The main cost drivers
- Yarn — usually the largest single cost, and the one most sensitive to market prices.
- Gauge and weight — a heavy chunky knit uses far more yarn than a fine-gauge knit.
- Construction — cable, jacquard and intarsia take longer to knit than plain jersey or rib.
- Trims — buttons, zips, drawcords, contrast rib and lining all add cost.
- Labelling and packing — woven labels, hangtags and retail packing are small per piece but real at volume.
- Order quantity — setup and yarn minimums spread over more pieces at higher volume.
Why order quantity changes the unit price so much
At small volumes you are paying for setup and minimum yarn lots, not just material. At large volumes those fixed costs spread thin, and yarn can be bought in better price brackets.
This is why the unit price at 30 pcs per colour and at 500 pcs per colour are simply not comparable. Always ask what the next price break is, and how much more quantity it requires.
Seasonality is real
Knitwear capacity tightens in the months before autumn and winter delivery. Yarn prices also move with the raw fibre market. Booking production earlier usually costs less than expediting it later.
How to hit a target price
Give the supplier your target FOB price at the enquiry stage. A good manufacturer will work backwards from it — suggesting a different yarn, a finer gauge, or a simpler construction that still delivers the look you want.
What you should not do is reach a target price by removing quality control or by accepting vague tolerances. Those savings come back as customer returns.
Where it is safe to save, and where it is not
Safe to adjust: gauge, stitch pattern complexity, trims, packing format, colour count. Risky to cut: yarn composition in a product marketed on fibre content, labelling accuracy, and measurement tolerances.
If a price looks dramatically lower than everyone else's, the difference is somewhere. It is worth finding out where before you place the order.