How Sportswear Is Manufactured

Every mainstream kit factory in Sialkot, Guangdong or Tirupur uses the same six-stage flow. The differences are speed, tolerances and how many operators sit on each line — not the sequence.

1. Artwork approval and tech pack sign-off
2. Sublimation printing on transfer paper and heat press onto polyester
3. Panel cutting from printed rolls
4. Sewn assembly on flatlock, overlock and coverstitch lines
5. Decoration — heat-transfer numbers, embroidery, badges
6. End-of-line QC, needle detection and export packing

Nothing hits the cutting table until artwork is approved in vector format (AI, EPS or PDF with fonts outlined and Pantone references locked). A tech pack accompanies it — front and back flats, panel-by-panel colour placement, size chart with tolerances, trim callouts and packing spec.

The digital mock-up is returned within 24–48 hours with the artwork mapped onto a 3D garment. The buyer approves it in writing; from that moment any change is a revision fee, not a free iteration.

Sublimation is a dye-diffusion process. Disperse dye is printed onto a transfer paper roll using a wide-format printer (typically 1.8 m or 3.2 m width). The printed paper is then rolled against white polyester fabric and passed through a heated calender or flatbed press.

• Temperature: 195–210°C — hot enough to sublime the dye directly into a gas.
• Dwell time: 40–60 seconds under continuous pressure.
• Pressure: 40–60 kPa via rubber-covered calender roller.
• Result: dye molecules enter the polyester fibre and lock in place as the fabric cools. No surface ink, no cracking.

Sublimation only works on polyester (or heavy poly-blend). It will not sublime onto cotton, nylon or dark fabrics — which is why every serious kit fabric is white before it enters the press.

Printed fabric arrives at the cutting table on rolls, print-side up. Panels are cut with either a straight-knife against a stacked lay (traditional, up to 30 plies) or a computerised cutter (Gerber, Bullmer) which follows the CAD nest exactly.

• CAD-nested lay reduces waste from ~18% to ~9% on a typical jersey.
• Notches are cut at every match point — panel joining without notches is a source of twist and rejects.
• Placement prints must be aligned to the notch pattern, not the fabric selvedge — this is why engineered panel work is billed separately.

A modern kit line runs one operator per operation. A typical short-sleeve jersey passes through 4–7 stations before it is finished:

Line throughput for a mid-complexity match jersey sits around 480–560 units/day on a 12-operator line. Tracksuits with linings and zip pockets drop to 180–220 units/day.

Numbers, names, sponsor logos, league badges and neck labels are applied after assembly. The method depends on the garment tier:

• Heat-transfer silicone or TPU — kit numbering, sponsor logos. 160°C / 15 s on a Hashima or Insta press.
• Embroidery — club crests on premium teamwear. Digitised at 0.4 mm stitch and sewn on a Tajima head.
• Woven or heat-transfer neck label — origin, care, size, market compliance.
• Final press — 130°C flatbed to remove wrinkles before folding.

End-of-line QC has three layers:

• Measurement audit — 10% pull of each size, checked against tech-pack tolerances (typically ±1 cm on chest, ±0.5 cm on sleeve).
• Colour match — jersey held against Pantone chip under D65 light. Batch rejected if ΔE > 2.
• Needle detection — every unit passes through a metal detector to guarantee no broken sewing needles. Log kept for retail proof.
• AQL 2.5 sampling — a third-party inspector may pull an AQL 2.5 sample for defect categorisation before shipment.

Packing follows the buyer's spec — polybag with hangtag, folded card, kit box or master export carton. Every carton is barcoded and weighed for the packing list.