The build, in three steps
First, landed cost: fabric, cut and sew, finishing, packaging, freight to the warehouse. For a 230gsm cotton crew that lands somewhere around the low three dollars depending on weight and construction.
Second, margin: a percentage on top, set by how much service sits behind the shirt. A commodity blank carries a thinner margin than a garment-dyed one because there is less to go wrong.
Third, rounding and tiering: the number is rounded to a clean increment and then stepped by quantity. Rounding up to the nearest five cents is normal; a price ending in .37 is usually a cost that has not been tidied.
Our published ladder
US stock runs from $3.00 to $12.60 per piece depending on style and weight. The 230gsm crew is $3.90 / $3.70 / $3.55 at 100 / 300 / 600 pieces; the 180gsm tubular crew is $3.30 / $3.10 / $3.00.
China-stock styles are quoted FOB and labelled as such. They are not comparable to the US figures without adding freight and duty, and we do not present them as if they were.
Why two suppliers quote different numbers for the same weight
Four variables hide behind "230gsm cotton tee": the knit (single jersey versus interlock), the yarn (carded versus combed), the construction (tubular versus side-seamed, taped neck or not) and the finishing (garment washed or not).
A 30-cent gap between two quotes at the same weight is usually one of those four, not a supplier being generous or greedy. Ask which one differs before you treat the cheaper quote as a win.
- Carded versus combed yarn: 8–15% on the blank.
- Tubular versus side-seamed: cheaper body, different fit.
- Taped neck: a few cents, and the collar lasts noticeably longer.
- Garment wash: adds cost and changes shrinkage and hand feel.
The four things that move your price
Weight is the largest: fabric is 45–55% of the cost, so a step from 180 to 300gsm is not a detail.
Quantity is the second: our top tier saves about 9% against the first.
Colour is the third: stock colours are free, a custom dye lot carries its own minimum.
Size is the fourth and it is the one buyers forget: extended sizes cost more per piece because they use more fabric.
How to read a quote line
A usable quote states the unit price, the quantity break, the specification, the basis (FOB, CIF, DDP or ex-warehouse) and what is excluded. If any of the five is missing, the number is not actionable.
Then check the sizing: a price quoted for S–XL with a separate extended-size line is honest; a single price for S–5XL means either the surcharge is already averaged in, or it will appear later.