A custom t-shirt manufacturer typically quotes between $3.50 and $9.00 per unit landed, depending on fabric weight, decoration method, and order volume. Most 240 to 300 GSM screen-printed runs land between $4.50 and $6.50 per piece delivered DDP to the US, UK, or Europe. Below is the full breakdown of each line item that builds that number, plus real order examples so you can budget your first or next production run with confidence.
What Drives the Cost of a Custom T-Shirt Manufacturer’s Quote
Five variables set the per-unit price on any custom t-shirt manufacturer quote: fabric weight (GSM), decoration method, order quantity, private label add-ons, and shipping terms. Move any one of these and the number changes – which is why two brands ordering what looks like the same t-shirt can receive quotes two dollars apart.
Fabric is usually the largest single line item, followed by decoration, then cut-and-sew labor, then trims and packaging, then freight. A manufacturer that quotes one flat number for each design is skipping steps. A transparent factory prices fabric, print, and labor as separate lines so you can see exactly where the money goes.
Volume compounds all of this. Screen setup, grading, and sampling costs are fixed regardless of quantity, so they get diluted across more units at 500 pieces than at 50. This is the mechanism behind each price-break table you will see from any manufacturer, ours included.
Custom T-Shirt Cost Breakdown by Line Item
| Line Item | Typical Range (per piece, factory price) | What Changes It |
|---|---|---|
| Blank fabric and cut-and-sew | $2.20 – $4.50 | GSM, cotton type (combed vs carded), fit complexity |
| Screen print (1-2 colors) | $0.40 – $1.10 | Number of colors, placements, print size |
| DTG print | $0.80 – $2.20 | Design complexity, coverage area, ink density |
| Embroidery (flat) | $0.70 – $1.80 | Stitch count, thread colors, placement size |
| Private label (neck label, woven tag, hangtag) | $0.25 – $0.70 | Label type, packaging complexity |
| DDP freight to US/UK/EU | $0.60 – $1.80 | Air vs sea, order weight, destination |
Add these lines together and a 250 GSM screen-printed t-shirt with a custom neck label typically lands between $4.50 and $6.20 delivered. A 300+ GSM heavyweight version with an all-over print or multi-placement embroidery can run $7.00 to $9.00.
Fabric Weight (GSM) and What It Adds to the Cost
GSM (grams per square meter) is the single biggest lever on fabric cost. A 180 GSM basic tee uses less yarn per garment than a 300 GSM heavyweight tee, so the fabric bill scales directly with weight – plan on roughly $0.30 to $0.60 more per piece for each 50 GSM you move up.
Combed cotton, which removes short fibers before spinning for a smoother hand-feel and less pilling, costs more than carded cotton. French terry and fleece-back t-shirt fabrics sit toward the top of the range because they use more yarn and more processing steps.
Heavier is not automatically the correct choice – it is a positioning decision. A 220 GSM tee drapes softer for a fashion-forward graphic label; a 300+ GSM tee reads as a structured, premium piece. See our heavyweight t-shirt manufacturing page for weight-specific specs, and What GSM Is Best for T-Shirts for a full weight-by-use-case guide.
Decoration Method Cost Comparison
Screen Print
Lowest per-unit cost at 100+ pieces per design. Best for one to three solid colors. Setup cost is per screen, so more colors add cost. Hard-wearing print hand that holds up over repeated washing.
DTG (Direct-to-Garment)
Higher per-unit cost, no color-count penalty. Best for photographic or gradient designs and runs under 100 pieces per design. Zero screen setup cost.
Embroidery sits in a category of its own – it does not scale down in cost with volume the way print does, because each stitch is machine time regardless of order size. For logo-scale marks under 10,000 stitches, embroidery lands close to a two-color screen print; for large-format designs the cost climbs quickly. See Embroidery vs Screen Printing for a full comparison.
MOQ and the Per-Unit Cost Curve
Minimum order quantity and per-unit cost move in opposite directions. At 50 pieces per design, you are covering a larger share of sampling and setup cost per garment; at 300 to 500 pieces, those fixed costs spread thin and your per-unit price typically drops 15 to 30 percent.
