TL;DR: CMT (Cut-Make-Trim) means you buy and ship the fabric; the factory only cuts, sews and packs — the quote looks 50–70% cheaper but you carry fabric sourcing, quality risk and freight. FOB (Free On Board / full package) means the factory sources everything and hands you a finished, export-cleared garment at the port — one price, one responsible party. For jacket orders under ~1,000 pcs, FOB is almost always the right call: a CMT “bargain” plus your own fabric buying, testing and shipping usually lands above a factory’s FOB price. Our softshell FOB starts at $14/pc at a 30-piece MOQ. Full cost-stack table below.
Data marked OUR FLOOR comes from our own production — PTOUTWEAR (Pt Outdoor Products Factory, est. 2013-12, Taizhou, Zhejiang: 240 workers, 20 sewing lines, ~200,000 jackets/year, ISO 9001, SGS-tested fabrics). Data marked INDUSTRY is the typical published range across comparable China/Vietnam garment factories, given for benchmarking. Last updated: July 2026.
What does CMT mean in garment manufacturing?
CMT stands for Cut-Make-Trim: the factory charges only for labor — cutting the fabric, sewing the garment, attaching trims and packing. Everything else is on the buyer: developing the tech pack, buying fabric and trims, shipping materials to the factory, arranging QC, and booking outbound freight. A CMT quote for a softshell jacket is typically $4–9/pc (INDUSTRY) — which is exactly why it looks so tempting next to a $14–26 FOB quote.
CMT exists because large brands with their own fabric mills, nominated suppliers and QC teams genuinely save money running it. A 30–500 pc jacket order from a startup brand almost never does.
What does FOB mean in a factory quote?
FOB (Free On Board) in sourcing slang means “full package”: the factory buys fabric and trims, produces, passes QC, clears export customs and loads the goods on the vessel — the price covers everything up to the ship’s rail. You pay one number per piece and hold the factory accountable for the finished garment, not just the sewing.
| Item | Covered in CMT? | Covered in FOB? |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric + membrane sourcing | ❌ buyer | ✅ factory |
| Trims (zippers, cord locks, labels) | ❌ buyer | ✅ factory |
| Lab testing / fabric QC | ❌ buyer | ✅ factory |
| Cut, sew, seam-tape, pack | ✅ factory | ✅ factory |
| Inline + final QC | partial | ✅ factory |
| Export clearance + loading | ❌ buyer | ✅ factory |
| Fabric-defect risk | ❌ buyer | ✅ factory |
CMT vs FOB: real cost stack for a custom softshell jacket
The CMT number is not the landed cost — add fabric, trims, inbound freight, testing and wastage before comparing. Indicative stack for a mid-spec custom softshell (one embroidered logo, taped critical seams):
| Cost line | CMT route | FOB route (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Factory charge | $5–8/pc (INDUSTRY) | from $14/pc, band $14–26 (OUR FLOOR) |
| Fabric + membrane (buyer-sourced) | $6–10/pc + your time | included |
| Trims + labels | $1–2/pc | included |
| Inbound freight of materials | $0.5–1.5/pc | included |
| Fabric over-buy / wastage (3–8%) | on you | factory’s problem |
| Third-party QC | $200–400/order | included (in-house QC + SGS-tested fabrics) |
| Realistic total | $13–22/pc + management time | $14–26/pc, one invoice |
At small batch the spread disappears — and on the CMT route you own every fabric defect, short shipment and color-lot mismatch.
When does CMT actually make sense?
- You already own fabric (dead-stock, nominated mill, or your own lab-dipped run) — the one genuinely good reason.
- Order volume is 5,000+ pcs/style and you employ your own QC and logistics staff.
- You are re-cutting an existing bulk fabric position from a cancelled order.
Everything else → FOB. And if you dropship or want door delivery, ask for DDP on top: the factory also handles ocean/air freight, import duty and last-mile. We quote DDP routinely for dropshipping clients (OUR FLOOR — DDP supported, Printful/Printify integrations tested).
FAQ
Q: Why is a CMT quote so much cheaper than FOB?
A: Because it only covers labor. Fabric is 40–60% of a jacket’s cost and in CMT you buy it yourself. Compare landed cost, not the first number.
Q: What MOQ applies to FOB jacket orders?
A: Industry-typical FOB MOQ is 300–500 pcs. Ours is 30 pcs per style (1-piece sample at $100, refunded on the bulk order), 4-week standard lead time, rush 1,000 pcs in 2 weeks.
Q: Is FOB price negotiable at small quantities?
A: Within a band, yes — fabric choice moves it most. Our softshell band is $14–26 FOB depending on membrane spec, lining and trim level.
Q: What’s the difference between FOB and DDP?
A: FOB ends at the origin port; DDP ends at your door with duty paid. Dropshippers and first-time importers should ask for DDP to avoid surprise customs bills.
Q: Do factories accept CMT for waterproof jackets?
A: Many decline small CMT orders because buyer-supplied laminates often fail seam-taping QC — and the factory gets blamed. If a factory takes your CMT order without asking for fabric test reports, that’s a red flag.
PTOUTWEAR is a B2B outdoor jacket factory in Taizhou, Zhejiang, China — hardshell, softshell, 3-in-1 and ski jackets, FOB from $14/pc, MOQ 30 pcs, DDP and dropshipping supported. Request a quote at ptoutwear.com.
