How to Prepare Tech Packs for Shoe Manufacturing

What a tech pack is

A tech pack is the document you hand to a shoe factory so they can sample and produce your design without a thousand follow-up questions. The more complete the tech pack, the faster and more accurate the sample.

A good tech pack is the difference between getting a sample in 3 weeks and a sample in 3 months.

What every tech pack must include

1. Cover page

Brand name and style name
Season / collection / style code
Date and revision number
Designer / contact info

2. Sketches

Front, back, side (lateral), and medial views
Top-down view if the design has visible details from above
Detail callouts: stitching, hardware, lacing, logos

Even rough sketches are better than no sketches. Hand-drawn, vector, or rendered — what matters is that the factory can see the silhouette and the details clearly.

3. Colorways

List every colorway in the launch (e.g., Black/White, Cream/Tan, Olive/Black)
Provide a Pantone code (or physical swatch) for every color

Pantone TPX, TPG, or coated/uncoated — whatever you have. The factory will convert to their own dye lot system, but starting from Pantone is the universal baseline.

4. Materials (bill of materials)

For every component, list:

Upper material (e.g., Full-grain leather, 1.2–1.4 mm, aniline dyed)
Lining material (e.g., Pigskin lining)
Sole material (e.g., Rubber outsole, TPU midsole)
Hardware (e.g., Antique brass eyelets, 6 mm)
Laces, zippers, elastics
Labels and tags (brand label, size label, care label, hangtag)

5. Measurement spec

Every measurement your factory needs to grade your size run:

Last measurements (length, width, heel height, toe spring)
Upper measurements at key reference points (vamp height, throat opening, heel height, eyelets)
Sole measurements (heel height, sole thickness at key points)

Indicate which dimensions are critical (must be exact) vs. preferred (can flex within reason).

6. Construction notes

Last used (or reference last if you have one)
Construction type (cemented, strobel, vulcanized, direct-injected, Goodyear welted, Blake-stitched)
Stitch type and SPI (stitches per inch) for visible stitching
Edge finishing (paint, burnish, raw)

7. Quality standards

Acceptable tolerances for measurements (e.g., ±2 mm on all upper measurements)
Acceptable color variation
Defects that are not acceptable (e.g., no visible scratch marks on leather)

8. Packaging and labeling

How each pair should be wrapped (tissue, shoe tree, etc.)
Box style and labeling
How pairs are packed in the master carton
Master carton dimensions and weight

What is optional but helps

A reference sample — an existing shoe you want yours to be like. Make it like this, except for X.
3D renders — Rhino, Crispin, or Modo files that the factory can pull measurements from
Material swatches — physical samples of the leather, lining, hardware
A grading sheet — already-sized patterns for each size in your run
A previous sample — if you have one, hand it to the factory as a reference

Common tech pack mistakes

Skipping the measurement spec. Factories cannot quote or sample accurately without measurements.
Using photographs instead of sketches. Photos are reference; sketches with measurements are the spec.
Specifying materials the factory cannot source. If you list Italian vegetable-tanned leather from Tannery X, the factory needs to know they can buy it. Be flexible when you can.
Not specifying the last. The last defines the fit. Use a last similar to a Common Projects Achilles is fine if you provide the last or a sample to measure.
Inconsistent units. Pick mm or inches and stick to it. Mixing units is a recipe for errors.

What happens after you submit the tech pack

A good factory will:

1. Review the tech pack and flag questions within 3–5 business days 2. Provide a written sample quote with timeline 3. Source any materials they do not already have 4. Schedule Round 1 sample production

A factory that quotes you without asking questions is either very experienced with your exact spec or not reading your pack carefully. Both should give you pause.

How we help

If you have a sketch but no tech pack, we can build one with you. If you have a tech pack but no factory, we can sample and produce from it. If you have samples but no production capacity, we can scale.

Call (323) 918-4993 and tell us where your project is. We will tell you honestly what the next step should be.

*Have a tech pack ready? Send it over and we will give you a sample quote within a week.*