This does not mean small runs are priced against you – it means a manufacturer offering a 50-piece MOQ is absorbing more fixed cost per garment at entry volume so new brands can launch without overcommitting cash to inventory. Reordering at higher volume is where the per-unit economics improve fastest.
See What Is the MOQ for Custom T-Shirts for the exact MOQ tiers and how each one changes your quote.
Private Label Add-On Costs
Full private label – your neck label, woven size tag, hangtag, and polybag or branded packaging – typically adds $0.25 to $0.70 per unit over a fully blank garment. A neck label swap alone sits at the low end; branded poly-mailers or printed boxes push toward the top.
Brands sometimes strip these out to trim a few cents, then find the unbranded product reads as unfinished on shelf or in a product photo. For a label building repeat customers, the private-label line is one of the highest-leverage dollars in the entire quote.
Sampling Cost – and Why Skipping It Costs More
A pre-production sample typically runs $15 to $40 per style depending on complexity, and most manufacturers credit or absorb that cost once the bulk order confirms. Sampling exists to catch fit, color, and print issues before 300 units are cut.
Skipping sampling to save that fee is the most common reason brands end up eating a bulk reprint, which costs considerably more than the sample ever would have. Each Minku order includes a pre-production sample before bulk cutting begins.
Shipping, Duty, and DDP Landed Cost
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) shipping means the manufacturer, not your brand, handles export clearance, freight, import duty, and customs at destination – the price on your quote is the price that lands in your warehouse.
Air freight DDP from Pakistan to the US, UK, or EU adds roughly $0.60 to $1.80 per unit depending on order weight and destination, with transit typically 5 to 9 days depending on market. Sea freight lowers per-unit shipping cost further on large-volume reorders but adds four to six weeks of transit.
Confirm any quote states DDP explicitly. EXW or FOB quotes look lower on paper but shift duty, brokerage, and last-mile freight onto your brand after the fact.
Real-World Cost Example
| Run | Spec | Per-Unit Landed |
|---|---|---|
| 50 pcs, first drop | 240 GSM, 1-color screen print, custom neck label | ~$6.80 |
| 150 pcs, reorder | 240 GSM, 1-color screen print, custom neck label | ~$5.60 |
| 500 pcs, scaling | 300 GSM, 2-color screen print, full private label | ~$5.10 |
The pattern holds across each product line we manufacture – the first drop always carries more fixed cost per unit, and each reorder improves the economics because design, grading, and screens are already on file.
T-Shirt Cost Compared to Other Garment Types
A custom t-shirt sits at the bottom of the fabric-cost scale compared with a hoodie, sweatshirt, or jacket, simply because it uses less fabric and less labor per piece. Where a 300 GSM t-shirt might land at $5.50, a matching 400 GSM hoodie using the same decoration and label package can land closer to $12 to $16, because fleece back fabric, ribbing, drawcords, and a heavier build all add cost.
Brands launching a first collection often start with t-shirts precisely because the entry cost per unit is lower than a full hoodie or tracksuit line, which lets a new label test a design and a print method before committing budget to heavier, higher-cost garments. Once a t-shirt design proves itself in the market, the same graphic and label setup can be carried onto a hoodie or crewneck at a known, higher per-unit cost.
Common Cost Mistakes New Brands Make
The first mistake is comparing a blank-garment quote from one factory against a fully private-labeled quote from another – the numbers are not the same product. The second is choosing a heavyweight GSM before confirming it fits the budget, then cutting corners on decoration to compensate.
The third mistake is skipping DDP for a lower headline number, then absorbing an unplanned customs bill weeks later. Ask any manufacturer for an itemized quote broken into fabric, decoration, private label, and freight before you compare two numbers side by side.
How Minku Prices Your Custom T-Shirt Run
Minku Apparel manufactures custom t-shirts from 50 pieces per design, using 180 to 400+ GSM cotton, with in-house screen print, DTG, and embroidery under one roof. Each quote breaks out fabric, decoration, and shipping as separate lines so you know exactly what you are paying for at each stage of production.
Send us your tech pack, target GSM, and decoration method and we return an itemized quote with a pre-production sample built into the timeline before any bulk cutting starts. Get Your Custom Quote and see the real number for your design.
How Much Does It Cost to Manufacture Custom T-Shirts? (2026) — In Detail
