This article is published in English.
2026-03-04 · Arrown Trading · Buying guides
How to Choose a Workwear Manufacturer
For medium and large workwear distributors supplying the USA and Europe.
A workwear manufacturer is the right supplier when you need a style repeated, not a carton of mixed retail stock. The decision is about specification, sampling, and the price basis. It is not about who has the loudest homepage.
Ask for the same three lines from every factory
Cloth and GSM. The price at the quantity you will actually receive. Whether that price is EX-WORKS. Those three lines make two offers comparable. A factory that will not separate freight from the garment is hiding the number you need.
On this site the catalog rates are indicative EX-WORKS Sialkot prices in USD, for the standard specification in one color. Branding, a second color, tape, and packing sit outside that cell. The invoice is the price that counts.
What a serious factory will do before bulk
- Read a tech pack, a sample garment, or clear photos, and say what is unclear.
- Sew a sample and wait for written approval.
- Price branding apart from the garment so you can drop it.
- Name the shipping term. Here the published term is EX-WORKS. Other Incoterms only when that order says so.
- Refuse to invent a certificate, a client list, or a capacity number.
What to ignore
Ignore unnamed client logos, round production statistics, and ISO marks with no document behind them. Ignore a quote that is only “best price” with no cloth. If your program needs ANSI, EN, or another named standard, put that name in the first email and wait for a direct answer before you print a claim on your own packing.
Start with the closest catalog style, or with the custom workwear path if the garment is not in the book. The minimum here is 50 pieces per style and color.
Questions on this guide
Do I need a tech pack to start?
No. A reference garment or clear photos are enough to open a quote. A pack makes the sample faster.
Should I trust a certificate logo on a website?
Only if the factory can name the standard and send the document for that order. This site does not publish certificate numbers.
What price is comparable?
Compare EX-WORKS with EX-WORKS. A USA warehouse price already includes freight and someone else’s margin.