The three pricing models for knitwear manufacturing — CMT, FOB, and full package — are not interchangeable. Understanding what each includes (and what you're responsible for) changes how you compare quotes and manage landed cost.
When a Turkish knitwear factory gives you a price, you need to know what that price includes. "We can do it for $28" means something very different depending on whether you're looking at a CMT quote, an FOB quote, or a full-package price. Comparing quotes across factories without aligning on pricing model is one of the most common reasons brands get surprised by their actual landed cost. This article explains each model clearly and gives you honest FOB benchmarks for Turkish flat-knit knitwear.
The brand supplies the yarn (sometimes also the trim). The factory charges only for labor — the cutting, knitting, linking, and finishing. CMT isolates the manufacturing cost from materials. It's useful when the brand wants control over yarn sourcing or has an existing yarn supplier relationship. CMT is less common in flat-knit knitwear than in cut-and-sew, because yarn for knitwear is a technical input closely tied to the machine and gauge — factories often prefer to source it themselves.
The factory supplies yarn, produces the garment, applies basic trim and labels, and delivers to the port of export (typically Mersin for Turkish knitwear). The brand pays the FOB price and takes responsibility for ocean freight, insurance, and customs clearance from that point. FOB is the most common pricing model for international knitwear sourcing — it gives the factory control over materials sourcing while giving the brand a clean, comparable unit price.
The factory sources everything — yarn, fabric if needed, all trim, labels, hangtags, poly bags — and may ship DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) to your US warehouse. The brand receives finished goods ready for sale. Full package is convenient for brands without in-house sourcing expertise, but the factory marks up every component. For sophisticated buyers, FOB with self-managed trim is typically more cost-effective.
Most first-time importers start on FOB — it's clean, comparable across factories, and shifts yarn sourcing complexity to the factory. CMT makes sense once you have a preferred yarn supplier or specific yarn performance requirements. Full package makes sense for brands that want a single-vendor relationship and are willing to pay a moderate premium for it.
Breaking down a Turkish flat-knit FOB price into its components helps you understand what drives cost — and where there is (or isn't) room to optimize:
These are honest market ranges for standard styles at 250–500 unit MOQ, FOB Mersin. They reflect typical market conditions, not best-case or worst-case scenarios. Your actual quote will vary based on stitch complexity, gauge, brand-specific trim, and order volume.
Any quote substantially below these ranges for equivalent quality and fiber should be investigated carefully — it typically indicates a different fiber content than specified, lower quality control standards, or a factory with capacity problems. A 30%+ discount from market rates on Turkish knitwear is a red flag, not a win.
FOB is not what you pay in total. To get to landed cost (what you spend before your first sale), add: ocean freight (typically $1.50–3.00/kg for Turkish knitwear to US East Coast, roughly $4–8 per sweater depending on weight and market conditions), US import duty (typically 16–20% of FOB for wool sweaters, 14–17% for cotton, check the correct HTS code for your product), customs brokerage fees (fixed or weight-based, typically $150–400 per shipment), and inland delivery to your warehouse.
A merino crewneck at $42 FOB might land in your US warehouse at $52–58 fully loaded. This is the number you need to build your retail price from — not the FOB number alone.
Pricing
We quote CMT, FOB or full-package. One clear breakdown — no surprises on the invoice.
See how pricing works →We provide detailed FOB quotes with component breakdown — yarn cost, CMT, trim — so you can understand what drives your price and make informed decisions about where to optimize. Send us your tech pack or reference style and we'll give you a specific, honest number.
