What Is CMT in Garment Manufacturing?

CMT stands for Cut, Make, and Trim. It refers to the labor and production cost of turning raw fabric into a finished garment — cutting the fabric pieces, sewing them together, and attaching all trims (labels, tags, elastic, zippers, and other accessories).

CMT does not include the cost of fabric itself, compliance testing, freight, or duties. It's one component of your total per-unit manufacturing cost, typically representing 25 to 35 percent of the total landed cost of a garment.

What's Included in CMT

Cut covers spreading fabric on the cutting table, laying out the pattern marker (the arrangement of pattern pieces optimized to minimize waste), and cutting the fabric into individual garment pieces. For fabrics like bamboo rayon that are slippery, cutting requires specialized equipment and experienced operators.

Make is the sewing stage — assembling cut pieces into a finished garment. This includes all seaming, hemming, elastic application, and topstitching. The complexity of the garment directly affects this cost: a basic two-piece pajama set with an elastic waistband is simpler (and cheaper) than one with contrast piping, pockets, and a button placket.

Trim covers attaching all non-fabric components: woven brand labels, care labels, size labels, hang tags, and packaging. It also includes pressing (steaming the finished garment to remove wrinkles) and folding.

What CMT Costs

For a straightforward children's two-piece pajama set manufactured overseas, CMT typically ranges from $2.00 to $4.50 per unit. More complex constructions push higher; simpler designs come in lower.

Factors that increase CMT cost include additional seams or panels, contrast piping or decorative trim, pockets (especially angled or zippered), button plackets or snap closures, and custom packaging beyond a standard poly bag.

Factors that decrease CMT cost include simple, clean construction (elastic waist, standard neckline), larger production runs (labor efficiency improves at higher volumes), and consistent reorders (the production team learns your garment and works faster on repeat runs).

CMT vs. Full-Package Manufacturing

When a manufacturer quotes "CMT pricing," they're only quoting the labor portion. You're responsible for sourcing and providing the fabric, trims, and packaging separately.

"Full-package" or "FOB pricing" includes everything — fabric, CMT, trims, packaging — in a single per-unit price. Most emerging brands prefer full-package pricing because it simplifies the process and puts fabric sourcing in the manufacturer's hands rather than yours.

When comparing quotes from different manufacturers, make sure you're comparing the same thing: CMT-only quotes look dramatically lower than full-package quotes, and confusing the two leads to bad decisions.

For a full breakdown of every cost component in sleepwear manufacturing, read:
What Does It Actually Cost to Manufacture Sleepwear?

We provide full-package manufacturing for sleepwear brands — fabric sourcing, CMT, compliance, and logistics in one transparent per-unit price.