The polo shirt is one of the most common CMT jobs, especially for uniforms and corporate merchandise. It is also a garment that many workshops underprice: it has more operations than it seems, and the placket, collar and buttons eat minutes that never make it into the quote. Below is a simple method you can apply to any style.
Start with the operation list and standard minutes
The first step is to break the garment down into operations. For a classic piqué polo the list looks roughly like this:
- preparing and setting the placket;
- joining shoulders and attaching the knitted collar;
- setting sleeves and sleeve bands;
- closing the side seams, with or without side vents;
- hemming the body;
- buttonholes and buttons;
- labels, thread trimming, pressing and folding.
Give each operation a standard time in minutes (SAM). If you have no measured times, start from reference times based on your workshop's experience and adjust after the first lots. A basic polo usually lands between 12 and 18 minutes, depending on details: side vents, neck tape, embroidery or a concealed placket change the total a lot.
Your workshop's cost per minute
The second step is to know what one production minute costs you. The basic formula:
- Add up all monthly costs: wages and contributions, rent, energy, machine maintenance, transport, accounting, consumables.
- Calculate available minutes: number of operators × hours worked per month × 60.
- Multiply available minutes by the line's real efficiency.
- Divide total costs by productive minutes.
Efficiency is the step many people skip. A line never produces 100% of the time: there are style changes, waiting, repairs and learning. For short polo runs, 55–65% efficiency is realistic; long repeat runs can go higher. Exact wage and contribution figures must be checked with your accountant, because they change regularly.
A worked example
Let's assume a workshop with 20 operators working 168 hours a month each. Available minutes are 20 × 168 × 60 = 201,600. At 60% efficiency that leaves about 121,000 productive minutes. If total monthly costs are, for example, 300,000 lei, the cost per productive minute is about 2.48 lei.
For a 15-minute polo, labour cost is 15 × 2.48 = 37.2 lei. Add a margin of, say, 15% and you reach about 42.8 lei per piece, excluding fabric and trims. These figures are hypothetical; what matters is the mechanism. If real efficiency drops to 50%, the same polo costs 44.6 lei in labour alone and your margin is gone.
Adjusting for quantity and complexity
One price does not fit every order. Take into account:
- quantity: below a few hundred pieces the learning curve eats efficiency, so add a small-run surcharge;
- sizes and colours: many colours and sizes mean frequent thread and lot changes;
- fabric: heavy piqué or piqué with elastane sews more slowly and needs adjusted needles and tension;
- quality requirements: tight tolerances and 100% inspection add finishing time;
- packing: folding on a board, individual polybags and barcode stickers add real minutes.
Fabric and the timed test run
Even under CMT, the fabric the client brings affects your cost. A stable piqué with controlled shrinkage cuts and sews faster than one that twists or flutes at the edges. If the client asks for your advice, a good example for dark uniforms is our black 245 g piqué, heavy enough for a polo that keeps its shape after repeated washing and takes chest embroidery well.
Before confirming a price, ask for a small amount of the actual fabric and sew two or three timed pieces. It is the cheapest insurance against a wrong quote.
Presenting the price to the client
Quote a price per piece for a stated quantity and a clearly defined operation list. Write down what is not included: cutting if the fabric arrives uncut, embroidery, special packing, transport. If the style changes after sampling, the price is recalculated. That avoids arguments at the end.
If you also take full-package polo orders, look through our piqué fabric range and ask for a quote for the fabric you need. Stock qualities ship by the roll with no minimum, and special shades are made to order from 150 kg per colour.
The figures in the examples are hypothetical and only illustrate the calculation. They are not Alteks Tricot prices: we quote the price per kg of each article on request, usually the same working day. Ask for a quote
Frequently asked questions
What efficiency should I use if I have no measurements?
Use a cautious figure, for example 50–60% for short runs, and measure real output on your first three or four orders. Compare minutes produced with minutes paid and update the calculation. Over-optimistic efficiency is the most common reason CMT prices end up below cost.
Should cutting be included in the CMT price?
It depends on the agreement. If fabric arrives uncut, cutting must be priced separately: spreading, marker, cutting, numbering and bundling. State in the quote who supplies the pattern and marker, and who bears fabric losses above the agreed percentage.
How often should I recalculate my cost per minute?
At least once a year, and whenever wages, energy, rent or headcount change significantly. Many workshops review it quarterly. A cost-per-minute figure that is two years old almost certainly means you are quoting below cost.
