Worked Example: Cotton-Elastane Jersey T-Shirt

Freeze the scenario before comparing suppliers

The shell percentage and nominal mass are invented for this case. They do not establish tolerance, recovery, shrinkage, colorfastness, pilling, seam, or care performance. The Material Sourcing Request is the blank master document; this page demonstrates how one product team might narrow it. Keep the Supplier Screening Brief, Sample Review & Approval Record, and tech pack guide connected to the same style code, version, approved reference, and lot identity.

Why this knit changes the master brief

A jersey shell can meet a mass target and still be wrong for the pattern because stretch, recovery, torque, usable width, finish, and relaxation behavior differ. Neck rib is not a decorative afterthought: its stretch and recovery must work with the neckline length, attachment method, seam bulk, and expected laundering. A supplier response therefore needs values with methods and conditions, not only composition and hand feel.

ASTM D3776/D3776M provides options for measuring fabric mass, but ASTM warns that a small swatch result applies to that sample and not necessarily the lot. ASTM D2594 measures low-power knit stretch and growth under stated conditions and says it is not recommended for acceptance testing because between-laboratory precision is poor. Those are decision boundaries: identify the method, specimen, direction, load, conditioning, laboratory, and lot, then decide what additional production control is needed.

Edit the worked decision record

The fields below are prefilled to expose assumptions and unresolved work. Edit them in place, copy the result as Markdown, download it, or print it. Reset restores this example, not an approved specification.

Worked example · editable · illustrative values

Adult cotton-elastane jersey T-shirt decision record

Replace every illustrative value with a controlled product requirement, supplier response, measured result, evidence link, or named open risk. Keep the style, material, sample, and bulk lot identities connected.

Copy MarkdownDownload .mdPrint worksheetReset example

Edits stay in this browser page and are not saved or sent. Illustrative values are not universal requirements.

01

Scenario and authority

Freeze what product and decision this record covers before asking for evidence.

Product, style code, and specification versionEnd use, user, and destination marketIllustrative: everyday adult base layer or standalone top; United States direct-to-consumer launch. Not childrenswear, sleepwear, protective clothing, or medical use.Decision in scopeQualify shell and neck rib candidates, confirm one declared production route, and define evidence needed before pre-production approval.Decision ownersFill in: product developer; technical designer; sourcing owner; quality owner; labeling and compliance reviewer; supplier contacts.Authoritative filesFill in: tech pack version, pattern version, bill of materials, graded measurement chart, construction page, artwork, color standard, material request, and approved reference IDs.

02

Shell, rib, and bulk identity

Composition and nominal mass do not define a knit. Record construction, finish, usable width, directional behavior, and lot identity.

Shell requestIllustrative: 95% cotton / 5% elastane single jersey; 180 g/m² nominal. Supplier must state construction, yarn, gauge or machine details where useful, finish route, mass result and method, usable width result and method, and tolerances proposed for review.Neck rib requestIllustrative: separate cotton-elastane rib. Supplier must state composition, construction, mass, usable width, stretch and growth by direction under the agreed method, finish, dye route, and lot relationship to shell.Color and shade controlFill in: color standard and illuminants, lab-dip route, shade-band logic, shell-to-rib approval, lot segregation, panel replacement rule, and bulk shade approval owner.Bulk identityRequire mill, mill article, purchase order, roll and dye-lot IDs, production dates, finish route, test specimen identity, garment cut lot, and retained references to reconcile.Proposed substitutionsNone assumed. Any fiber, elastane content, construction, mass, width, yarn, finish, dye route, rib, thread, facility, or lot change requires written review before use.

03

Measured behavior and evidence plan

A method controls how a property is measured. The product team still owns the applicable limit and sampling logic.

Fabric mass and usable widthRecord conditioned results, method and option, specimen type, direction where applicable, laboratory, date, and lot. Candidate methods: ASTM D3776/D3776M for mass and ASTM D3774 for width.Stretch and growthRecord course and wale directions, method version, load or extension, specimen preparation, conditioning, result, and limitation. ASTM D2594 is a selection aid here, not assumed acceptance proof.Dimensional and skew behaviorDefine laundering and drying conditions, cycle count, measurement locations, relaxation, fabric and garment stage, directions, report format, and team-set limits. Review AATCC TM135, TM150, and TM179 for applicability.Color and surface behaviorSelect tests from product risk. Illustrative review set: AATCC TM8 crocking and TM61 accelerated laundering, plus pilling or abrasion only when the technical owner defines why, method, grade, and limit.Open method questionsConfirm whether the chosen garment dimensional method applies to this stretch construction; align laboratories and specimen identity; define how bulk-roll variation will be controlled beyond development swatches.

