Quick answer
Start by asking what the minimum applies to: the order, the style, each colour, each decoration or each trim. Then send a style-colour-size matrix with exact quantities, pack method and decoration per colour, and ask the factory to quote it as written. Stock colours generally allow small, mixed size runs; dyed-to-order colours usually carry a mill minimum per colour, so each new shade can raise the real MOQ.
The question behind this guide
How do I split a minimum order quantity across colours and sizes?
A single MOQ figure gets read as a total that can be divided freely, until the fabric mill, the decorator or a trim supplier turns out to have its own minimum per colour or design. Size quantities are also often spread evenly instead of following demand.
Prepared from the GS1 GTIN Management Standard, the lot-based sampling principle of ISO 2859-1 and SGS’s description of final inspection, together with SenLin’s published order terms. Example quantities are hypothetical; this is not a survey of factory minimums or prices.
Key takeaways
- An MOQ can apply to the order, style, colour, decoration or trim; ask which before splitting quantities.
- Send a matrix with exact quantities per colour and size, and ask the factory to quote that matrix.
- Colours usually drive minimums more than sizes, because each colour can need its own dye lot and decoration set-up.
- Agree how quantity tolerance, packing and inspection apply to each cell, not only to the order total.
What does an activewear MOQ actually apply to?
To whichever production input has the highest threshold. A garment factory may sew 100 pieces economically, while the fabric mill, the printer or the label supplier each has a minimum of its own. A quoted MOQ means little until you know which level it describes, and “mixed sizes allowed” does not automatically mean any split is accepted.
The table lists the levels that most often set the real minimum on an activewear order, with the question that exposes each one.
| Level | Why a minimum exists | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Order | Planning, line set-up, shipping paperwork | Is the minimum per order or per style? |
| Style | Pattern, marker and sewing-line changeover | Can two styles share one minimum? |
| Colour | A mill dye lot for non-stock shades | Which colours are stock and which are dyed to order? |
| Size | Rarely binding; extended sizes may cost more | Is there a minimum per colour-size cell? |
| Decoration | Screens, digitising or transfer film per design | Is set-up charged per design or per garment colour? |
| Trims and packaging | Supplier minimums for custom zips, labels and bags | Which trims are stock and which are custom? |
How do I build a colour-size matrix a factory can quote?
Use one matrix per style: colours down the side, sizes across the top, an exact quantity in every cell and totals for each row and column. Add the decoration for each colour, because a white logo on navy and a black logo on grey are two separate set-ups even with identical artwork. The table at the end of this section is a compact, hypothetical example for one performance tee.
Send the matrix with the following details, and ask for the quotation to reference it by version:
- Style number and the sample or spec version it refers to.
- Size chart version, including any 3XL–5XL cells.
- Decoration per colour: method, artwork version, ink or thread colour.
- Pack method: one size per carton, or a fixed size ratio.
- Quantity tolerance, and whether it applies per cell or only to the total.
- Whether colours may ship separately if one is delayed.
| Colour and logo | S / M / L / XL / 2XL | Total | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black, white logo | 12 / 30 / 33 / 15 / 10 | 100 | Stock colour |
| Navy, white logo | 12 / 30 / 33 / 15 / 10 | 100 | Stock colour |
| Custom teal, black logo | 12 / 30 / 33 / 15 / 10 | 100 | Dyed to order: check the mill minimum |
How should I choose the size split?
From real demand, not an even spread. Teamwear and corporate orders are the easy case: take sizes from the roster and add a small agreed reserve for new joiners. For stock you will sell, start from your own sales by size; without history, a pre-order or the size sales of a comparable product beats a guess.
Spreading quantities evenly across S–5XL ties up cash in end sizes that usually sell more slowly and leaves core sizes short. Weight the order towards the middle, but keep the extended sizes your customers need, because adding them later means another production run and usually another minimum.
Why do custom colours raise the real minimum?
Because mills dye fabric in lots, and a lot has a minimum weight or length however few garments you need. Stock colours are already dyed and can be cut in small quantities; a new shade needs a lab dip, approval and a dye lot of its own.
You can estimate the effect. Fabric per garment in grams is roughly the fabric weight in g/m² multiplied by the area each garment consumes, including cutting waste. In a hypothetical case, a 200 g/m² tee using 1.2 m² needs about 240 g, so a hypothetical 300 kg dye lot yields roughly 1,250 tees. Ask the factory for the actual lot minimum and consumption rather than relying on these figures.
