If you’re comparing suppliers and asking how much a sweater costs to make, the honest answer is: it depends on five things — yarn, gauge, construction, quantity, and finishing. Yarn is the biggest driver, typically 40-60% of an ex-factory price. Cashmere yarn can cost more than 10x acrylic per kilogram, so fiber choice moves your number more than anything else. Published factory guides quote typical ex-factory ranges of roughly $6-12 for acrylic basics, $14-20 for wool blends, and $25+ for cashmere styles. Those are industry ranges, not Lewen’s prices — we quote per project after reviewing your spec. Lewen Garment is a China-based custom knitwear manufacturer in Dongguan, Guangdong, working with fashion brands, designers, and buyers from tech pack, sketch, or reference garment. This guide breaks down where your money goes before you request a quote.
what a sweater quote is made of
Every knitwear quote is a stack of cost lines, and none of them is fixed. Two factories quoting different prices for “the same sweater” are usually quoting different specs — different yarn, gauge, weight, color count, or quantity. That’s why a quote only makes sense against a locked spec.
Here’s how the main drivers compare:
| Cost driver | What it controls | Why it moves your quote |
|---|---|---|
| Yarn (composition, count, quality) | Fiber price, grams per garment, handfeel | Biggest line, usually 40-60% of ex-factory cost. Cashmere > merino > wool blends > cotton > acrylic |
| Gauge and machine type | Yarn consumption, knitting speed, fabric feel | Chunky 3-7gg uses more yarn per piece; fine 12-16gg uses finer yarn that costs more per kg |
| Stitch construction | Machine time, programming, hand work | Plain jersey is the baseline; cables, jacquard, intarsia, and pointelle add time and skilled labor |
| Color count and dyeing route | Yarn lots, dye cost, waste | Yarn-dyed colors have dye-lot minimums; more colors means more lots, inventory, and wastage |
| Size structure and MOQ | Fixed setup spread over units | Fewer pieces per style means higher unit price; more sizes means more yarn and grading work |
| Sampling | Pattern, yarn, machine time | One-off development cost, separate from bulk production |
| Finishing | Wash, iron, QC, brushing | Labor-heavy; specialty washes and hand finishing add cost |
| Trims and packaging | Buttons, zips, labels, bags, cartons | Small per piece, but custom branded trims carry their own minimums |
| Freight | Weight, volume, route | Heavy wool sweaters cost more to ship; air freight costs far more than sea |
Read the table the same way a factory does: yarn first, then gauge and construction, then the commercial terms — MOQ, sizes, and colors — and finally finishing, trims, and freight.
yarn: the single biggest cost driver
Yarn is the biggest line in every sweater quote, usually 40-60% of ex-factory cost. Composition sets the price ceiling; count and quality decide what you get for that price.
At typical 2026 yarn prices, acrylic runs about $4-8/kg, merino about $30-40/kg, and cashmere from $120/kg up, with cotton between them depending on quality and spinning. Those gaps are huge because the fiber is the product. A 70/30 wool-acrylic blend costs roughly 60% of pure wool fiber, which is why blends dominate mid-market knitwear.
The count — the yarn number, like 2/28Nm or 2/48Nm — sets the thickness, and thickness sets the gauge. A medium crewneck uses roughly 350-390g of yarn in acrylic, 380-420g in cotton, and 400-450g in wool, depending on gauge and style. Multiply grams by the per-kg price and you see the swing: about $2 of yarn in acrylic, about $10 in wool, and $30+ in cashmere before wastage. Factories normally add 10-12% for wastage and mill variance.
Quality shows up in the fiber itself: micron fineness, staple length, twist, and pilling resistance. Two “merino” yarns at the same count can differ in price by 30-50% because one is finer and spins cleaner. Cheaper yarn cuts the quote and the handfeel together. Check the yarn count and machine gauge matching guide and ask the factory for a washed swatch before you commit.
