Quick answer: A garment bill of materials is the full list of components in one style, and for a suit it runs from shell cloth, lining, canvas and fusing to buttons, thread, labels, hanger and polybag, each named with a reference, colour and placement so the bulk is built from the same parts as the sealed sample. Build the list from the approved sample, mark which items the brand supplies and which the factory sources, and confirm it in writing before cloth is cut. Shi Yuan (Suit Factory) takes MTM from 1 and bulk from 50 per style for overseas tailor shops, MTM boutiques and private-label brands, not retail — send your draft list or the sealed sample reference on WhatsApp.
A suit looks like one garment and is built from dozens of parts. Most of them are invisible to the customer: fusing, canvas, tapes, sleeve heads, pocketing, thread. When a bulk run comes back feeling different from the sample, the cause is often one of those hidden parts changed without anyone writing it down. The bill of materials, or BOM, is the document that stops that. It is short to write once the sample is approved, and it is the reference everyone checks the bulk against.
What goes in a bill of materials for a suit?
Every component, grouped, with enough detail that someone who has never seen the sample could order the same thing: a reference or description, colour, size where it applies, placement and who supplies it.
Shell: jacket and trouser cloth — cloth reference, composition, colour and lot if known.
Lining and pocketing: body and sleeve lining, pocket bags — reference and colour.
Interlining: fusing, chest canvas, tapes, shoulder pads, sleeve heads — type and where each is used.
Closures: buttons, zip, hooks and bars — type, colour, size and count per garment.
Thread: seam and buttonhole thread — colour, matched or contrast.
Labels: main, size, care, composition and origin labels — content, placement and supplier.
Tickets and packing: hangtag, barcode, hanger, polybag, garment bag — spec and supplier.
Is a BOM the same as a tech pack?
No, though they travel together. The tech pack says how the suit is made: measurements, construction, details and tolerances. The BOM says what it is made of. A brand that sends a tech pack without a BOM leaves the factory to choose the hidden parts; see tech pack minimum fields for the other half.
Who supplies which line?
Add a supplier column. Labels and tickets are usually supplied by the brand; buttons and lining may be chosen by the brand and sourced by the factory; interlining and thread are usually the factory's. Writing it down avoids the bulk waiting for a label nobody ordered. Branding items are set out in labels, trims and packaging, and the button and trim lock in the trim lock before bulk.
The hidden lines that change the feel
Fusing and canvas: a different fusing changes the hand of the front; see interlining and tape specs.
Shoulder pads and sleeve heads: they set the shoulder line; see lining and shoulder pad specs.
Buttons: size and material by position; see button and buttonhole specs, and for spares spare buttons.
How much cloth?
Cloth use per suit depends on size, cloth width and pattern matching, so it is worked out by the factory from the approved pattern and confirmed on the order. For how cloth is planned for a line, see sourcing cloth for a private-label line.
A worked BOM excerpt
"Style A-12, navy suit. Shell: cloth reference as approved, navy. Lining: body and sleeve as approved, navy. Pocketing: dark. Interlining: fused front with half canvas, tapes at front edge and roll line, light shoulder pad, sleeve head. Buttons: horn-look, front and cuff sizes as sample, spares attached. Thread: matched. Labels: brand main label at inside neck, size, care, composition and origin labels as approved; supplied by brand. Packing: hanger as approved, polybag with warning, one suit per bag."
Locking it
Attach the BOM to the sealed sample record. Any change after that, even a lining colour, is agreed in writing before cutting; see sealed sample to first bulk. How the approved sample moves into a run is set out on our process page.
Which track needs a full BOM?
MTM — from 1 piece: a single MTM suit uses a short version: cloth, lining, buttons, labels and any special trims on the order.
Bulk — from 50 per style: a bulk style needs the full BOM, attached to the sealed sample and used to check the run; bulk programmes are on our suit manufacturer China page.
The sample takes 7–14 days; production takes 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. Production days are not delivery days. Bulk programmes are on our suit manufacturer China page.
Send your draft BOM or the sealed sample reference on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 and we reply with what is still open.
FAQ
What are Shi Yuan's order tracks and clocks? Shi Yuan Suit Factory (Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi, Tianjin, est. 2009) takes MTM from 1 piece and bulk from 50 per style; samples take 7–14 days and production 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. WhatsApp +65 8013 8838.
Who keeps the BOM? Both sides. The brand holds the master; the factory works from the copy attached to the sealed sample.
Does a colourway need its own BOM? It needs its own lines wherever a component changes colour: cloth, lining, thread and sometimes buttons.
Who makes this
Shi Yuan (Suit Factory) — legal entity Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., factory at Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi District, Tianjin, Est. 2009. Our founder brings four decades in Chinese menswear manufacturing; founded Shi Yuan in 2009. acumenwear.com is the export domain for Shi Yuan Suit Factory. Order threads: WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 · houzhenying226@gmail.com. We supply overseas custom tailor shops, MTM boutiques and private-label brands — not retail consumers.
Shi Yuan Suit Factory is not affiliated with Tianjin Shiyuan Clothing Co., Ltd.
Next step: sample or inquiry
Send your draft BOM, the tech pack and the sealed sample reference if you have one. Message us on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 with your country, monthly volume and whether this is MTM or bulk, or email houzhenying226@gmail.com. We reply with the sample route and what we still need from you.
Last checked: 2026-11-03. Figures on this page were checked against Shi Yuan's own published terms (sample policy and process pages). Anything not listed here is confirmed in writing on the order thread.
