Trims cost per garment is rarely the biggest number in a costing sheet, but it is the one most often underestimated. A label, a few buttons, a zipper, thread, a hang tag and a polybag look like pennies individually; together they can be a meaningful share of the cost. Published industry figures put trims at roughly 8–15% of the cost of a shirt with an FOB price of around USD 30. In this guide we work through four typical products – a T-shirt, a hoodie, jeans and a coat – showing where the money goes and where you can save without the garment looking cheap.
What counts as "trims" in a costing
For budgeting, split trims into four groups:
- Branding – main label, size label, hang tag and string, logo on buttons or rivets.
- Mandatory information – the care and composition label.
- Functional trims – buttons, zippers, snaps, elastic, drawcords, thread.
- Packaging – polybag, tissue, sticker, sometimes a box.
The first group depends on brand positioning, the second is almost fixed, the third is driven by the design and the fourth by the sales channel.
Metal buttons with a pink finish 6104047 Col 255 – 22 mm handmade
Satin label 14 cm x 5 cm - satin print
Metal zipper closed-end brown / gold teeth T5 PMZ1008Indicative budgets by product
The ranges below are approximate, converted to euros from published market data, and are for orientation only. Real costs depend on quantity, technique and supplier.
| Product | Indicative trims budget | Main cost lines |
|---|---|---|
| T-shirt | around €0.30–0.65 | Labels, hang tag, polybag |
| Hoodie | around €1.40–3.00 | Drawcord and aglets, eyelets, elastic at the cuffs (if not rib), labels |
| Jeans | around €1.80–3.90 | Shank button, rivets, zipper, leather or jacquard waistband patch |
| Coat | usually the highest of the four | Buttons (often natural or metal), lining labels, hanger loop, spare buttons |
Keep the volume effect in mind as well. On a small first run – say 200 pieces – branding can come to around €1 per garment for labels alone, because set-up is spread across so few units. Reorder the same label in a larger quantity and the unit price drops noticeably. That is why the trims budget for a first collection is almost always higher than for the ones that follow.
T-shirt: labels are almost the whole budget
A T-shirt has hardly any functional trims – just thread. The budget goes on a neck label (or a print straight on the fabric), a care label, a hang tag and a polybag. This is where the gap between "cheap" and "branded" is felt most: a soft jacquard or satin neck label costs a little more than the most basic option, but the customer touches it every time they put the shirt on.
Where to save: one main label for every style and colour; one care label shared by all tees cut from the same fabric.
Hoodie: functional details carry the weight
The hood drawcord, metal or plastic aglets, eyelets for the cord, perhaps a zipper and elastic at the hem – all functional, all visible. Branded metal eyelets and aglets are one of the most effective ways to lift perceived value, and also one of the most expensive lines.
Where to save: stock eyelets and aglets in a finish that matches the rest of your hardware instead of branded ones, leaving the logo on the label.
Jeans: metal is the main cost
The shank button, five or six rivets, the metal zipper and the waistband patch make up most of the budget. Quality is also a compliance issue here: the button and rivets touch the skin and must meet the REACH nickel restriction.
Where to save: brand only the button and use stock rivets in the same finish. A jacquard patch instead of leather lowers cost and is easier to care for.
Coat: few trims, but expensive ones
A coat carries fewer trims than a pair of jeans, but each one costs more: large buttons (25–30 mm) in corozo, horn or metal, a lining with several labels, a hanger loop, spare buttons in a little bag. Cutting corners on buttons shows immediately – the button is the coat's jewellery.
Where to save: fewer decorative buttons (on the sleeves, for instance) and good-quality main buttons on the front.
Where it is NOT worth saving
- The neck label. A stiff, scratchy label is one of the most common customer complaints – and the reason it gets cut out, brand name and all.
- The zipper. A broken zipper means a return. A saving of a few cents is wiped out by the first complaint.
- Metal parts touching skin. Failing the nickel rules is a legal risk, not just a quality issue.
- The care label. It has to survive washing and stay legible for the life of the garment.
Five ways to bring trim cost per garment down
- Standardise. One button size across several styles, one main label, one ribbon – more volume per article means a lower unit price.
- Mix stock and branded trims. Brand what the customer sees and touches; take the rest from stock.
- Order for several seasons. Main labels and branded buttons rarely change, so a bigger run lowers the price.
- Simplify the design. Fewer colours in the woven label, a standard size, a simple fold.
- Calculate your allowance properly. A 2–5% buffer is cheaper than an urgent small top-up order.
Tip: look at trims as a percentage of the retail price, not just of the cost price. On a garment that sells for €80, a €0.20 difference in the label is 0.25% – while the difference in perceived quality can be far greater.
How to build your own budget
Take the style's BOM, list every trim with its quantity per garment and the unit price at your volume, then add the allowance and shipping. Do it for the minimum quantity and for the next break up – you will see where the threshold sits at which prices drop noticeably. The same sheet will show which line gives you the biggest return when you optimise.
Bul-tex trims for your costing
Bul-tex manufactures and supplies labels, buttons, zippers, elastics and ribbons, both from stock and made to order. If you are costing a new collection, send us your trim list and quantities for a quote and suggestions on where to optimise. More practical guides are in our manufacturing section.
