How to Make a Hoodie Tech Pack (Without Using Excel)

A tech pack for a hoodie is a technical specification document that tells your manufacturer exactly how to produce it. For years, founders have tried to manage these specs using downloaded Excel templates and messy PDFs. This is a mistake. Static spreadsheets lead to version control nightmares, outdated measurements, and expensive sample rejections.

In 2026, modern brands build their specs dynamically. This guide walks you through the data your factory actually needs to see to build a hoodie correctly, and how to use a dedicated platform to generate it without touching a single cell in Excel.

If you are new to the manufacturing process, we highly recommend reading our foundational guide on How to Make a Tech Pack before diving into these hoodie-specific details.

Hoodies look simple. They're not. Between the hood construction, the drawcord, the kangaroo pocket, the rib trims, the bartacks, and the seam choices, a single hoodie has more decision points than most t-shirts or basic tops. Getting these decisions wrong at the tech pack stage is what causes sample rejections, fit issues, and cost blowouts.

What a Hoodie Tech Pack Needs to Cover

A hoodie tech pack must communicate three things clearly: what the garment looks like, how it's built, and how it's measured. Every section feeds into one of those three categories.

A complete technical specification typically includes:

• Cover page with style name, season, designer, and revision history

• Flat sketches (front, back, and any detail views)

• Bill of Materials (BOM) listing every fabric, trim, and component

• Points of Measure (POM) with graded measurements across sizes

• Construction details including stitch types and seam allowances

• Colourways showing each variant of the style

• Labelling and packaging specs

Each section should be self-contained enough that a factory team member can find what they need without scrolling through unrelated pages.

Step 1: Start With Clear Flat Sketches

Flat sketches are the visual foundation of your tech pack. They're technical drawings—not fashion illustrations—and they show the hoodie laid flat, to scale, with every seam, stitch line, and detail visible.

For a hoodie, you'll need at minimum:

• Front view showing the hood, kangaroo pocket, drawcord, and cuff/hem ribbing

• Back view showing the hood from behind and any back seams or yokes

• Detail views for anything non-standard: the hood construction, pocket opening, drawcord exits, or any custom hardware

Don't draw flats from scratch. Click here to use Specter OS’s pre-loaded CAD library to build your hoodie instantly.

Callouts Matter More Than Artistry

Your sketches don't need to be beautiful. They need to be annotated. Use arrows and labels to call out:

• Stitch types (e.g., "double-needle topstitch, 6mm spacing")

• Drawcord exit points and eyelet placement

• Pocket opening reinforcement (bartacks)

• Hood lining vs. self-fabric hood

• Cuff and hem rib depth

A factory will follow what's labelled. They'll guess what isn't.

Step 2: Build the Bill of Materials (BOM)

The BOM is a table listing every physical component that goes into the hoodie. For a standard pullover hoodie, expect 8–15 line items. Be specific. "380gsm brushed back fleece" tells the factory exactly what to source. "Heavyweight fleece" tells them nothing.

A typical hoodie BOM includes:

Fabric Weight Is the Single Most Important Spec

Hoodie hand-feel is dictated by fabric weight (measured in gsm—grams per square metre). Here's the standard breakdown:

• 240–280gsm: Lightweight, summer-weight hoodies

• 300–340gsm: Mid-weight, the most common range

• 360–400gsm: Heavyweight, premium streetwear feel

• 450gsm+: Ultra-heavy, garment-dyed or "vintage" feel

If you don't specify gsm, your factory will default to whatever they have in stock, and your sample will likely come back lighter than you imagined.

Pro Tip: Heavyweight cotton fleece has a notoriously high shrinkage rate. If you are using a 400gsm 100% cotton fleece, you must explicitly state a Shrinkage Allowance (usually 3-5%) in your tech pack, otherwise your oversized hoodie will become a cropped hoodie after the first wash.

Spreadsheets cause BOM errors. Click here to manage your fabric specs and trims securely inside Specter OS.

Step 3: Specify Every Point of Measure

The Points of Measure (POM) section is a graded measurement table showing the exact dimensions of the hoodie across every size you produce.

