A $12 FOB five-pocket jean in a standard 13 oz fabric, one wash, is not a mystery — it is a stack of known line items. Here is how it typically decomposes, and which ones can honestly flex.
The Stack
| Line item | Share | Range on a $12 jean |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric (13 oz, ~1.2 m) | ~35% | $3.80–4.50 |
| Trims & hardware | ~8% | $0.80–1.20 |
| CMT (cut-make-trim labor) | ~22% | $2.40–2.90 |
| Wash & finish | ~12% | $1.20–1.60 |
| QC, packing, hangers | ~5% | $0.50–0.70 |
| Mill overhead & margin | ~18% | $1.90–2.30 |
Which Cuts Are Honest
- Consolidate trims: one button supplier, one label system — saves $0.20–0.40 with zero quality impact.
- Simplify the wash: enzyme instead of multi-stage stone — saves $0.30–0.60 and water.
- Marker efficiency: better nesting saves fabric, the largest line — up to $0.50 on volume.
Which Cuts Are Lies
- Oz downgrade: quoting 13 oz and shipping 11.5 oz. Weigh the fabric on receipt.
- Hidden cotton blend: polyester slipped into a "cotton-rich" spec. Burn-test a swatch thread — cotton smells like paper and leaves soft ash; polyester melts into a hard bead.
- Subcontracted sewing: the mill you audited is not the floor that made your jeans. Ask for production-floor photos with your PO number visible.
The Rule
Every price has a source. A quote that beats the market by 25% has changed one of these line items somewhere — fabric weight, fiber content, labor location, or wash steps. Ask which. A mill that will not say is answering you anyway.