04

Construction and fit controls

Connect material behavior to pattern, rib ratio, stitch selection, seam stretch, appearance, and measurement method.

Pattern and measurement assumptionsFill in: base size and body data source, intended ease, measurement points, garment preparation, tolerance rationale, grade rules, and sizes requiring physical confirmation.Neckline systemFill in: neckline seam length, rib cut length and ratio, rib width, attachment operation, topstitch or coverstitch, seam bulk, recovery observation, head opening check, and approved appearance reference.Stitch and seam recordName seam and stitch classes using controlled terminology where useful; record machine, needle, thread, SPI or density, differential feed, seam allowance, stretch behavior, skipped stitch and popping checks, and operator-critical points.Torque and appearance reviewReview side-seam rotation, panel skew, hem wave, neckline rippling, puckering, needle damage, shade difference, print or decoration distortion if present, and appearance after the agreed laundering sequence.Wear and fit validationDefine participant profile, sample size, sizes, movements, duration, wash history, observations, decision owner, and limits of what the exercise can prove.

05

Supplier route and sample gates

Approve a declared route and evidence set, not an anonymous sample.

Named production routeFill in legal supplier, knitting mill, dyeing and finishing site, cut-and-sew facility, decoration site if any, test laboratory, packing site, and every proposed subcontracted step.Development gatesIllustrative sequence: documented material candidates and tests; proto; fit sample; revised fit; size set; pre-production sample in final intended inputs; top-of-production review; lot inspection and shipment decision.What each gate decidesFor every gate state sample identity, source lots, sizes and colors, decision questions, required reviewers, evidence due, disposition choices, corrections, next submission, and production activity allowed.Paid pilotFill in representative quantity, final or declared route, input lots, records, timing, cost, acceptance criteria, inspection, retest, retained samples, and explicit limits on any supplier approval.Change-control acknowledgementComplete only after named supplier representatives accept written reapproval triggers.

06

Labels, approval, and open risk

Close only what the evidence supports. Keep unresolved questions visible.

Fiber, origin, identity, and care reviewFor the United States scenario, assign a qualified reviewer to substantiate fiber content, country of origin, responsible company identity, and care instruction under current FTC requirements. Verify sewn-label and packaging execution against final product evidence.Illustrative approval conditionsDo not approve until final shell, rib, thread, color, pattern, construction, labels, facilities, test evidence, sample identity, and exceptions are reconciled to one controlled version.Open risksInitial open items: stretch-method applicability; team-set dimensional and skew limits; shell-rib compatibility after laundering; bulk-roll variation plan; final care substantiation; wear and fit validation scope.DispositionCurrent state: illustrative record only. Replace with proceed, approve with conditions, revise and resubmit, hold, or reject, plus rationale, scope, owner, date, and evidence links.Final approvalsFill in each accountable role, decision, conditions, disagreements, date, and next review trigger. A supplier signature does not replace the brand's technical or legal accountability.

Turn the record into controlled gates

Do not send the entire worksheet to every party and assume the work is delegated. Convert its approved requirements into the documents each party needs: the mill request, supplier capability questions, tech pack, sample review agenda, laboratory request, bulk inspection plan, purchase terms, and change-control rule. Each result should return with the same style, material, color, lot, facility, sample-stage, and version identifiers.

A pre-production sample can confirm a defined combination. It cannot show the defect rate of every bulk unit. A fabric swatch can support selection. It cannot prove every production roll. Separate development approval, production start authority, top-of-production review, lot inspection, and shipment release.

Sources and decision boundaries

The property fields use current primary descriptions of ASTM D3776/D3776M for fabric mass, ASTM D3774 for fabric width, ASTM D2594 for low-power knit stretch and growth, AATCC TM135 for fabric dimensional change, AATCC TM150 for garment dimensional change, and AATCC TM179 for skew change. AATCC TM8 and AATCC TM61 inform the crocking and accelerated-laundering evidence prompts. ISO 4915 supports controlled stitch-type terminology.

For this fictional United States sale, the labeling prompts point to the FTC's current textile and wool labeling guidance and Care Labeling Rule guidance. Stitch Authority interprets these sources only to show what a decision record should identify. It does not reproduce the paid methods, select pass values, decide which methods are legally required, or declare the example compliant.