Choosing between CMT and full package production comes down to who sources the materials, and for most new and scaling brands full package production (FPP) is the better fit, while CMT (Cut, Make, Trim) suits established labels that already source their own fabric. In CMT you supply the fabric and trims and the factory only cuts and sews; in full package the manufacturer sources everything and delivers a finished garment.
Understanding CMT vs full package production tells you how much of the supply chain you are taking on yourself. One route gives you granular control over materials at the cost of complexity; the other hands the whole build to the factory so you can focus on design and selling. Here is exactly how each works and which suits your stage.
The short verdict
If you are a new or growing brand without established fabric suppliers, full package production is almost always the right call, because it removes the hardest part of manufacturing, sourcing the right fabric and trims at the right minimums, and hands it to a factory that does it daily. You approve a sample and receive finished goods.
CMT earns its place once you have specific fabric relationships, a proprietary material or the volume to source cost-effectively yourself. At that point, supplying your own fabric can give you control and margin that full package cannot. For most brands, that stage comes later, if at all.
Both routes run through the same cut-and-sew floor and sit within our custom clothing service.
What CMT (Cut, Make, Trim) means
CMT stands for Cut, Make, Trim. You supply the fabric and often the trims, and the factory provides the labour: cutting the fabric to your pattern, making (sewing) the garment, and attaching trims and labels. You own the materials side entirely, from sourcing to shipping fabric to the factory.
The appeal of CMT is control and, at scale, cost. If you can buy fabric cheaper or want a specific mill’s material, CMT lets you dictate exactly what goes into the garment while paying the factory only for construction. It is the model many established labels use once their supply chain is mature.
The catch is responsibility. Every material delay, quality issue or minimum-order problem on fabric becomes yours to manage, and a fabric fault you sourced is not the factory’s to fix. CMT rewards brands that already have that logistics muscle.
What full package production (FPP) means
Full package production, sometimes called FPP or full-service manufacturing, means the factory handles the entire build: sourcing fabric and trims, pattern making, cutting, sewing, decoration, labelling and finishing. You provide the design and spec, approve a sample, and receive a completed, packed garment.
This is the model that lets a founder launch without becoming a supply-chain manager. Because the factory already has mill relationships and buys fabric at working minimums, full package removes the biggest barriers new brands hit: sourcing heavyweight fabric in the right weight and colour without a huge material order.
Full package also concentrates accountability. One partner owns the whole garment, so if anything is off, it is one relationship to resolve rather than a chain of separate suppliers pointing at each other. For most brands, that simplicity is worth more than the marginal control CMT offers.
CMT vs full package head to head
CMT
You source fabric and trims. Factory cuts and sews only. Maximum material control, more logistics on you. Suits established brands with supplier relationships and volume.
Full Package
Factory sources everything and delivers finished goods. Minimal logistics on you, one accountable partner. Suits new and scaling brands launching without a fabric supply chain.
Cost, control and complexity compared
| Factor | CMT | Full package |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric sourcing | You | Factory |
| Logistics burden | High on you | Low on you |
| Material control | Maximum | Guided by factory |
| Accountability | Split (you own fabric) | Single partner |
| Best for | Established labels | New and scaling brands |
| Speed to launch | Slower setup | Faster |
When CMT is the right choice
CMT makes sense when you have a reason to control the fabric yourself. That might be a proprietary or branded material, an existing mill relationship that gives you a genuine edge, or the volume to buy fabric at a price and minimum that beats what a factory would pass through. In those cases, paying only for construction can improve your margin.
It also suits brands with the operational capacity to manage material logistics, inspect incoming fabric, hold stock and absorb the risk if a roll comes in flawed. If your team can run that reliably, CMT hands you control that full package deliberately abstracts away.
For a related decision about buying blanks versus building garments, see our guide on cut and sew vs printing on blanks.
When full package is the right choice
Full package is the right choice for the vast majority of brands launching or scaling streetwear. If you do not already have fabric suppliers, if you want heavyweight material in the right weight without sourcing a mill minimum yourself, or if you would rather spend your energy on design and selling than on logistics, full package removes the friction.
It is also the faster route to market. Because the factory already holds the mill relationships and knows the material minimums, there is no separate sourcing phase to run before production, which shortens the path from approved sample to finished goods on a launch timeline.
To see how the full build flows end to end, read our overview of how clothing manufacturing works.
A hybrid approach
The choice is not always binary. Some brands run full package on most of their line while supplying a specific fabric for one hero piece, effectively a hybrid where the factory sources everything except the one material the brand wants to control. A capable manufacturer accommodates this rather than forcing an all-or-nothing model.
This flexibility lets a brand start full package, then selectively take on material sourcing as it matures and finds mills worth a direct relationship. The transition can be gradual, piece by piece, rather than a wholesale switch that risks the whole line at once.
Minimum orders in each model
MOQs behave differently between the two routes. In full package, the factory absorbs and spreads fabric minimums across its own sourcing, so a brand can access heavyweight material at a workable order size, our standard MOQ starts around 50 pieces per design. You are not forced to buy a mill’s minimum roll to get the fabric you want.
In CMT, the fabric minimum is yours to meet directly, because you are the one buying the roll. That can push your effective minimum higher than the factory’s sewing MOQ, since you must purchase enough fabric to be economical, then have it cut and sewn. For low quantities, this is often why full package works out leaner despite CMT’s per-unit construction saving.
Weighing these minimums honestly is part of the decision. A brand ordering 50 to 300 pieces usually finds full package removes a barrier that CMT would reintroduce at the fabric-buying stage.
Sampling in both models
Both routes sample before bulk, but the inputs differ. In full package, we sample using fabric we source, so the approved sample reflects exactly what the bulk will be made from. In CMT, the sample depends on your supplied fabric, so timing hinges on when your material reaches the factory.
Either way, the pre-production sample is the checkpoint that locks fit, construction, decoration and labelling before any bulk money moves. Approving the right sample is what protects the run, and it is a step neither model skips, because it is the single best safeguard against a bulk order arriving wrong.
How Minku handles it
We run full package production as standard, sourcing 180-400+ GSM cotton, terry and fleece, making patterns, cutting, sewing, decorating and finishing, so you approve a sample and receive completed goods. For established brands that prefer to supply their own fabric, we also run CMT, and we support hybrid arrangements where you control one material and we source the rest.
Tell us your product, quantity and whether you want us to source fabric, and we will quote the route that fits. Start on the cut-and-sew page or Get Your Custom Quote.
CMT vs Full Package Production: Which to Choose — In Detail
