How Much Does It Cost to Manufacture Hoodies? (Factory Quotes)

# How Much Does It Cost to Manufacture Hoodies? (2025 Factory Quotes & Retail Markup Breakdown) You’re staring at a landed-cost spreadsheet, trying to figure out if your $36 hoodie can still hit a 65% margin after Amazon FBA fees, or if a 300-piece order actually pencils out. You’ve got a sampling timeline that won’t wait, and you need real FOB numbers, not vague “it depends” answers. We’ve been in that conversation hundreds of times on our factory floor in Zhejiang. We’re Alpinario, a 20+‑year OEM/ODM sportswear factory, not a trading company. We run 1‑piece MOQ, no‑minimum orders, and we ship samples in 3‑7 days. In this article, I’ll break down cost exactly the way our costing team does, then line it up against typical retail markups so you can make a sourcing decision with your eyes open. ## Cost anatomy of hoodies When we quote a hoodie, we don’t pull a number out of the air. Our costing sheet breaks into five hard buckets. For a mid‑weight 300 GSM polyester‑cotton fleece hoodie with a basic screen print and a woven label, the FOB price typically lands between $7.50 and $12.00 at 300‑piece quantities. Lightweight 200 GSM poly performance hoodies can dip to $5.00–$7.00. Heavyweight 400 GSM zip‑ups climb to $12.00–$18.00. The exact split looks like this: 1. **Fabric (40–50% of unit cost)** Our knit‑floor crew measures actual consumption per piece, including cutting waste. A 300 GSM brushed fleece consumes roughly 1.2–1.4 meters per hoodie. At $3.50–$4.80 per meter for a mid‑tier cotton‑poly fleece, fabric alone accounts for $4.20–$6.70. If you spec a moisture‑wicking polyester interlock, the meter price might drop to $2.80–$3.80, but the GSM and finish matter more than the label. 2. **Cut & sew labor (25–30%)** Our industrial engineers time every operation. A basic pullover hoodie with a kangaroo pocket takes 22–28 SAM (Standard Allowed Minutes). At our local labor rate, that’s $1.80–$2.50 per unit. Adding a full‑zip front, side panels, or a hood lining can push labor to 32–38 minutes and $2.80–$3.50. This is the bucket where design complexity hits hardest. 3. **Trims (10–15%)** Drawcord, eyelets, zipper tape, zipper pull, ribbing for cuffs and hem. A YKK #5 molded zipper alone adds $0.80–$1.20. Cotton‑polyester flat drawcord with metal tips costs $0.15–$0.25. If you use a branded zipper pull or custom‑dyed rib, the cost rises fast. 4. **Print / embroidery (5–10%)** A single‑position screen print on the chest costs $0.40–$0.70. Embroidery up to 5,000 stitches runs $0.60–$1.00. A three‑color back print plus a front logo can jump to $1.50–$2.50. Our QC team counts placements and stitch density the same way you count margin points. 5. **Labels, packaging, and overhead (5–10%)** Woven main label, size label, wash care label, and hangtag: $0.25–$0.50. Polybag and inner cardboard: $0.15–$0.25. Export carton marks and packing labor: $0.20–$0.40. We also build in a small factory overhead allocation for utilities, compliance, and the QC inspection that happens on our floor—not at a third party. When you layer on freight, you’re adding $0.80–$1.50 per unit via sea freight to the US West Coast, depending on carton density. We can pre‑apply FBA labels and ship direct to Amazon, which saves you a handling step. More on that in our [custom sportswear](/custom-sportswear) page. ## Fabric cost drivers Fabric is the single biggest lever in your hoodie cost. Buyers who only look at GSM often miss the other three dials our sourcing team adjusts every day. - **Fiber composition** Polyester is the workhorse in our factory. Basic 100% polyester interlock or pique runs $2.80–$3.50 per meter. Cotton‑poly blends (60/40 or 80/20) for fleece run $3.50–$4.80. 100% cotton french terry or loopback can hit $4.50–$6.00, especially if it’s ring‑spun or combed. Nylon (polyamide) is doable but adds $0.50–$1.00 per meter because of yarn cost and dyeing sensitivity. We can match any Pantone shade on polyester and nylon, which keeps your color story consistent. - **GSM and knit structure** A 180 GSM single‑jersey hoodie feels like a thin long‑sleeve tee; fabric cost is around $2.50–$3.20 per meter. At 280–320 GSM fleece, you get the classic streetwear handfeel and meter cost climbs to $3.80–$5.00. If you go 400 GSM heavy fleece, expect $5.00–$6.50 per meter. Our knitting partners can adjust the loop length to hit your exact weight target, but GSM deviations of ±5% are normal. - **Finishing and functional treatments** Moisture‑wicking finish adds $0.30–$0.50 per meter. Anti‑pilling treatment, UV protection, or brushed inner face can each add $0.20–$0.60. We often suggest a wicking finish on performance hoodies because it’s a low‑cost way to raise the product’s retail positioning. Visit our [sportswear manufacturer](/sportswear-manufacturer) page to see how we handle technical finishes across runs. - **Dyeing and minimums** Our dyehouse works with Pantone references. Solid colors are straightforward. Two‑tone or color‑block runs need separate dye lots, which can increase fabric waste by 3–5%. We don’t charge a separate dyeing fee on orders of 100 units or more per color, but for 1–50 pieces, a small color surcharge of $15–$25 per color applies because the dye vat still needs to be prepped. - **Order quantity and fabric sourcing** Fabric mills have their own MOQs. When you order 1 piece from us, we pull from our in‑house stock of greige and dyed fabrics, or we use a small‑batch partner. That flexibility is why our MOQ is 1 piece, and why we don’t force you into 300 yards of a fabric you haven’t sold yet. We’ve saved many startups from dead inventory. Read more about our approach on our [low‑MOQ sportswear](/low-moq-sportswear) page. ## Vs Typical Retail Markup Here’s the part that flips a buyer’s mindset. Let’s say you choose a 300 GSM hoodie that costs $8.00 FOB per unit. Sea freight, duty, and insurance add $1.20, so your landed cost is $9.20. You sell wholesale to a boutique at $22.00, which is a 2.4× markup on landed cost. The boutique then retails for $55.00–$65.00, a 2.5–3.0× markup on wholesale. That means the factory price is about 12–15% of the final retail price. The chain works like this: - **Factory FOB:** $8.00 - **+ Freight & duty (approx. 