Blends are the standard lever. 100% cashmere costs the most because the fiber is scarce, the per-kg price is high, and the garment needs gentle handling through knitting and finishing. A 70/30 cashmere-wool blend keeps much of the handfeel at a meaningfully lower cost and usually wears better. Pure merino costs more than wool blends but less than cashmere, with better drape and a softer touch. The trade-off is simple: cashmere for luxury, merino for quality at a lower price, blends for hitting a price point.
gauge and machine type
Gauge (GG) is the number of needles across a defined width of a knitting machine. Lewen runs 1.5GG to 18GG. Gauge decides yarn consumption, knitting speed, and fabric feel, so it moves cost directly.
Low gauges — 3GG to 7GG — use thick yarn and knit a heavier, chunkier fabric. A chunky sweater takes more yarn per piece and more machine time, so the yarn line goes up even though chunky yarns are often cheaper per kg. High gauges — 12GG to 16GG and finer — knit lighter and faster with finer yarn that costs more per kg. So cost is not simply “thicker equals more expensive.” It’s yarn weight times yarn price, plus knitting time.
Machine type matters too. Most knitwear runs on computer flat knitting machines that knit panels to shape — fully fashioned — so there’s almost no cutting waste. Cut-and-sew knitwear is cheaper to set up but wastes more fabric. Whole-garment knitting runs a premium because the machine is slower and less common. Published CMT (cut-make-trim) guides give a feel for the labor share: a basic crewneck runs roughly $8-14, patterned or textured work $14-22, and whole-garment $18-30. Those are industry figures for machine and labor, not Lewen’s prices.
stitch construction and pattern complexity
Plain jersey or 1×1 rib is the baseline. Every added element — cables, jacquard, intarsia, pointelle, a hood, a full zip placket — adds machine time, programming, or hand work.
Cables knit slower because they build extra rows and stitches per course. Jacquard knits the pattern into the fabric with floats on the back and runs automatically; it suits fine, detailed patterns. Intarsia uses separate yarn blocks per color area for a clean back, but color changes create waste and the edges often need skilled linking. Pointelle and open stitches run fine and light, but they knit slower and can distort if the finishing program is wrong.
Pattern complexity rarely changes the MOQ — it’s set per style, flexible depending on the yarn, colors, and size structure — but it changes the unit price and the sampling time. A multi-color jacquard order costs more per piece than the same sweater in one color, and it needs more sample rounds to get color separations and tension right.
colors: count and dyeing route
Color is a cost driver twice: how many colors, and how they’re dyed.
Yarn-dyed is the standard route for knitwear: yarn is dyed to your shade before knitting, then the sweater is knitted from dyed yarn. Every color becomes its own dye lot with its own minimum, so a five-color jacquard means five yarn lots to dye, hold, and manage. More colors mean more inventory, more wastage, and a higher MOQ per style. Deep shades like black and navy can also cost more than pastels because they need more dye and stricter wash-fastness control.
Garment-dyed is the alternative: knit in undyed (greige) yarn, then dye the finished sweaters. It reduces yarn-lot minimums, makes lower quantities practical, and gives a softer, lived-in handfeel. The trade-offs: the whole garment is dyed by weight, shade consistency depends on each batch, and trims that can’t survive the dye bath — buttons and zips — must be applied after dyeing or chosen to match.
For a first order, fewer colors is the cheapest path. Lock one or two shades, prove the style, then expand. Every color you add raises the price and the risk together.
size structure and MOQ
MOQ exists because every order carries fixed costs: pattern programming, sample setup, yarn dye lots, trim minimums, and machine changeover. Those costs don’t scale with pieces. A small order spreads them across a few units; a large one spreads them across thousands. That’s why a low MOQ raises the unit price — each piece carries a fair share of the setup.
Lewen’s MOQ is flexible and set per style — it depends on the yarn, colors, and size structure. Small runs are practical because the factory is built for them, but the price logic stays the same: fewer pieces, more per piece. Our low MOQ knitwear sourcing guide explains how to structure a small order so it stays efficient.
Size structure matters the same way. More sizes mean more yarn, more grading work, and heavier sizes that consume more material. Plan the quantity before you ask for a price. A quote for 200 pieces and a quote for 2,000 pieces will land very differently, and neither one is “the” price of the sweater.
sampling: the cost before the cost
Sampling is a separate, one-off development cost. It covers pattern making, buying yarn for trials, machine programming, knitting, finishing, and shipping the sample. Published sourcing guides put sample development in China at roughly $80-150 per style for simple knitwear, with complex patterns, specialty yarns, or multiple rounds costing more. Lewen’s standard sample development runs about 7-10 working days.