For a hoodie, you'll typically need 15–25 measurements, including:

• Chest width (1" below armhole, laid flat)

• Body length (from high point shoulder to hem)

• Shoulder width (seam to seam)

• Sleeve length (from shoulder seam or centre back)

• Sleeve opening (cuff)

• Bicep width

• Hood height (from neck seam to top)

• Pocket opening length

For each measurement, provide the base size value, the grade rule (how much it changes between sizes), and the tolerance (acceptable variance, usually ±1cm on body measurements). Tolerances are non-negotiable. Without them, a factory can produce a hoodie 3cm wider than spec and technically still meet the brief.

Step 4: Document Construction Details

Construction details are where hoodies separate themselves from cheaper basics. This section covers how the garment is sewn together, not just what it's made of.

Key construction callouts for a hoodie include:

• Seam type: Overlocked, flatlock, or coverstitch

• Topstitch specifications: Single needle vs. double needle, stitch density (SPI—stitches per inch)

• Hood construction: Two-panel vs. three-panel hood, lined or unlined

• Pocket construction: Single welt, kangaroo (single opening) vs. split kangaroo

• Reinforcement: Bartacks at pocket openings and drawcord exits

Every construction choice has a cost. A three-panel hood with a contrast lining and flatlock seams will cost 20–40% more to make than a two-panel hood with overlocked seams. Specifying construction precisely lets you control where your money goes.

For a deeper dive into how poor construction specs lead to lost money, see our guide on common tech pack mistakes.

Step 5: Add Colourways and Trims Per Variant

If your hoodie is launching in three colours, each colourway gets its own section showing:

• The colour name and Pantone reference (e.g. "Bone — Pantone 11-0507 TCX")

• Body fabric colour

• Rib colour

• Drawcord and Eyelet finish

• Label and Thread colours

Pantone references are critical. Saying "off-white" leaves your factory choosing from hundreds of off-whites. A TCX or TPG code locks it in.

Step 6: Cover Labelling and Packaging

The final section of your hoodie tech pack covers everything that isn't the garment itself but ships with it:

• Main & Care labels: Material, dimensions, placement, attachment method, and wash instructions.

• Hangtags: Material, print method, string or plastic tag attachment.

• Polybag & Packing: Size, thickness, whether printed, and how the hoodie should be folded.

Skipping packaging specs is a classic founder error. Factories will default to generic packing, and you'll receive 500 hoodies in unbranded clear polybags with no tissue paper.

Where Specter OS Fits In

Building a tech pack for a hoodie in spreadsheets and PowerPoint works for about a week, but it breaks down quickly. Every revision creates a new file. Comments from your factory live in WhatsApp. Measurements drift between versions. By sample three, no one's sure which spec is current.

Specter OS centralises this by giving you a single source of truth: your tech pack, factory comments, sample tracking, and production status all live in one place. The pre-loaded CAD library means you can build hoodie flats without a designer, and version control means your factory is always working from the latest spec.

Stop fighting with Excel templates. Request Early Access to Specter OS and build your first factory-ready hoodie tech pack in minutes.

Common Mistakes When Making a Hoodie Tech Pack

If you choose to build your tech pack manually, avoid these recurring traps that cost first-time founders money:

• Vague fabric specs: "Heavy fleece" isn't a spec. "380gsm brushed back fleece, 80/20 cotton-poly" is a spec.

• Missing tolerances: Without them, your factory has no defined target for quality control.

• No grade rules: Specifying only the Size M means your factory will guess the proportions for the rest of your size run.

• Forgetting reinforcement: Skipping bartacks at pocket openings and drawcord exits is what causes garments to tear in the first six months of wear.

Hoodie Manufacturing FAQs

What GSM is best for a heavyweight hoodie? For a premium, heavyweight hoodie, you should specify a fabric weight between 350 GSM and 450 GSM in your tech pack. Anything lower than 300 GSM will feel like a standard mid-weight pullover, while anything over 450 GSM moves into ultra-heavy, vintage territory.

How do you measure the chest on a drop-shoulder hoodie? To measure a drop-shoulder hoodie, measure the chest width 1 inch below the armhole seam while laying the garment completely flat. This specific Point of Measure (POM) must be clearly stated in your technical specs to ensure accurate manufacturing.

What should be included in a hoodie tech pack? A professional hoodie tech pack must include technical flat sketches (front, back, and side views), a complete Bill of Materials (BOM), graded size specifications, point of measure (POM) instructions, and specific trim details for the drawstrings and aglets.