15%):** $9.20 landed - **Brand wholesale price (2.3–2.5× landed):** $21.00–$23.00 - **Retail price (2.5–2.8× wholesale):** $52.50–$64.40 If you’re an Amazon seller, you’ll skip the wholesale step but face Amazon’s referral fee (15%) and FBA fulfillment ($5–$7 per unit). To net a 30% margin on a $45.00 selling price, you need a landed cost under $13.00. Our $8.00 FOB hoodie, landed at $9.20, leaves you breathing room even after PPC costs. The markup multiple isn’t greed; it covers inventory risk, returns, marketing, and customer acquisition. But when you source direct from our factory, the gap between raw cost and retail is your profit lever. You can choose to boost margin or invest in better fabric, which we talked about in the fabric section. We’ve seen gym chains order 500 hoodies on a Tuesday, have sample revisions approved by Friday, and receive the bulk 5 weeks later. Their landed cost per hoodie was $11.00, and they sold them at their front desk for $49.00. The 4.5× markup covered their overhead and still left a healthy contribution. The key is that every dollar you save at the factory level multiplies through the retail price. For private‑label brands, that’s the difference between a 40% and a 60% margin. Our [private label activewear](/private-label-activewear) service walks you through the entire process. ## Quote comparison table The table below shows real FOB ranges from our factory floor for different hoodie builds. All prices assume a 300‑piece order, but we can run 1 piece. The 1‑piece column shows the approximate per‑unit price when you order a single custom hoodie (all sampling, setup, and small‑batch costs included). Lead times are from sample approval to ex‑factory for the bulk order. | Hoodie build | GSM | 1‑piece price (USD) | 300‑piece FOB/unit (USD) | Bulk lead time (days) | Customization | |--------------|-----|---------------------|---------------------------|-----------------------|---------------| | Lightweight performance pullover (polyester interlock, moisture‑wicking) | 180 | $28–$35 | $5.00–$7.00 | 20–25 | Logo screen print, woven labels, Pantone dye | | Midweight fleece pullover (poly‑cotton brushed back) | 300 | $35–$45 | $7.50–$12.00 | 25–35 | Embroidery, screen print, zipper hood option, custom drawcord | | Heavyweight fleece zip‑up (poly‑cotton, YKK zipper) | 400 | $45–$58 | $12.00–$18.00 | 30–40 | Full‑front zip, 3‑color back print, metallic zipper pull, hangtag | | Cotton‑rich french terry pullover (80/20 cotton‑poly) | 280 | $38–$50 | $9.00–$14.00 | 25–35 | Tunnel hood, flat drawcord, custom neck label, wash care label | | Nylon‑spandex tech hoodie (light compression, active fit) | 200 | $40–$55 | $10.00–$15.00 | 30–40 | Flatlock seams, reflective print, FBA label prep, polybag with barcode | All prices are ex‑works Zhejiang and do not include freight. We can produce any Pantone color, multiple print placements, and custom packaging. Sampling for a new design takes 3–7 days before we ship the physical sample to your door. For Amazon sellers, we pre‑apply FBA labels and polybag to your specifications. ## FAQ **Typical price range?** For a B2B custom hoodie with your logo, labels, and packaging, our FOB prices range from $5.00 to $25.00 per unit. The low end covers a lightweight polyester pullover with a single screen print at 300‑piece quantity. The high end covers a heavyweight 400 GSM zip‑up with embroidery, multiple print placements, YKK zippers, and technical finishes, ordered in smaller quantities like 50–100 pieces. One‑piece custom orders range from $28 to $58, including all setup and sampling. What you pay lands exactly inside that spectrum based on the variables we outlined in the cost anatomy section. **What raises unit cost most?** Three factors drive cost faster than anything else: 1. **Fabric GSM and composition** – moving from 180 GSM polyester to 400 GSM poly‑cotton fleece can add $4.00–$8.00 per unit. 2. **Print and embroidery complexity** – a single‑position screen print is $0.40; a three‑color back print plus embroidered chest logo plus sleeve print can exceed $3.00. 3. **Order quantity** – our 1‑piece MOQ is real, but the per‑unit cost on a single hoodie is 3–5× higher than a 300‑piece order because we absorb sampling, pattern making, and small‑batch fabric cutting. If you’re on a tight budget, the fastest way to lower unit cost is to consolidate sizes and colors into fewer dye lots. ----- If you’re ready to turn a design sketch into a physical hoodie with a clear landed cost, reach out. We’ll review your tech pack or reference image, give you a line‑item costing sheet within 24 hours, and ship a sample in 3–7 days. No minimum order. No hidden fees. [Request a Quote](mailto:support@alpinario.com)