Pricing & Cost Guide

Sweater Manufacturing Cost Guide —
Ex-Factory Pricing by Yarn & Gauge, 2026

Real ex-factory pricing from a Dalang factory. No "contact us for quote" wall — actual numbers by yarn tier, gauge, MOQ, plus the cost components that drive them. Transparent 2026 data.

LS
Lin Sweater Factory Dalang, Dongguan, China Updated April 2026

"How much does it cost to manufacture a sweater in China?" is the most-asked question from new brand buyers — and the one most factories refuse to answer publicly. We publish real numbers here. Ex-factory pricing is a function of three variables: yarn tier (raw material cost), gauge and construction complexity (labour cost), and order quantity (setup cost amortisation). This guide covers all three with 2026 Dalang ex-factory numbers — no middleman markup, no marketing fluff.

Sweater manufacturing cost china — yarn storage Lin Sweater factory Dalang
Yarn storage at our Dalang factory — raw material is 50–65% of total ex-factory cost.
$6 – $30+Ex-factory range
50 pcsMOQ for pricing
6 tiersYarn price tiers
Apr 2026Data last updated

Ex-factory pricing by yarn tier (50 pcs per colour)

The single biggest price driver is yarn choice. Yarn accounts for 50–65% of ex-factory cost in a typical sweater. Below are the six yarn tiers we manufacture in, with 50-piece pricing:

Yarn tierTypical blendGauge rangeEx-factory (50 pcs)Commercial retail band
Entry acrylic100% acrylic or acrylic-poly blend3G – 7G$6 – $8$20 – $35
Cotton blendCotton-modal or cotton-acrylic7G – 12G$9 – $13$28 – $48
100% cottonCombed cotton, fine count10G – 14G$10 – $14$35 – $55
Wool blendAcrylic-wool 70/30 or similar3G – 12G$11 – $16$38 – $65
Premium wool100% wool, extra fine merino5G – 14G$14 – $20$55 – $95
CashmereCashmere blend or 100% cashmere7G – 14G$18 – $30+$85 – $220

At 100-piece per colour, subtract $0.50–$1 per piece. At 300 pieces, subtract $1.50–$2.50. At 1,000+ pieces, subtract $3–$5. See our full cost breakdown guide for the line-by-line detail.

Sweater yarn tiers — acrylic cotton wool merino cashmere cost comparison
Our yarn library — 1,000+ yarn counts across six tiers from acrylic to pure cashmere.

Where each dollar goes — cost breakdown per piece

A typical $10 ex-factory sweater (cotton blend, 12G fine gauge, 300g garment) breaks down into six cost components:

55% Yarn / raw material 400g at $13–15/kg for cotton-modal blend. Biggest variable — swap acrylic in, drops to 30%; swap cashmere in, jumps to 75%.
18% Knitting labour Machine time (~40 pcs/day at 12G on a STOLL/Shima Seiki). Complex jacquard or intarsia adds 30–50% here.
10% Linking & assembly Panel-to-garment assembly. Fully fashioned (faster) vs cut-and-sew (cheaper). Set-in sleeves vs raglan.
7% Finishing Washing, steaming, pressing. Determines final hand feel and drape. Skimping here = negative reviews.
5% Labels & packaging Neck label + care label + hangtag + polybag + FNSKU (for Amazon). $0.50–$0.80 per piece typical.
5% Factory margin + overhead Fixed costs amortised: rent, electricity, admin, QC staff. This is where trading companies add another 20–30%.
Sweater manufacturing knitting labour cost — flat knitting machine china
Knitting floor — labour is 18% of ex-factory cost, amortised across machine output.

How MOQ changes your price per piece

Setup cost (machine programming, pattern development, sample approval) is largely fixed per style. Amortising that over 50 pieces vs 500 pieces changes unit economics meaningfully. Using a baseline cotton blend sweater:

Our minimum

50 pcs $11 / piece
Test order, no middleman

Most factories

300 pcs $9 / piece
~18% saving vs 50 pcs

Wholesale

1,000+ pcs $7.50 / piece
~32% saving vs 50 pcs

The gap between 50 and 300 is narrower than most buyers expect. Most brands save more by not ordering 300 pieces of an unproven SKU than by negotiating the unit price. A dead 250-piece surplus at $9 is worse than a 50-piece test at $11 that leads to a confident 500-piece reorder. Our low MOQ service is designed for exactly this testing phase.

Costs not in ex-factory price — the landed cost reality

Ex-factory price is only part of your landed cost. Budget for these additional costs before calculating retail margins:

Cost componentTypical rangeNote
Sea freight (to US/EU)$1.50 – $3.00 / pcSmall container, FOB Shenzhen / Yantian
Air freight (urgent)$4 – $8 / pcOnly for time-critical reorders
Import duty (US/EU)10–18% of ex-factoryVaries by HS code and destination
FBA prep (Amazon)$0.50 – $1.50 / pcPolybag + FNSKU + carton spec (we handle)
Amazon FBA fees$3 – $5 / pcFulfilment, storage, returns reserve
Amazon referral fee17% of retailFixed Amazon commission
Launch PPC budget$4 – $8 / pc soldFirst 90 days; drops after organic ranking
FBA-ready sweater packing — Amazon cost prep china manufacturer
FBA-ready packing — individual polybag, FNSKU label, carton prep to Amazon receiving spec.

Retail margin math — what ex-factory price supports what retail

A rough rule: retail price should be 3–4× ex-factory price for Amazon FBA, or 4–5× for DTC Shopify after all fees and PPC. Worked examples for three common yarn tiers:

Worked example — Cotton blend sweater, 50 pcs

Ex-factory: $11 · Sea freight + duty: $3 · FBA prep: $1 · Landed cost: $15

Target Amazon retail: $38–48 · After referral + FBA + PPC + return reserve: ~$20 take-home

Net margin per unit: $5 / unit at $38 retail, $13 / unit at $48 retail

Worked example — 70/30 acrylic-wool blend, 50 pcs

Ex-factory: $13 · Landed: $17 · Amazon retail target: $48–65

Net margin per unit: $8–15 depending on PPC efficiency

Worked example — Merino wool blend, 50 pcs

Ex-factory: $18 · Landed: $24 · Amazon retail target: $65–85

Net margin per unit: $10–20 — merino drives higher absolute margin even at higher cost

Deeper guides on specific cost topics

This page covers the pricing overview. For specific cost questions, these blog articles go deeper:

Want a quote for your specific yarn + gauge + quantity?

Send us your target yarn tier, gauge, and quantity. We reply within 24 hours with an itemised ex-factory quote, sample fee, and sampling timeline — no account registration, no pressure.