How to Read a Knitwear Quotation: FOB Price Breakdown for Buyers

When a factory sends back a quote, most buyers look at one number: the FOB price. But a knitwear quotation is a story about how your product is built — and learning to read it line by line is the difference between negotiating from knowledge and guessing. This guide breaks down what's inside a sweater quote, what each line means, and the red flags that separate a real quote from a number designed to win your order and renegotiate later.

A quote that's missing its assumptions — gauge, yarn count, weight per piece, Incoterm, MOQ — isn't a quote, it's a teaser. Always ask for the breakdown. A transparent factory will give it to you.

• Style reference and a photo or tech-pack link
• Gauge (e.g. 7GG), yarn composition and count, and net weight per garment (the single biggest cost driver)
• MOQ per style and per colour
• Unit price with the Incoterm (FOB, EXW or CIF) clearly stated
• Sample cost and sample lead time, plus bulk lead time
• Payment terms (commonly a deposit + balance)
• Validity date (yarn prices move)

Roughly, a knit garment's FOB price is built from these components. Shares vary by gauge and yarn, but this is a useful mental model:

Heavier, finer or premium-fibre sweaters shift weight toward yarn; complex patterns shift it toward knitting and linking. For the full picture, see custom knitwear cost factors and what drives custom sweater manufacturing cost.

• EXW (Ex Works) — price at the factory door; you arrange and pay for everything after.
• FOB (Free On Board) — most common in knitwear; price includes getting goods onto the vessel at the export port. You handle freight and import duty.
• CIF — adds sea freight and insurance to the destination port.

Two quotes are only comparable if they use the same Incoterm. An "EXW" price will always look cheaper than an "FOB" price for the same garment — that's not a discount, it's a different scope.

• No weight per piece stated. Yarn is 40–60% of cost; if weight is vague, the price is too.
• A price far below the others. Often it's a thinner yarn, lower count, looser construction, or a number that climbs once you're committed. Cross-check against the 2026 sourcing benchmark report.
• MOQ that seems too good but ignores per-colour minimums.
• No sample cost or lead time — a sign the development conversation hasn't really happened.
• Vague payment terms. Understand them up front; see knitwear payment terms and trade conditions.

1. Normalise the Incoterm and MOQ across all quotes. 2. Compare yarn composition, count and weight — not just price. 3. Factor in sampling speed and reject risk, which affect landed cost and your season. 4. Ask each factory to quote the same tech pack — see how to prepare a sweater tech pack.

Licheng Knitwear quotes with the breakdown shown — gauge, yarn, weight, Incoterm, MOQ, sample and bulk lead time — so you can compare apples to apples. Send your product idea, reference photo or tech pack and target quantity, and request a quote. We'll come back with a clear, itemised proposal, or browse product directions to start from a style you like.