Here is a conversation that happens constantly in apparel sourcing. A buyer finds a supplier with a published minimum, plans a launch range of three colours against that number, and discovers at purchase order stage that the minimum applies to each colour separately. The commitment they planned has just tripled.
Two different minimums
Minimum per style is what almost everyone publishes. It covers the setup involved in producing a particular garment: pattern, marker, cutting, line setup.
Minimum per colourway covers the dye process. Dyeing a batch of fabric has a floor below which it is not economic or, at small volumes, not consistent. This is a real constraint rather than a sales tactic, and it is why it exists at almost every factory.
The problem is not that the second minimum exists. It is that it is frequently not mentioned until after a buyer has built a plan around the first one.
What this means for a test range
If you are proving a new style, you are usually better off testing one style in more colours than several styles in one colour each, because per-style setup is where the larger cost sits. But the colourway minimum sets a floor on how many colours you can sensibly trial.
The practical move is to plan the range after you have both numbers, not before. Frequently, cutting one colour from a launch plan buys a materially better unit price across the remaining two, and no buyer can see that trade-off without both figures.
Questions worth asking
- What is your minimum per style, and separately, per colourway?
- Does the colourway minimum change if I use a stock colour rather than a custom match?
- Can sizes be mixed freely within a style to reach the minimum?
- Does the minimum change on a reorder, given the pattern already exists?
That last one matters more than people expect. A reorder skips pattern and sampling entirely, and some factories reflect that in both the minimum and the lead time.
The signal to watch for
Ask for the colourway minimum in writing before you plan anything. A supplier who answers straight away is a supplier who has thought about how you actually buy. A supplier who is vague about it is not being coy about a trade secret. They are avoiding a number that would make their headline minimum look less attractive.
A worked example
Say you want one scrub top in three colours. Here is how the same order lands under two different minimum structures.
| Structure | What it means | Units to order 3 colours |
|---|---|---|
| 30 per style | Colours share the minimum | As few as 30 total (e.g. 10 each) |
| 30 per colourway | Each colour carries its own floor | 90 total (30 × 3) |
The per-colourway minimum exists because each colour is a separate dye lot with its own set-up. It is not a supplier being difficult — it is the economics of dyeing — but you can only plan around it if the figure is on the table.
How to structure a first order
- Prove one hero colour first. Launch a single strong colour, then add shades once it sells.
- Ask for the per-colourway minimum by name. If a quote only shows a per-style figure, request the per-colour floor before you commit.
- Group styles within a colour. A matched set in one colour often uses the dye lot more efficiently than the same units spread thin across colours.
Frequently asked questions
What is a colourway?
A colourway is one colour version of a style. A single scrub top offered in black, navy and teal is three colourways of one style.
Why is the per-colourway minimum higher?
Each colour is dyed as its own lot with its own set-up cost, so factories often set a floor per colour to keep the run economical.
Can I mix colours to reach the minimum?
Under a per-style minimum, usually yes. Under a per-colourway minimum, each colour must reach its own floor. Always confirm which applies before ordering.
Related guides: MOQs, sampling and lead times · How to read a scrub factory cost breakdown
Planning a multi-colour range?
Tell us the styles and colours you want. We publish both minimums up front and quote from 30 units per style, so you can plan the cheapest way in.