Reorders raise the same issue. A repeat order in a custom colour is usually a new dye lot that can differ slightly from the first, so many buyers approve a new lab dip or a shade band against the original standard before cutting.
What does each extra colour or size add to the order?
More than the unit price shows. Each new cell is a separate product for barcodes, labels, packing and inspection. The GS1 GTIN Management Standard treats each style, colour and size variation as a unique product with its own GTIN, and a pre-packed assortment traded as one unit carries a GTIN of its own.
Before adding a cell, check what it brings with it:
| Change to the matrix | What it adds | Confirmed by |
|---|---|---|
| Extra stock colour | Thread and trim matching, ink change, more barcodes | Factory and decorator |
| Extra custom colour | Lab dip, dye-lot minimum, shade approval | Mill, via the factory |
| Extra size | Grading on custom patterns, size labels, barcodes | Factory pattern room |
| Different logo per colour | Another screen, film or embroidery set-up | Decorator |
| Ratio-packed cartons | Assortment rules, packing time, carton labels | Factory packing team |
Does a wide matrix weaken final inspection?
It can, unless you say how the sample should be spread. ISO 2859-1 sizes the inspection sample from the lot, not from the number of colours, so when a 300-piece order is inspected as one lot, a 15-piece cell may supply two or three pieces to the sample, or none. SGS describes final random inspection as checking quantity, assortment, labelling and packing against the purchase order and packing instructions. Ask the inspector to:
- Draw pieces from every colour and size, weighted by quantity.
- Check carton counts and the packing list against the matrix, cell by cell.
- Open ratio packs and confirm the assortment matches the instruction.
- Report findings by colour, so one weak shade is not averaged away.
How SenLin quotes a mixed colour and size order
SenLin’s standard styles start from 100 pieces with logo customisation and mixed sizes: S–5XL for performance tops, shorts, pants and sets, and M–5XL for polos. Women’s activewear base styles also start from 100 pieces. How those pieces may be split across colours is confirmed in the quotation.
A custom Pantone shade, fabric or pattern moves the order to the custom route, which starts from 300–500+ pieces, with the applicable minimum confirmed by style against your colour breakdown. Sending the matrix with the enquiry therefore produces a quotation you can compare like for like.
Continue your buyer research
Connect this decision to the relevant product, factory process and frequently asked questions before requesting a quotation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I mix colours to reach a 100-piece minimum?
Sometimes. Mixing sizes within one colour is widely accepted for stock styles; mixing colours depends on whether each colour is in stock and whether the decoration changes between colours. Some suppliers accept a mixed total, while others set a per-colour minimum or add a small-colour surcharge. Ask the supplier to mark the accepted split, and any surcharge, on your matrix before you confirm.
How many colours should a first activewear order have?
As few as the range needs in order to sell. Each colour divides the same budget into thinner size runs: three colours of 100 pieces give far less depth per size than one colour of 300. Many brands launch core shades from stock colours, then add a seasonal colour once sell-through by size and colour justifies a dye lot.
Do 3XL to 5XL sizes cost more?
Often, because larger sizes consume more fabric and can need separate marker planning. Some factories price every size the same up to 2XL and add a surcharge above that; others average the cost across the run. Ask for the price per size band in writing, so a heavy extended-size split does not change the price after the order is placed.
What happens if one size is delivered short?
That depends on the quantity tolerance in your order. Many contracts allow a small over- or under-delivery, but define it per colour-size cell as well as on the total; otherwise a short size can be offset by surplus pieces in another. Check the packing list against your matrix before goods leave the factory, while a correction is still possible.
Can I add a colour on a reorder at the original minimum?
Only if the colour is a stock shade, or enough fabric remains from an earlier lot. A new custom shade brings its own lab dip and dye-lot minimum however small the reorder is, so one extra colour may need close to a full colour minimum on its own. Check whether a stock shade could do the same job before committing.
Sources and evidence notes
- Standard ownerGS1: GTIN Management Standard (one GTIN per style, colour and size variant)
- Standards publisher: public scopeISO: ISO 2859-1 sampling schemes indexed by AQL for lot-by-lot inspection
- Inspection provider: service scopeSGS: final random inspection against agreed specifications
- SenLin order termsSenLin: working with us (MOQ, samples and production times)
