Almost every avoidable problem in a custom bag order traces back to a brief that was not specific enough to be wrong. If a specification cannot be violated, it cannot be enforced — so the goal is not to write a lot, but to write things that are checkable with a ruler and a scale.
- Finished dimensions, with tolerance
- Fabric weight, and lamination yes or no
- Handle type, width, length and drop
- Lining
- Print method, colours, Pantone references and placement
- Labels and tags
- Packing and carton marking
- Quantity per style and per colour, plus the in-hand date
Why one page beats a long email
A long email describing a bag in prose has three problems. It gets read once and then paraphrased down a chain of people, at least one of whom does not speak English as a first language. It mixes requirements with preferences, so nobody knows which parts are negotiable. And it cannot be attached to a purchase order as the thing the goods will be judged against.
A one-page tech pack solves all three. It is a table, so nothing gets lost in paraphrase. Everything in it is a requirement by definition. And it can be referenced by date on the proforma invoice, which is what makes a defect claim straightforward rather than a negotiation.
The eight lines
1 · Finished dimensions
Width × height × gusset, in centimetres, measured on the finished bag lying flat. Always state which is which — "40 × 35" is ambiguous and will occasionally come back as a landscape bag when you wanted portrait.
Be explicit about whether height includes the handle. It should not. Handle drop is a separate line.
2 · Fabric weight and lamination
State the weight in oz per square yard or GSM, plus whether the fabric is laminated and with what. "10 oz jute, unlaminated, natural" is a complete answer. If you do not know what to ask for, our fabric weight guide maps weights to applications.
If print detail matters, add porter and shots once you have approved a sample — two fabrics at the same weight can take print very differently.
3 · Handle type, width, length and drop
Four numbers, not one. See the handles section below; this is where more samples go wrong than anywhere else.
4 · Lining
None, cotton, canvas, or laminate — and if fabric, its weight too. An unlined jute bag will shed some fibre inside, which is fine for a shopper and not fine for a bag holding fabric or food.
5 · Print method, colours, Pantone and placement
Name the method — screen, block, flexo, transfer or embroidery — the number of colours, the Pantone references, the artwork dimensions, and the placement measured from a fixed edge. "Centred front, 20 × 15 cm, top of artwork 12 cm below the bag opening" leaves nothing to interpret. Our printing guide covers which method to choose at which quantity.
6 · Labels and tags
Woven or printed label, its dimensions, and exactly where it is sewn — front panel, inside side seam, or inside top hem. Add care labels, hang tags and any barcode requirement here. If you need a specific fibre-content or country-of-origin wording for your market, write the exact text you want.
7 · Packing and carton marking
How the individual bag is packed, how many per carton, carton dimensions and the marking on the outside. This is a costing line as much as a logistics one: pieces per carton drives your freight cost per unit.
8 · Quantity and dates
Quantity per style and per colour — these are different minimums and suppliers often quote only against the total. Then the date the goods must be in your warehouse, and work backwards from there rather than asking how fast they can go.
Tolerances: the line everyone omits
Textiles are cut and sewn by people, and jute is a coarse natural fibre. No two bags will measure identically, and any specification that implies they will is unenforceable in practice. So state the tolerance you will accept, which turns a vague argument into arithmetic.
| Attribute | Workable tolerance |
|---|---|
| Dimensions under 40 cm | ±1 cm |
| Dimensions 40 cm and over | ±1.5 cm |
| Fabric weight | ±5% |
| Handle length | ±0.5 cm |
| Print position | ±3 mm |
| Colour match to Pantone | Against an approved jute swatch, not against paper |
Put these in the tech pack and in the quotation. A supplier who agrees a tolerance up front is a supplier who has thought about how the bag will actually be made.
Words that cost you a sampling round
These all sound like specifications and are not. Each one, in our experience, buys you an extra week.
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| "Sturdy" / "strong" / "heavy duty" | 12 oz jute, double-stitched base seam, handles bar-tacked at four points |
| "Premium" / "high quality" | Cotton-lined, PU-trimmed handle, woven label in the side seam |
| "Natural colour" | Undyed jute, shade approved against sample dated __ |
| "Standard tote size" | 38 × 42 × 12 cm, ±1 cm |
| "Long handles" | Handle drop 30 cm, webbing 25 mm wide |
| "Logo on the front" | 1-colour screen, Pantone 476C, 20 × 15 cm, centred, 12 cm from opening |
| "Eco-friendly" | Unlaminated, cotton thread, no metal fittings |
| "Retail ready" | Individually banded in kraft paper, hang tag on handle, EAN on carton |
Handles in detail
Handles are the most common failure point in a jute bag and the most commonly under-specified part of the brief. Four things to state:
- Type — cotton webbing, jute cord, rope, cane or bamboo, leather-look PU, or self-fabric cut from the same jute.
