Beachwear MOQ Explained: 100 vs 200 vs 500 Pieces
Published: 2026-10-30 · Last updated: 2026-10-30
Short answer: MOQ is not a negotiating position, it is arithmetic. Every order carries fixed setup costs — fabric minimums, dyeing, cutting, print setup, sampling and inspection — and the minimum quantity is the point at which those costs stop dominating the unit price. Different products carry different minimums because the fixed cost is different.
Why a factory has a minimum at all
Brands often assume the MOQ is arbitrary, or that a factory could produce 20 pieces if it wanted to. It could — but the unit price would be several times higher, and both sides would lose. The fixed costs in a cut-and-sew order are:
- Fabric minimum. Mills sell fabric by the roll or set a minimum length. You cannot usually buy 15 metres of a specific quality.
- Dyeing and finishing. A dye lot has a minimum batch. Small batches cost almost as much as large ones.
- Cutting setup. Laying out a marker and cutting the first ply takes the same time regardless of quantity.
- Print setup. Screens, or a sublimation run, have a fixed startup cost.
- Sampling and approvals. One or two sample rounds per style, regardless of order size.
- Production line changeover. Switching a line to a new style costs time that has to be recovered across the run.
Below the minimum, the fixed cost per unit climbs steeply — which is why a factory that “will do 20 pieces” quotes a price that makes the order uneconomic.
The three tiers we work to
| Product | MOQ | Why this number |
|---|---|---|
| Beach towels | 100 pcs per design | No size grading, simple construction, lower cutting and sewing setup |
| Garments (boardshorts, swim shorts, ponchos) | 200 pcs per design | Size grading, fit approval, more construction steps |
| Textured fabric (seersucker, crinkle, water-reactive) | 500 pcs per design | Fabric is woven or finished to order, with a mill minimum and no drop-in substitute |
Sampling runs 7–10 days per style, and bulk production 25–40 days after PP sample approval.
Why towels sit at 100
A beach towel has no size grading — one size, one pattern, one cut. That removes the largest fixed cost in a garment order. The construction is a rectangle with a hem, so cutting and sewing setup is minimal. The result is a genuinely lower minimum, which is why towels are the cheapest way to test a new print direction.
If you are unsure whether a graphic will sell, put it on a towel first at 100 pieces, rather than committing to 200 pieces of a garment.
Why garments sit at 200
A garment needs a graded size run. That means a size chart, a grade rule, a pattern for each size, and usually at least one fitting. It also means more construction steps — waistband, liner, pockets, hems — each with its own setup and QC point.
200 pieces per design is the point where those costs spread acceptably. It also allows a realistic size mix: at 200 pieces you can run five sizes at roughly 40 pieces each, which is what a retail size curve needs.
Why textured fabric sits at 500
This is the tier that most often surprises buyers, and it is worth understanding before you plan a range.
- The fabric mill sets a minimum. A specific seersucker construction or a crinkle finish is woven or finished to order, so the mill requires a minimum run length. Your garment quantity is bounded by that.
- There is no drop-in substitute. With plain quick-dry fabric, if one quality is unavailable you can move to a comparable stock line. With a specific textured construction there is nothing to substitute, so the whole order depends on that one mill run.
- Colour and finishing have their own setup. Both need to be amortised across the quantity.
The practical options if 500 is above your budget: concentrate the buy into fewer colourways of one textured style, or run the textured piece as a hero style alongside a larger plain-fabric range.
How colourways affect the minimum
A common misunderstanding is that MOQ applies to the order rather than to the design. It applies per design and colour, which has two consequences:
- Sizes can be mixed freely within the minimum. 200 pieces can be split across five sizes.
- Colourways cannot. Two colourways of the same style is generally two minimums, because each involves a separate dye lot.
This is why a focused range of two colourways usually beats a scattered range of six.
What actually reduces your MOQ
| Lever | Effect |
|---|---|
| Choosing a stock fabric quality | The biggest lever — avoids the mill minimum entirely |
| Reducing colourways per style | Concentrates the quantity into fewer dye lots |
| Starting with accessories (towels) | 100 pcs instead of 200, to test a print |
| Reusing a block across styles | Shares pattern and grading setup across SKUs |
| Splitting the range across drops | Lets you launch with fewer styles at full minimum rather than many at half |
What does not reduce it: asking for a discount, ordering a sample set, or promising future volume. The fixed cost is physical, not commercial.
How to plan a first order
A realistic sequence for a new brand:
- Test the print on a towel — 100 pieces, one design, lowest risk.
- Commit to one hero garment — 200 pieces in two colourways, sized across your core range.
- Reorder what sells — a repeat on a stocked fabric usually ships faster than the first order.
- Add a textured style once volume justifies it — 500 pieces, as a hero piece rather than the volume driver.
That sequence keeps your capital at risk low while you learn which style actually reorders.
Summary
MOQ is the quantity at which fixed costs stop dominating unit price. Towels are 100 because there is no grading; garments are 200 because there is; textured fabric is 500 because the mill has its own minimum and there is no substitute. Plan around the tiers rather than trying to negotiate them down, and use the lowest tier — towels — to test prints before committing to a garment run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because the fixed cost differs. A towel has no size grading and simple construction, so its minimum is 100 pieces. A garment needs a graded size run and fit approval, so it is 200. Textured fabric is woven or finished to order with a mill minimum, so it is 500.
Yes. MOQ applies per design and colour, and sizes can be mixed freely within it. 200 pieces can be split across five sizes at roughly 40 each, which suits a retail size curve.
Generally not. Each colourway involves a separate dye lot, so two colourways of the same style usually means two minimums. Concentrating the buy into fewer colourways is the practical way to keep it manageable.
Choose a stock fabric quality rather than a woven-to-order construction, reduce colourways per style, start with a towel to test the print, and reuse a block across styles. Asking for a discount does not change the underlying fixed cost.
Sampling takes 7–10 days per style, and bulk production runs 25–40 days after PP sample approval and confirmation of all details.
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