Getting garments made, the words
Garment trade terms
FOB, CMT, CM, LDP and DDP, with what each includes and who carries which risk.
Garment trade terms
The words a costing conversation turns on, in one line each.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| HS 61 vs HS 62 | Chapter 61 is knitted or crocheted garments, chapter 62 is woven. Every trade statistic on our garments section is one of these two. |
| CMT | Cut, make, trim: the factory sews your fabric and trims. You own the material risk. |
| FOB (garments) | The factory buys fabric and trims and delivers a finished garment to the port. Most export orders are quoted this way. |
| SAM | Standard allowed minutes: the measured sewing time of a style. SAM times the labour rate is the core of a CM cost. |
| MOQ | Minimum order quantity, per style and often per colour. Driven by fabric minimums more than by sewing. |
| Lead time | Fabric booking to ex-factory. Knits typically run shorter than wovens because fabric is made faster. |
| Incoterms | EXW, FOB, CFR, CIF, DDP: who pays for and insures each leg. A CFR quote is not comparable to an FOB quote until you strip the freight. |
Every word on this site, not only these, is in the glossary, and the fuller primer, the words a factory will use at you and what each one costs you, is folded under “the words” on the overview.