Every wholesale order we ship goes through six fixed stages at our workshop in Shishi: fabric inspection, cutting, sewing, washing, AQL 2.5 final inspection, and packing. If you buy garments from factories, knowing what happens at each stage tells you why two quotes with the same fabric can still differ by 30% in price and in how the batch holds up after three washes.

We have run this same line for more than 20 years, supplying menswear to buyers in Europe, North America, and South Africa. Here is what your order actually goes through.

It starts with the fabric, not the sewing machine

Before a single panel is cut, the fabric roll goes through inspection. We check GSM against the buyer’s spec, look for weaving defects, and test how the cloth reacts to a wash sample. A 350g fleece and a 350g “sort of” fleece are not the same thing, and the difference shows up before sewing, not after.

If a buyer wants garment dye or a heavy wash, we test on the actual roll they will get, because dye lots vary. This is the step most low quotes skip.

Cutting: one marker, one layer plan

The cutting floor runs on markers that map every panel of the garment onto the fabric with minimal waste. Our imported cutting machines keep panel edges consistent across hundreds of layers, which matters when a cargo pocket has to line up with a side seam on 2,000 pairs.

Sewing lines are grouped by product type

Woven pants run on one line group, denim on another, knitwear on a third. Operators who sew cargo pockets every day get faster and make fewer bar tack errors than a line that switches between product types twice a day. This is why we ask buyers to confirm the product category before quoting lead time; switching categories mid-order costs days.

For styles with complex pocket construction, like our washed cotton cargo shorts with 3D pockets, the pocket panels are pre-assembled by a small senior team before they reach the main line.

Washing happens on the finished garment, and it changes the fit

Garment wash, enzyme wash, stone wash: each pulls the fabric in or relaxes it differently. Cotton typically shrinks 1% to 3% after wash, so our patterns are pre-adjusted to land on the buyer’s size chart after the wash, not before. If a factory skips this adjustment, your Large becomes a Medium in week two. You can see the finished result in something like our vintage washed denim overshirt, where the wash has to hit the same tone across the whole batch.

AQL 2.5 final inspection, then packing

After wash and pressing, every order goes through final inspection to AQL 2.5. Inspectors pull a statistical sample from the batch and check measurements, stitching, zipper function, and wash consistency. Failed pieces are reworked or pulled, not shipped and apologized for. Only after the batch passes do we carton-pack, label, and load. The M65 field denim jacket is a good example: multi-pocket styles fail inspection at a higher rate on pocket alignment, so they get extra sampling.

FAQ

How long does production take for a small wholesale order?

Sampling usually takes 5 to 7 days. Bulk production for a small to mid-size order typically runs 25 to 35 days depending on fabric sourcing and wash complexity. We confirm both dates in writing before the deposit.

Can I visit the factory before placing an order?

Yes. Buyers and third-party inspection agencies are welcome at our Shishi workshop. If you cannot travel, we send stage-by-stage photos and videos during production, and we reply to inquiries within 24 hours.

Key takeaways

• Every BenClothing order passes six fixed stages: fabric inspection, cutting, sewing, washing, AQL 2.5 final inspection, and packing.
• Cotton shrinks 1% to 3% after wash, so patterns are pre-adjusted to hit the size chart after washing.
• Final inspection runs at AQL 2.5 on every batch, with extra sampling on multi-pocket styles.
• Sampling takes 5 to 7 days; small to mid-size bulk orders typically ship in 25 to 35 days.
• We have run the same production line in Shishi, Fujian for over 20 years, supplying Europe, North America, and South Africa.

A quote is only as good as the process behind it. Fabric checks, pattern adjustment for wash shrinkage, and AQL 2.5 inspection are the three places that decide whether your batch survives its first season. Want this process applied to your next order? Contact us for wholesale pricing.