Apparel Production
What the exam tests
Apparel Production tests the sequence from tech pack to finished garment, including marker making, spreading, cutting, sewing-line flow and finishing. Numerical questions on marker efficiency and fabric consumption are common.
Core rules and concepts
- Production stages are design and sampling, grading, marker making, spreading, cutting, bundling, sewing, finishing, inspection and packing.
- Marker efficiency = area of pattern pieces ÷ area of marker × 100. Higher efficiency means less fabric waste.
- Fabric consumption per garment = marker area ÷ garments in marker, plus end loss and defects allowance.
- Respect grain, nap and one-way designs. Cutting against grain causes twist and poor drape.
- Line balancing uses operation times and SAM (standard allowed minutes) to reduce bottlenecks. Bundles should be identifiable by size, shade and style.
Worked example
A marker is 12 m long and 1.5 m wide, so its area is 18 m². The pattern pieces total 15.3 m². Marker efficiency is 15.3 ÷ 18 × 100 = 85%. The marker contains 12 garments, so fabric per garment is 18 ÷ 12 = 1.5 m². Adding 3% end loss gives 1.545 m² per garment; for 600 garments, requirement is 1.545 × 600 = 927 m². The reasoning is that efficiency measures pattern use, while consumption must also include unavoidable loss.
Traps that cost marks
Confusing marker efficiency with fabric utilization, ignoring one-way fabric, forgetting end loss, and cutting without checking grain all cost marks.