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Order planning · Small-batch cardigans

Small-Batch Cropped Cardigans: Plan Style and Colour Quantities

A small total order does not automatically answer how many pieces can be made in each cardigan style and colour. Confirm garment, colour and yarn constraints separately before approving the range.

By WTBF · Knitwear buying guides

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A small cropped-cardigan capsule in muted colours arranged beside yarn cones in a product studio.

Ask for the minimum at each order level

Request the minimum quantity by style, colour and size, then ask whether the same rule applies to a repeat colour or a new colour. Keep this separate from the yarn supplier’s purchase minimum, which may be counted by yarn type, shade or dye lot. A factory’s small-order range is only a starting point: WTBF describes 50–100 piece small-order routes, while the workable allocation for a particular cropped cardigan depends on the selected yarn, colour availability, construction and project scope. Get the proposed quantity basis in writing before designing the collection around it.

A cropped cardigan on a dress form beside a knit swatch and blank style specification card.

Build a style-by-colour quantity grid

List every cardigan style down one side and each intended colour across the top. Fill in planned units per size rather than entering only one collection total. Add subtotals for each colour and style so the supplier can see where a split creates a small run. For example, 120 pieces across three styles and two colours could mean 20 pieces per style-colour combination; the arithmetic is only an illustration, not a WTBF minimum. Ask which combinations can share the same yarn and construction, and which need separate development or material planning.

Three small stacks of cropped cardigans in separate colours arranged with blank order tally cards.

Check whether the yarn plan supports the split

For each colour, confirm yarn composition, shade reference, stock status and the amount available for the proposed run. If the preferred colour is not in stock, compare an available shade with a custom-colour route only after understanding any material minimum, extra cost and remaining-yarn ownership. Do not assume two visually similar shades can share one dye lot, or that spare yarn can be returned or used for another style. Record buyer-approved alternatives and identify which sample must be remade if the yarn or colour changes.

Matching cardigan swatches and yarn cones in two shades with a blank shade-card book.

Approve a sample and quantity plan together

The sample should represent the selected yarn, cardigan length, button band, rib and fit. Review the approved garment against the size chart and note colour and trim references before releasing quantities. If one option has to change because its material minimum cannot be met, revise the quantity grid and sample approval together. Send WTBF the tech pack or reference, style-colour-size breakdown, preferred yarns and delivery country to confirm project-specific minimums, quotation scope and schedule. A general small-order figure is not a promise that every split can be produced on identical terms.

Hands reviewing cropped-cardigan samples, colour swatches and a blank order breakdown.
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