A per-colour minimum is rarely arbitrary, but it is often negotiable. It reflects how fabric is made and dyed: dye houses run fabric in batches and a mill sets a minimum quantity for each colour to make a batch economical. The factory then applies its own minimums for cutting, sewing and trims. Ask which of these the number comes from.

What drives the minimum

Typical drivers are the size of a dye batch, the cost of setting up and cleaning a machine, the minimum length of a knitted fabric roll, and the minimum quantity the knitter will run in one yarn lot. Printing and decoration add their own set-up costs for each colour or design. Ask the factory to split the minimum into fabric, dyeing, cutting and sewing and see which can move.

Ways to lower it

Options include choosing colours the mill already holds in stock or keeps in its regular range, which often have lower minimums or no minimum at all. You can also reduce the number of colours and increase the quantity of each, or share a fabric between several styles so that its total quantity meets the minimum. Another option is to start with a smaller colour range and add colours on the reorder, once sales data shows what to restock. Some mills and factories will accept a smaller quantity at a higher price per unit.

Watch the trade-offs

Stock or ready-dyed fabric may limit your colour choice, and the shade may not exactly match your brand colour. Check weight with ASTM D3776 and compare the finished fabric to your approved sample before you confirm. If you accept a smaller quantity at a higher price, calculate the real cost per unit, including any surcharge.

Quality for small lots

Small dye lots give less room for rework if the shade is off, so agree on the approval method and tolerance before dyeing. Inspect each colour as its own lot under a sampling plan such as ISO 2859-1 so that a problem in one colour is not hidden by the others.

What to write

Put the minimum per colour, any surcharge and the shade approval method into the quotation.