall-winter window belongs on the custom route. The two routes are not competitors; they are the two stages of the same line.
The framework should also be re-run at the reorder. The first stock test may prove the color and the second order may justify the custom minimum, so the route decision is reviewed with the sell-through data rather than fixed at the first order. The re-run is what lets the line graduate from the test to the program without guessing.
A distributor’s purchasing team evaluating the route would read the 100-piece minimum as the cost of the test, not the size of the line, and would size the first order against the selling window rather than against the minimum. The stock order that is treated as the measurement, the colors, the sizes, and the sell-through window is the one that produces the reorder data the custom decision needs.
Distributors and brands can request the stock catalog, the decorated samples, and the pricing information through Knitwear Base’s contact page, which is the first step in deciding whether the 100-piece stock test or the custom program fits the season’s plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a hoodie stock program?
Inventory the factory pre-produces and holds, so the buyer orders small, ships fast, and reorders against sell-through. The trade is working inside the factory’s catalog.
What does the 100-piece MOQ buy?
A color and size test, a cash-limited launch, and a reorder baseline. At 100 pieces the buyer funds a measurement rather than a season.
How fast is the DTG turnaround?
According to Knitwear Base’s published program details, DTG orders of over 100 pieces ship within about 72 hours, with the freight to the buyer’s market running as a separate window.
Can I put my logo on a stock hoodie?
Yes. Light customization covers DTG, heat transfer, and embossing plus labels and hang tags, while deeper changes move the order to the custom track.
When should I choose the custom route instead?
When the line needs its own fabric, fit, or colors, or when the quantity justifies the 500-3,000 piece custom structure. The stock route tests, and the custom route owns.
How do I make the 72-hour promise reliable?
Approve the decorated sample with the wash test, confirm the clock’s trigger in writing, and plan the freight window separately from the production window.
How should I reorder a stock program?
Set the trigger from the sell-through rate, review by color and size, confirm the quantities and the target date in the same format as the first order, and hold a small safety buffer of the core sizes.
How do I calculate the reorder point?
Multiply the daily sales by the total replenishment lead time, production plus freight, and add the safety stock. With example numbers, 20 units a day, a 23-day total lead time, and 100 units of safety stock give a reorder point of 560 units.
