In short
Under CMT (cut, make, trim) the buyer supplies fabric and trims and pays the factory for labour only, while under full package (FOB) the factory sources everything and delivers a finished, packed garment. CMT gives a lower quoted price and more material control but leaves supply-chain risk with the buyer, so full package suits most new brands.
Before a single style is costed, one decision shapes almost everything downstream: does the factory source the fabric and trims, or do you? This is the real difference between full-package (FOB, sometimes called fully factored) and CMT (Cut, Make, Trim) manufacturing, and it's less about which is cheaper than about who is carrying supply-chain risk for your order.
CMT — you supply the materials, the factory supplies the labour
Under a CMT arrangement, you (or your fabric supplier) deliver fabric, trims, labels and packaging directly to the factory, which is responsible only for cutting, sewing and finishing. This gives you direct control over exact fabric sourcing and can save materially on material cost versus a factory's own markup — but it also means you're managing every supplier in the chain yourself. If one trim shipment is delayed, the entire production run stalls, and that risk sits with you, not the factory.
- Best suited to brands with an established fabric/trim supply chain, or specific material requirements a general factory can't source at the right spec.
- CMT factories are frequently smaller operations selling labour on thinner margins — a higher-volume client's order can deprioritise yours on the same line.
- Requires more logistics management on your side: multiple suppliers, multiple delivery windows, all converging correctly at the factory.
Full package (FOB) — one accountable partner for the whole order
A full-package factory sources fabric and trims itself, manages the entire production process, and delivers a finished, packed garment — you're buying a completed product, not factory labour hours. If a zipper shipment is delayed at customs, that's the factory's problem to solve, not yours. This removes the multi-supplier coordination risk of CMT entirely, in exchange for a higher per-unit price that reflects the factory's own sourcing and project-management overhead.
“The choice between full package and CMT isn't really about price — it's about where you want production risk to sit. CMT can cost less per unit; full package costs you less time and fewer points of failure.”
| CMT | Full package (FOB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sources fabric/trims | You | The factory |
| Quoted price per unit | Lower — labour only; you buy the materials separately | Higher — includes fabric, trims, sourcing and project management |
| Supply-chain risk | Sits with you | Sits with the factory |
| Best for | Brands with an established supply chain or specific fabric requirements | Brands wanting one accountable partner and simplified logistics |
| Typical order scale | Often smaller, specialist runs | Scales more predictably with volume |
A hybrid middle ground exists
Some brands nominate specific fabric or trims (see our glossary's entry on nominated fabric) while leaving the factory to source everything else — capturing some of CMT's material control without taking on full supply-chain coordination. This is common where a brand has a signature fabric relationship worth preserving but no interest in managing trim suppliers as well.
Frequently asked questions
Is CMT or full package (FOB) cheaper?
A CMT rate is lower than the FOB price for the same garment, because it leaves out fabric and trims — usually the largest cost in the garment — and you're buying labour only. Add your own material, freight and working-capital cost back in and the two usually land closer than they first appear; CMT is genuinely cheaper mainly when you already have the mill relationships and the buying volume. That saving has a cost of its own: you take on the coordination risk of every supplier in the chain landing at the factory on time, and if one trim shipment is late, the whole run stalls, on you, not the factory. Full package costs more per unit because that price bakes in the factory's own sourcing and project-management overhead, but in return you get one accountable partner — if a zipper shipment gets stuck at customs, that's the factory's problem to fix, not yours. So "cheaper" really depends on whether you're optimising for unit cost or for fewer stalled production lines.
What does CMT stand for in garment manufacturing?
Cut, Make, Trim — a pricing model where the factory gets paid purely for the labour of cutting, sewing and finishing, while you or your fabric supplier deliver fabric, trims, labels and packaging straight to their door. Because the factory isn't sourcing anything, CMT hands you direct control over exactly which fabric and trims end up in the finished garment, and it can save real money versus what a full-package factory would mark materials up to. The catch is you're now running supplier logistics yourself instead of handing that off — which suits brands that already have an established fabric and trim supply chain, or need a specific material a general factory simply can't source to spec. It tends to fit smaller, more specialist runs better than a brand wanting one partner accountable for the whole order.
Which manufacturing model is better for a new brand?
Full package is the more forgiving starting point for a first-time buyer, because the factory absorbs the sourcing and logistics complexity that CMT would otherwise dump on you — one accountable partner runs the whole thing, from fabric through to a finished, packed garment, instead of you juggling multiple suppliers into one delivery window. CMT makes more sense once you've already got supplier relationships in place, or need a specific fabric a general factory can't match — but it comes with real logistics management on your side, and if any single shipment in that chain slips, the entire run stalls and it's your problem to solve. For a brand without existing supply-chain infrastructure, full package's higher per-unit price is usually worth paying just to remove that failure point.
Sources
We work full package as standard, and can accommodate nominated fabric where it matters to your brand. Tell us which model fits your business and we'll cost accordingly.
Where to next
Homaira Jashim
Director, Belle Vouz Ltd
Homaira Jashim is a director of Belle Vouz Ltd and a co-founder of Collective Studio Ltd, its group company in Narayanganj. She works with brands from first enquiry to repeat orders.
More about the teamFree tools for clothing brands
MOQ, pricing and AQL calculators, a GSM ⇄ oz converter, a fillable tech pack template and a manufacturing glossary — built by our group company, Collective Studio, free to use.