Trims and Labels in a Tech Pack: A Complete Checklist

Trims and labels are every component on a garment that isn’t the main fabric — zippers, buttons, drawcords, elastic, plus the woven brand label, care label, and hangtags. Specifying trims and labels in a tech pack means listing each one with its size, material, color, placement, and supplier so the factory can source and attach exactly what you designed. Vague trim specs are one of the most common reasons a first sample comes back looking “off,” because the factory substituted whatever was on hand.

What counts as a trim?

A useful rule: if the factory has to buy it and attach it, it’s a trim. That includes obviously visible hardware and a lot of quiet components you might forget:

• Closures: zippers, buttons, snaps, hooks and bars, hook-and-loop.
• Drawcords and elastic: waistband elastic, hood cords, cuff ribbing, cord stoppers (the small plastic or metal toggles that grip a drawcord), and eyelets (the reinforced holes the cord exits through).
• Structural trims: interlining (the hidden stiffening layer inside collars and plackets), shoulder pads, boning, twill tape used to stabilize seams.
• Decorative trims: piping, lace, appliqué, embroidery patches.
• Labels: brand label, care label, size label, and any hangtags or packaging.

Every one of these should also appear on your bill of materials, the master list of materials in your pack. The trims section goes further than the BOM line item: it shows where each trim sits on the garment and how it’s attached.

How do I spec a zipper, button, or drawcord properly?

A factory can’t source from “black zipper.” Each trim needs the same handful of facts, and once you’ve written a few they become second nature.

For a zipper, call out the type (coil, molded plastic, or metal teeth), the gauge — written as a number like #5, where higher means chunkier teeth — the length, whether it separates fully (a jacket zip) or is closed-end (a pocket zip), the tape color, and the puller style. “YKK #5 coil, 60 cm, closed-end, tape DTM, autolock puller” is a complete callout. DTM means “dyed to match” — the trim should match the body fabric color rather than a separate Pantone reference.

For a button, give the material (corozo, horn, metal, polyester), the size in lignes — the industry unit for button diameter, where 1 ligne ≈ 0.635 mm, so a typical shirt button is 18L — the number of holes or shank style, and the color.

For drawcords and elastic, specify width or diameter, fiber content, finished length, and the tips (metal aglets, knotted ends, or heat-sealed).

Color for every trim should reference either a Pantone code or DTM, exactly as you would for the body fabric — the same logic covered in our guide to colorways and Pantone codes. A garment sold in three colorways needs the trim colors resolved for all three.

What labels does a garment legally need?

Labels split into two groups: the ones the law requires and the ones your brand wants.

Required labels in most markets cover fiber content (e.g. “100% cotton”), care instructions (washing, drying, ironing — often shown as care symbols), and country of origin. Some markets also require a registered identity for the importer or manufacturer. The exact rules differ between the US, EU, UK, and other regions, so confirm the requirements for every market you’ll sell into before you print labels — this is one area where “close enough” can mean fines or blocked shipments.

Brand labels are yours to design: the main woven label at the back neck, a size label, perhaps a small flag label on a side seam or hem. Spec each one like any other trim — dimensions, material (woven damask reads sharper than printed satin for logos), fold type (an end-fold label folds under at both ends; a loop label folds in half and is caught in the seam), and exact placement, such as “centered at back neck, 1 cm below seam.”

A trims and labels checklist before you send your pack

1. Every trim on the sketch appears in the trim section with size, material, and color.
2. Every color callout is a Pantone code or DTM — no plain color names.
3. Zippers have gauge, length, end type, and puller specified.
4. Buttons have ligne size and material specified, plus one spare button noted if you want one sewn in.
5. Care label content is confirmed for each market you sell into.
6. Brand label placement is given as a measurement, not “at the neck.”
7. Nominated suppliers are flagged for any trim the factory must not substitute.

A hooded sweatshirt is a good stress test: cords, cord stoppers, eyelets, ribbing, and three labels on one garment. If you’re working on one, the hoodie tech pack page shows how the full spec fits together.

Trim specs are tedious to write by hand, which is exactly why they get skipped. techpacks.app builds the trims and labels section into every pack automatically from your design, alongside the BOM, measurements, and construction callouts — you can preview your first pack online to see how a complete trim sheet looks for your own garment.

FAQ

What counts as a trim in a tech pack?

Anything attached to the garment that isn’t the main fabric: zippers, buttons, snaps, drawcords, elastic, eyelets, hook-and-loop, interlining, and all labels. If a factory has to buy it and attach it, it’s a trim and it belongs in your spec.

What is the difference between a trim and a finding?

They overlap heavily and many factories use the words interchangeably. Traditionally, findings are functional components like zippers and buttons, while trims also include decorative items like piping or appliqué. Your tech pack just needs to list all of them clearly.

What has to be on a care label legally?

Most markets require fiber content, care instructions, and country of origin; some also require an importer or manufacturer identity. Requirements differ by country, so confirm the rules for each market you sell into before printing labels.

Should I supply my own trims or let the factory source them?

Nominate the trims that carry your brand — woven labels, custom zipper pulls, branded buttons — and let the factory source generic items like elastic and sewing thread. Specify quality and color for everything either way.