What is your fit tolerance for tops?

Fit tolerance

Fit tolerance is agreed with you rather than applied as a fixed rule, because acceptable variation depends on the garment and the market. For most woven and knit styles, we work to a measurement tolerance confirmed in the specification, and finished pieces are checked against the approved size chart during final inspection.

Two practical points help avoid disagreement. First, define where each measurement is taken, since chest, waist and length can be measured in different ways. Second, agree which sizes are critical, as the smallest and largest sizes in a range often need closer attention than the middle.

Where a brand has its own tolerance standard, for example a specific allowance for a wash effect that changes shrinkage, share it at the development stage so the sample and bulk order are produced to the same rule from the beginning.

For styles that are washed, we suggest agreeing tolerance after the wash test, since finishing changes measurements slightly and the pre-wash figure is not the final one.