Colorways in a Tech Pack: A Beginner's Pantone Guide

Colorways in a tech pack are the named color versions of your garment, with the exact color of every single material spelled out for each one. If you sell one t-shirt style in black, sand, and forest green, that’s three colorways — and a good tech pack specs all of them, down to the thread and the label, using Pantone references so the factory matches the shades you actually designed instead of guessing. Getting colorways right is what stops your “sand” from coming back beige in one batch and grey in the next.

If you’re still getting oriented on the larger document, start with our overview of what a tech pack actually is, then come back here for the color detail.

What is a colorway, exactly?

A colorway is one complete color recipe for a style. The garment design stays the same — same pattern, same construction, same measurements — but every material gets a specified color. Change those colors and you’ve created a new colorway.

The key idea for beginners: a colorway covers every material, not just the main fabric. A single hoodie colorway might define the body fleece, the rib at the cuffs and hem, the drawcord, the metal eyelets, the sewing thread, the woven brand label, and the printed care label. Leave any one of those undefined and the factory will pick for you — and you may not like the pick.

Why color names aren’t enough

The instinct is to write “navy” or “off-white” and move on. The problem is that color words are subjective. Your navy, your factory’s navy, and your dye house’s navy can all be different, and once fabric is dyed, fixing a wrong shade means re-dyeing a whole batch.

This is where Pantone comes in. Pantone is a standardized color system — a library of thousands of precise, numbered colors that everyone in the supply chain can reference. Instead of “navy,” you write a Pantone code, and the factory matches dye to that exact standard. It’s the color equivalent of giving a measurement instead of saying “make it medium-sized.”

TCX vs. TPX: which Pantone code do I use?

Pantone makes more than one color library, and picking the wrong one is a common beginner mistake.

• TCX (Textile Cotton eXtended): colors matched on cotton fabric. This is the standard for apparel. When you give a factory a color for dyeing or matching cloth, use a TCX code.
• TPX / TPG: colors matched on paper. Useful for early mood boards and digital design, but paper and fabric absorb color differently, so a TPX swatch can look noticeably different once it’s on cloth.

The practical rule: design with whatever you have, but spec your tech pack in TCX. If you own physical Pantone TCX swatch cards, even better — sending a factory a physical chip alongside the code is the gold standard, because screens and printers distort color too.

How to lay out colorways in your tech pack

You build colorways directly on top of your bill of materials, since the BOM already lists every material. The cleanest format is a small grid: materials down the side, colorways across the top.

1. List every material in the left column — pull these straight from your BOM so nothing gets missed.
2. Add one column per colorway and name each one (e.g. “Black”, “Sand”, “Forest”).
3. Fill every cell with the Pantone TCX code (and a plain-language name for quick reading) for that material in that colorway.
4. Flag anything that stays constant, like a thread that’s always tonal or a label that’s always black, so the factory knows it’s intentional.
5. Note placement-specific color where it matters — for example a contrast collar or a color-blocked panel — and reference your construction details so it’s clear which seam or panel each color applies to.

A quick sanity check before you send it: could a stranger at the factory buy or dye the right color for every material in every version, without calling you? If yes, your colorways are doing their job.

A simple colorway checklist

• Every material from the BOM appears, including thread, labels, and trims.
• Each material has a Pantone TCX code, not just a color name.
• Tonal or constant components are flagged so they’re not mistaken for errors.
• Contrast or color-blocked areas are tied to a specific panel or seam.
• Physical swatches or chips are attached where exact match is critical.

Color is also where small details signal whether you’re a serious partner — a factory can tell within minutes whether a designer specced their colorways properly. If you’re building specs for a specific style, our t-shirt tech pack guide and the resources for independent designers walk through it in context, and techpacks.app builds the colorway grid for you as part of the pack.

FAQ

What is a colorway in a tech pack?

A colorway is one complete color version of your garment, listing the exact color of every material — body fabric, trims, thread, labels. A single style sold in three colors has three colorways, each fully specced.

What is the difference between Pantone TCX and TPX?

TCX codes are matched on cotton fabric (Textile Cotton eXtended) and are the standard for apparel. TPX codes are matched on paper. Always give factories a TCX number for fabric, since paper and cloth take color differently.

Can I just write “navy blue” instead of a Pantone code?

You can, but you shouldn’t rely on it. Color names mean different things to different people and factories, so a word like navy can come back several shades off. A Pantone code removes the guesswork.

Do all the materials in a colorway have to match exactly?

Not match each other, but each one needs its own defined color. Your thread, zipper, and drawcord can be different colors from the body fabric on purpose — the point is that every component has a specified, intentional color.

Ready to put this into practice? Preview your first pack and see your colorway grid come together alongside the rest of your spec.