- Width — for webbing, 25 mm is standard and comfortable; 20 mm is cheaper and cuts into the hand under load; 38 mm suits heavy bags.
- Length and drop — drop is the gap between handle and bag opening, and it is the number that determines whether the bag is usable. Roughly 20–22 cm of drop for hand carrying, 28–30 cm to clear a shoulder over a coat.
- Attachment — how far the handle is stitched down the panel, and how it is reinforced. Bar-tacking or an X-box stitch at each of the four attachment points is what stops a handle tearing out. Say so explicitly; it costs almost nothing and it is the difference between a bag that lasts and one that does not.
One more: state whether handles are attached inside or outside the bag. Outside attachment looks more casual and is stronger; inside is neater. Suppliers will pick one if you do not.
Lining decisions
Four options, with real trade-offs:
| Lining | Gains | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| None | Cheapest, fully natural, compostable | Fibre shedding inside; contents can snag |
| Cotton | Clean interior, premium feel, printable inside, still all-natural | Adds materially to unit cost and to sewing time |
| Canvas | Structure and durability for heavy bags | Heaviest and most expensive option |
| PP / PE laminate | Moisture resistance, stiffness, cheap | Not compostable; removes any plastic-free claim |
Packing and marking
Decide these rather than inheriting them, because they touch both your landed cost and any environmental claim you plan to make.
- Individual packing — a kraft paper band is the plastic-free default. An individual polybag is cheaper and undermines a plastic-free story; a printed sleeve is the retail-premium option.
- Pieces per carton — ask for this in the quotation. It determines cartons per container and therefore freight cost per unit.
- Carton weight — keep it under 20 kg gross so one person can handle it. Warehouses care about this more than buyers expect.
- Marking — purchase order number, SKU, quantity, gross and net weight and country of origin, on two faces.
- Barcodes — if you need EAN or UPC on the piece, the inner and the carton, supply the number range with the tech pack rather than later.
A worked example
This is a complete, buildable specification. Anything shorter risks interpretation; anything longer is usually repetition.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Style name / reference | Classic tote — ACME-TOTE-01 |
| Finished size | 38 × 42 × 12 cm, ±1 cm |
| Fabric | 10 oz jute hessian, unlaminated, natural, ±5% |
| Lining | None |
| Handle | Cotton webbing, 25 mm, natural, 60 cm total, 22 cm drop, attached outside, bar-tacked at 4 points |
| Stitching | Lock stitch, 8–10 stitches per inch, double-stitched base seam, polyester thread colour-matched |
| 1-colour screen, Pantone 476C, 20 × 15 cm, centred front, top edge 12 cm below opening, ±3 mm | |
| Labels | Woven brand label 40 × 15 mm sewn into inside side seam, 8 cm below opening |
| Packing | 1 pc per kraft paper band; 50 pcs per master carton |
| Carton | Five-ply, 60 × 40 × 40 cm, gross under 20 kg, marked on two faces |
| Quantity | 3,000 pcs natural / 1,000 pcs with black print |
| In-hand date | Warehouse by 15 November |
| Inspection standard | AQL 2.5 major / 4.0 minor against signed sample |
Sign the sample — this is the actual contract
A tech pack tells a factory what to build. A signed sample proves what "correct" looks like, including all the things a document cannot capture: exact shade of natural jute, the feel of the weave, how crisp the print edge is, how the handle sits.
The process is simple and worth insisting on. When the pre-production sample is approved, both parties sign a tag attached to it. The supplier keeps a countersigned twin. Every subsequent inspection is measured against that physical piece, and it stays valid for the life of the style.
Without it, you are arguing about adjectives. With it, you are comparing two objects — and that argument resolves in an afternoon.
Questions we get asked
Can I just send a photo of a bag I like?
Yes, and you should — a reference photo is genuinely the fastest way to communicate intent, and it removes ten emails. But it is a starting point, not a specification: a photo cannot tell anyone the fabric weight or the handle drop. Send the photo and the eight lines.
How many sampling rounds should I expect?
One revision is normal on a first custom style. Two is acceptable on something complex. If you are on round four, the brief was the problem, not the factory.
Who owns the pattern and the screens?
You should, once you have paid the one-off charges. Get it in writing — it is what lets you move the style to another supplier later without re-developing it.
Tolerances and construction conventions here are the ones we work to and are widely workable, but they are not an industry standard — agree them explicitly with your own supplier.