Every garment differs a little from its specification. Cloth relaxes, seams take up slightly more or less, pressing changes a length by a few millimetres. A measurement tolerance is the agreed amount a finished measurement may differ from spec and still pass.
The problem is timing. Many buyers first think about tolerance when a carton arrives and one jacket measures long. At that point the number is an argument. Agreed before cutting, it is a line on a sheet both sides can check.
Which suit points to agree
Chest: underarm to underarm, doubled — main jacket fit point.
Jacket waist: at the waist button, doubled — shape and closure.
Back length: centre back, collar seam to hem — proportion, hard to alter.
Sleeve length: shoulder point to cuff edge — most common alteration point.
Shoulder width: shoulder point to shoulder point — hard to alter.
Trouser waist: waistband edge, doubled — fit and size label.
Trouser inside leg: crotch point to hem — often finished in store.
Trouser rise: crotch seam to waistband top — comfort and seat.
Points that are hard to alter (shoulder, back length) deserve tighter attention than points a local tailor can adjust.
A blank tolerance sheet
For each point, agree and record four things: spec value, agreed tolerance (±__), sample reading, bulk reading. We do not publish tolerance figures in a blog post — they depend on the style, the cloth and what your shop can alter locally — so the ± column is filled in per order, in writing, before the production lock.
A worked example (illustrative numbers chosen by the shop)
A private-label buyer sets, for illustration, sleeve length spec 64 cm with a tolerance the shop chose of ±1 cm. The sealed sample reads 64.5 cm: pass. A bulk piece reads 65.5 cm: outside the agreed figure, so it goes on the receiving report with a photo of the tape. Nobody has to argue whether 1.5 cm is "a lot" — the sheet already says.
The receiving side of this is covered in the receiving inspection checklist; body versus finished measurements are explained in body vs garment measurements.
MTM and bulk
On bulk from 50 per style, the sheet covers each size in the run against the graded spec. On MTM from 1, the finished measurements are calculated from the client's body measurements and chosen ease; agree tolerance against those finished figures, not the body figures.
Where the sheet sits in the timeline
Agree it before the production lock. Sample 7–14 days; production 14–21 days, counted after measurements or size specs, cloth and construction are locked. Production days are not delivery days, so the bulk readings happen when the cartons arrive at your end. How we run graded bulk is on our private label suit manufacturer page; where QC sits in the order is on our process page.
Send your spec sheet on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 and we go through the points with you.
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.
Should every point have the same tolerance? Usually not. Points that are hard to alter deserve closer attention.
Measured flat or on a body? Flat, garment buttoned, for the tolerance sheet. Fit on a body is judged on the sample.
What if a bulk piece is outside the agreed figure? Record it with a photo and the reading; the remedy is agreed on the thread.
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.
Not affiliated with Tianjin Shiyuan Clothing Co., Ltd. (Baokang Road).
Next step: sample or inquiry
Send the points you want on the sheet. 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.