A typical project needs two to three rounds: a prototype to check construction and fit, a washed sample to check shrinkage and handfeel, and a pre-production sample to lock the bulk standard. Each round costs yarn and machine time. The fastest way to control sampling cost is a complete tech pack in round one — the knitwear sourcing checklist shows what to prepare.
Ask the factory whether the sample fee is credited against bulk. Practice varies by factory and order size, so get it in writing.
finishing, trims, packaging and freight
Finishing is the labor-heavy back end. Washing relaxes the fabric and controls shrinkage; softening changes handfeel; brushing raises a soft pile; ironing or steaming sets the shape; final QC checks measurements, seams, and defects. Specialty washes cost more, and brushed or hand-finished styles add time. On a simple sweater, finishing and QC are a small but real line; on a brushed or heavily washed style, they grow.
Trims and packaging are small per piece but easy to underestimate. Buttons, zips, cords, labels, hangtags, polybags, and cartons typically run a few dollars per piece at industry rates, and custom branded trims — a logo button, a custom zip pull — carry their own minimums and lead time. If trims can’t be bought from stock, they affect both price and schedule.
Freight is the last line, and it’s tied to weight and volume. Wool and cashmere sweaters are heavy, so they cost more to ship per unit than light acrylic knits. Air freight costs several times sea freight and is usually only justified for fast restocks. Compare quotes on the same Incoterm — FOB, CIF, or DDP — or the numbers mislead you. Factor this into your production lead time planning, not just your budget.
how to get a realistic quote
Use these five steps and your quote will be accurate the first time:
- Lock the yarn first — composition, count, and quality. It’s 40-60% of the cost, so don’t leave it vague.
- Decide the gauge and a garment weight target.
- Fix the size structure and quantity per style.
- Keep the first color count small.
- Ask for a line-by-line breakdown — yarn, knitting, finishing, trims, packaging — and compare factories on the same spec and Incoterm.
Nobody can quote a sweater without the spec, and a factory that quotes a number without asking for yours is guessing. Send Lewen your design, tech pack, or reference garment, and we’ll review the yarn and construction with you before quoting. That review is where the number gets realistic.
Ready to get a cost picture for your style? Send your product requirements to Lewen to discuss yarn, gauge, sampling, and MOQ.
FAQ
How much does it cost to make a sweater?
The cost varies with yarn, gauge, quantity, and finishing. Industry guides quote typical ex-factory ranges of roughly $6-12 for acrylic basics, $9-16 for cotton blends, $14-20 for wool blends, and $25+ for cashmere styles. Yarn is usually 40-60% of the total. An accurate quote needs a locked spec.
How much does a cashmere sweater cost to make?
Cashmere yarn is the dominant cost. At yarn prices of $120+/kg and a 300-450g garment, yarn alone runs roughly $30-70 per sweater before wastage. Industry guides put cashmere ex-factory from about $25-30 up, depending on quality and quantity. Blends like 70% cashmere and 30% wool keep most of the handfeel at a lower price.
How much does yarn cost to make a sweater?
Published sourcing data shows acrylic yarn at about $4-8/kg, merino around $30-40/kg, and cashmere from $120/kg up. A medium crewneck uses roughly 350-450g of yarn depending on fiber and gauge, so yarn per sweater runs from about $2 in acrylic to $10 in wool and $30+ in cashmere before wastage.
Why does a low MOQ raise the unit price?
Every order carries fixed costs: pattern programming, sample setup, yarn dye lots, trim minimums, and machine changeover. A small order spreads those costs across fewer units, so each piece carries more. Unit price drops as quantity rises because the same setup is divided across more sweaters.
What does a knitwear sample cost?
Published sourcing guides put sample development in China at roughly $80-150 per style for simple knitwear, with more for complex patterns or multiple rounds. A typical project runs two to three rounds: prototype, washed fit sample, and pre-production sample. Ask whether the sample fee is credited against bulk.