Full Package vs CMT vs FOB: Clothing Production Explained | NovaSupplier
Full Package vs CMT vs FOB: Which Clothing Production Model Fits Your Brand?
Matias Santos, Founder·
CMT means you supply fabric and the factory sews. Full package means the factory sources materials and delivers finished garments. FOB is a shipping and pricing term, not a production model. Here is how to choose, with capability data from Portuguese factories.
What is the difference between full package, CMT and FOB?
CMT (cut, make, trim) means you buy and deliver the fabric and trims, and the factory cuts, sews and finishes the garments. Full package means the factory sources the fabric and trims as well, often also patterns and samples, and delivers finished, packed garments. FOB (Free On Board) is not a production model at all: it is a delivery term that says where the factory's responsibility for the goods ends, although in apparel "FOB price" is widely used to mean a full package price that includes materials.
Data: NovaSupplier factory profiles, October 2026. Of the 63 factories on NovaSupplier that state a service model, 54 offer full package production and 9 offer CMT. Capability figures below are self-reported by each factory.
The practical question is who carries the material risk. Under CMT, you own the fabric, its quality, its delivery date and any shortage. Under full package, the factory does, and prices that risk and work into the unit price.
What is CMT manufacturing?
CMT stands for cut, make, trim. The factory receives your fabric and trims, cuts the pieces from your patterns, sews them, and finishes the garment (thread trimming, pressing, often labelling and folding). You are responsible for buying fabric, thread colours if specified, zips, buttons, labels and packaging, and for getting them to the factory on time and in the right quantity, including the extra fabric needed for cutting losses.
CMT fits when:
You already have a fabric supplier, or a fabric that only you can source.
You have production patterns and graded sizes, or a factory that makes them.
You can manage several suppliers and their delivery dates.
You want to see and control the material cost directly.
CMT is risky when this is your first collection: if fabric arrives late, short or faulty, the factory cannot start, and the delay is yours.
What is full package production?
Full package (sometimes FPP, or "full production package") means one factory handles the whole garment: sourcing fabric and trims, pattern making and grading, sampling, production, labelling and packing. You approve the samples and pay one price per finished unit.
Full package fits when:
You are launching and do not have fabric suppliers.
You want one counterparty responsible for the finished product.
Your fabric is a standard type the factory can source locally (jersey, fleece, common wovens).
You want the factory's fabric minimums and relationships to work for you.
The trade-off is a higher unit price and less visibility into each cost component, unless you ask for a breakdown.
What is FOB in clothing manufacturing?
FOB is an Incoterm, one of the standard delivery terms published by the International Chamber of Commerce. Strictly, FOB means the seller delivers the goods on board a ship at a named port, and risk passes to the buyer at that point. Under the current Incoterms 2020, FOB is meant only for sea and inland waterway transport.
In the garment trade, "FOB price" is used more loosely: it usually means the factory's price for finished goods including materials and packing, delivered to the port or ready to ship, as opposed to a CMT price for labour only. That is why you will see "FOB vs CMT" comparisons even though one is a delivery term and the other a service model.
For production in Portugal, most shipments to European or UK brands travel by road, not sea, so quotes are more often EXW (ex-works, collected from the factory) or FCA (free carrier, handed to your carrier). Always confirm in writing:
Which Incoterm the price uses (EXW, FCA, FOB, DAP or another).
Whether materials, labels and packing are included.
Who books and pays for freight, export clearance and insurance.
Most Portuguese factories offer full package. Of the 63 factories on NovaSupplier that state a service model, 54 are full package and 9 are CMT. The capability gap is what you would expect:
Capability
Full package (54)
CMT (9)
Fabric sourcing
46
0
Pattern making
48
7
Tech pack development
31
2
Private label
36
2
Packaging
45
5
Work from a reference garment
47
Two points stand out. First, "full package" does not guarantee every service: 46 of the 54 full package factories list fabric sourcing, and only 31 of the 54 list tech pack development. If you need a tech pack built, ask for it specifically. Second, CMT factories in Portugal are not bare sewing rooms: 7 of the 9 list pattern making and 8 of the 9 work from a reference garment.
