Your Trusted Custom Jerseys Manufacturer

Jerseys are the one product here where the print is the product. Fabric choice sets comfort, but the artwork, the colour profile and the way panels are matched decide whether a kit looks like the design that was signed off. Buyers who sample a jersey without approving a printed strike-off almost always come back for a second round, because screen colour and sublimation colour are never the same image.

Specification options for custom jerseys

Pick the fabric weight and the print route first, then everything else falls into place. The grid below covers the three weights we run most often; heavier is not automatically better, because a match-weight knit at 140 gsm breathes in a way a 190 gsm retail replica never will.

How custom jerseys are built

Everything starts with the pattern and the grading rules. A jersey is graded across up to nine sizes, and the chest, shoulder and armhole increments have to agree with the block your market expects — an Asian block, a European block and a US block differ in shoulder slope and sleeve length more than most buyers assume. We ask which block you sell against before grading starts, because regrading a full size set after sampling costs another week.

Sublimation is a two-stage process: the artwork is printed on transfer paper with disperse inks, then heat-pressed onto the fabric under a calender or a flat press so the ink turns to gas and bonds into the fibre. Colour is profiled on the actual fabric, not on paper, because a polyester micro-mesh and a polyester interlock absorb the same ink differently. This is why we approve a printed strike-off before any panel is cut.

Panels are cut after printing, and nested markers matter more here than on any cut-and-sew product: a sublimated front panel has to be positioned so the artwork lands correctly, so markers are planned per size rather than per average. Cutting tolerance is held at ±3 mm on panel edges. Once cut, panels are joined on four-needle flatlock machines, which produce a flat seam that sits against the skin without chafing.

Names and numbers are applied either as part of the sublimation or as separate tackle twill. Sublimated numbers cost almost nothing and will never peel; tackle twill gives a stitched, retail-grade look and adds a component, a placement step and a stitch operation per garment. Collars and cuffs are rib or self-fabric applied on a dedicated station, hems are cover-stitched, and every garment is pressed, folded or hanger-packed, and polybagged with a size sticker.

Cost drivers and MOQ for custom jerseys

Fabric weight and composition are the base: 140 gsm micro-mesh sits at the bottom, 190 gsm interlock with elastane at the top, and recycled polyester with GRS documentation carries a premium on top of either. Print coverage is the second driver — a full-bleed sublimated front costs the same as a plain one, because the press run is identical, but adding print to sleeves and backs adds paper and ink.

Application method is the third driver. Tackle twill, embroidered crests, silicone badges and heat-applied numbers each add a component and an operation, and embroidery on a performance knit needs the right backing to avoid puckering. Size ratio is the fourth and least obvious: a ratio weighted toward 3XL and 4XL consumes more fabric and more marker waste than a ratio centred on M and L, and it shows up in the unit price.

Terms are standard: 500 units per style per colourway, 300 for repeat programmes; sampling 6–10 working days, 12–15 where twill or crest application is involved; mass production 35–50 days after approval. Sample fees are USD 50–150, credited on the first bulk order, and tooling for custom buttons, zip pulls or silicone badges runs USD 300–2,500. Quotes arrive within 24–48 hours, payment is T/T 30/70, and pricing is FOB Xiamen with EXW, CIF and DDP available. Our 4,950 m² SGS-verified production floor runs 7 lines and ships up to 200,000 units a month.

Quality gates and acceptance criteria

Garments are inspected to ISO 2859-1 at AQL 2.5 with Critical 0, Major 2.5 and Minor 4.0; AQL 1.5 is available for retail launches. Critical defects are a needle fragment, a broken seam or a wrong size label; majors are print misregistration beyond 3 mm, shade variation beyond the approved range, open seams or skipped stitches; minors are thread tails and light creasing.

Fabric and print testing covers ISO 6330 for dimensional change after five wash cycles, with a maximum of 3 percent on length and width, ISO 12945 for pilling, AATCC 8 for crocking on saturated artwork, ISO 13934-1 for seam tensile and a wash-fastness check on the print itself. Sublimated panels are checked for strike-through and for white creasing in the seams.

Chemical compliance is documented against OEKO-TEX Standard 100 for the fabric, REACH (EC 1907/2006) for the EU and California Proposition 65 for the US, with CPSIA where youth sizes are in the size set. Recycled content claims are supported with GRS transaction certificates, and the fabric mill certificate is matched to the production lot rather than to a generic mill statement.

Sizing, grading and size-ratio planning

Send your size set with measurement points, not just labels. Chest, body length, sleeve length and shoulder width are enough to grade from, and if you sell in more than one region it is worth telling us which block each market uses. A size set sample is normally made in the middle size and checked on a fit form before grading is released.

Ratio planning is a costing exercise as much as a logistics one. Tell us the split you sell, and we will quote against it, because the marker efficiency and the fabric consumption change with the ratio. Packing follows the same logic: flat pack for team kit, hanger pack for retail, and a carton plan built to ISTA 3A if it ships straight to a distribution centre.

Ordering path

Kit programmes move fastest with print-ready vector artwork and a confirmed size ratio. Pair your jersey run with kit and gym bags, check testing and certification, or request a quote.