The CMT factories on NovaSupplier are in the northern clusters:
The unit price is lower because it excludes materials, but the total cost is not necessarily lower. Our cost guide gives these indicative ranges in Portugal (ex-works, 100 to 500 units per style):
Product
CMT per unit (cost guide)
Full package per unit (cost guide)
T-shirt
€4 to 9
€10 to 20
Hoodie or sweatshirt
€14 to 24
€30 to 55
Knitwear
€18 to 38
€40 to 80
Woven shorts or trousers
€12 to 22
€28 to 50
Denim
€20 to 35
€45 to 75
Outerwear
€45 to 90
To compare fairly, add to the CMT price everything you would buy yourself:
Fabric, including cutting waste and a small overage.
Trims: zips, buttons, thread, labels, care labels, swing tags.
Fabric minimums: a mill may make you buy more than one run needs.
Freight of materials to the factory.
Your own time, and the cost of delays if materials arrive late.
Small brands often find that a full package factory buys fabric locally at better prices and smaller quantities than they can, which narrows or closes the gap.
Does the model change the MOQ?
Not much in Portugal, on published data. Among factories that publish MOQ data (October 2026), the median lowest minimum is 100 units for both full package and CMT factories.
Full package
CMT
Factories publishing MOQ data
52
8
Median lowest minimum
100 units
100 units
Lowest minimum at 100 units or fewer
37 of 52
6 of 8
Lowest minimum at 50 units
7 of 52
2 of 8
The real constraint under CMT is often your fabric supplier's minimum, not the factory's. A CMT factory may take 50 units, but if the mill sells only whole rolls or large dye lots, you still buy that fabric. Our MOQ guide explains how minimums are set.
How does private label fit in?
Private label is a different axis. It usually means the factory supplies an existing design or base garment from its own range, and you add your labels, colours or decoration. Custom cut-and-sew means the garment is made to your own design and patterns, under CMT or full package. Of the factories on NovaSupplier, 38 list private label as a service. The trade-offs are in private label vs custom cut and sew.
Which should I choose?
Your situation
Likely fit
First collection, standard fabrics, no fabric suppliers
Full package
No tech pack, only a reference garment
Full package with tech pack development or reference work
You own or design a special fabric
CMT, or full package using your nominated fabric
You have several factories and want consistent fabric across them
CMT with central fabric buying
You want to test demand fast with an existing base garment
Private label
You are comparing quotes from different countries
Ask every factory for the same Incoterm
A middle path is common: full package with nominated materials. The factory remains responsible for sourcing and production, but buys the fabric or trims you specify from the supplier you name.
What should a quote say for each model?
Whatever model you choose, ask for a quote that states:
The service model (CMT, full package or full package with nominated fabric).
What is included: fabric, trims, labels, packaging, testing.
The Incoterm and named place (for example EXW factory or FCA a named location).
Unit price at two or three quantities.
Sample cost and number of rounds included.
Lead time from sample approval, and from receipt of materials for CMT.
Production lead time in Portugal is typically 6 to 10 weeks after sample approval under either model. Under CMT, the clock usually starts only when all your materials have arrived.
NovaSupplier lists 73 active manufacturers, all in Portugal. It is completely free for brands. Manufacturers pay a 3.5% commission on every order placed through the platform, including reorders. You can state the model you want in your brief and it is matched against each factory's published service model and capabilities.
Frequently asked questions
Cut, make, trim. You supply the fabric and trims, and the factory cuts, sews and finishes the garments.
The factory sources fabric and trims, makes patterns and samples, produces and packs the finished garments, and charges one price per unit. Of the 54 full package factories on NovaSupplier, 46 list fabric sourcing.
No. FOB is an Incoterm describing where delivery and risk pass to the buyer. In apparel, "FOB price" is often used to mean a price for finished goods including materials, which is why it is compared with CMT. Always ask which Incoterm a quote uses.
Full package, in most cases. It puts sourcing and material risk on the factory, and most Portuguese factories offer it: 54 of the 63 on NovaSupplier that state a model.
Not on published data in Portugal. The median lowest minimum is 100 units per style for both full package and CMT factories on NovaSupplier. Under CMT, your fabric supplier's minimum often matters more.
For road freight within Europe or to the UK, EXW or FCA are common; FOB is designed for sea freight. Pick the term that matches who books the freight, and ask every factory for the same one so quotes are comparable.
Factory figures are self-reported on NovaSupplier profiles, October 2026. Prices are indicative ranges from our cost guide, not quotes.
