A uniform is not a one-off order. The first batch is the easy part. The trouble starts with the reorder: new staff need sizes that were not in the first run, the navy of the second batch is a shade lighter than the first, and the embroidered logo on the new shirts sits lower than on the old ones. Staff standing side by side make every difference visible.

This guide is for companies ordering uniforms for their own staff, uniform suppliers and distributors, and brands building a workwear range. It covers the decisions to make before you ask a Vietnamese garment factory for a price, and the records to keep so that later orders match the first. Production models are compared in CMT, FOB or ODM.

💬 Planning a uniform or workwear programme? Send us the garments, the jobs your staff do and a rough headcount, and we will look for Vietnamese factories that already make that type of garment. Tell us about your project.

Start from the job, not from the fabric name

Choose the fabric by what the wearer does and how the garment is washed; a fabric name on a quotation tells you little until you know the composition, weave, weight and finish behind it.

For each garment, write down the work environment (heat, outdoors, dust, oil, food), how much the wearer moves, and how it will be washed.

Fabric familyWhat buyers usually want from itWhat to ask the factory
Cotton (twill, drill, canvas, jersey)Comfort, breathability, a natural lookWeight, weave, pre-shrinking, shrinkage after washing, colour fastness
Polyester-cotton blendsDurability, less creasing, colour that holds through frequent washingExact blend ratio, weight, pilling behaviour, how it handles industrial laundering
Polyester and other syntheticsEasy care, quick drying, bright coloursYarn type, finish, breathability, whether it suits hot work environments
Stretch and functional fabricsMovement, moisture management, a modern fitElastane content, the finish that gives the function and whether it survives washing
Fabrics with a protective functionProtection against a specific hazardThe standard the fabric is tested to, the test report, the testing laboratory

Ask for fabric swatches with the composition and weight written on them, and wash a piece yourself the way your staff or your laundry will. Write the composition, weight and finish into the specification, so that a later batch cannot quietly switch to a lighter or cheaper cloth with the same name.

Protective claims change the product

If a garment is sold as protecting the wearer against a hazard, it is personal protective equipment in many markets and has to meet that market’s rules before you make the claim.

The European Commission describes personal protective equipment as products the user wears or holds to be protected against risks, at work, at home or during leisure, and in the EU it is governed by Regulation (EU) 2016/425. High-visibility, flame-resistant, chemical-resistant and similar garments fall into this territory. Other markets have their own rules and standards.

You name the standard, based on where the garment will be worn, and the evidence is a laboratory test report on the fabric and the made-up garment. The factory sews to a specification; it does not decide the protective claim. Never print a protective claim or symbol before the test evidence exists.

Build the size range before the first order

A uniform size range has to fit everyone on your staff list, including the sizes you will only need a few of, so fix the size chart and grading at the start, not at the reorder.

The size chart should give the body measurements each size is for, the finished garment measurements at agreed points (chest, length, sleeve, waist, hip), and the tolerance allowed on each measurement.

Points to settle early:

  • Size range. Include the smallest and largest sizes your staff will need, even in tiny quantities. Adding an extreme size later can mean new pattern work and a garment that does not quite match the rest of the range.
  • Fit sample on real people. Ask for fit samples in several sizes and try them on staff of different builds doing their actual work: reaching, bending, lifting.
  • Size mix per order. Base the size split on your actual staff list, not on a generic curve. Keep the split from each order, so the next one can be planned from real data.

The sampling stages themselves (proto, fit, pre-production, top-of-production) are explained in sample approval stages in Vietnam. For uniforms, the approved fit sample of each size becomes a reference you keep, not a sample you throw away.

Embroidery, print or badge: put the logo where it lasts

Choose the decoration method by how the garment is washed and how long it must stay presentable; embroidery is the usual choice for laundered uniforms, while print suits large designs and lighter garments.

MethodWhere it works wellWhat to check
EmbroideryLogos on shirts, polos, jackets, caps; garments washed oftenStitch count and detail of the design, backing material, puckering on thin fabrics
Screen printLarge designs, back prints, simple coloursInk type for the fabric, cracking after washing, opacity on dark fabrics
Heat transferNames, small runs, complex colour designsAdhesion after repeated washing, especially industrial laundering
Woven or embroidered badgeLogos that move between garment styles; easy to replaceHow it is attached (sewn or heat-applied), edge finish

Send your logo as a vector file with colour references. For embroidery the artwork is converted into a stitch file (digitising) and fine lines or very small text may be simplified, so approve a stitched sample on the actual fabric before bulk.

Specify the logo position by measurement from fixed points on the garment (for example, from the shoulder seam and the centre front) and its finished size, for every size in the range.

Use only your own logo or a logo you are licensed to use. Copying another company’s logo, character or design infringes trademark, copyright or design rights, and we do not arrange that.

💬 Want logo samples stitched on the real fabric before you approve? We coordinate fabric swatches, fit samples and logo trials with the factory and send you the results. Send us your logo and garment list.

Keep the colour the same from batch to batch

Colour drift between orders is the difference staff notice first; prevent it with an approved colour standard, a written tolerance and a reference sample kept on both sides.

Fabric is dyed in lots, and two lots of the same colour can differ slightly; between orders months apart, only a fixed reference holds the colour.

What to keep:

  • The approved lab dip or colour standard for each fabric colour, signed and dated, with a copy held by you and by the factory.
  • A sealed sample of each approved garment, kept unwashed, as the reference for later batches.
  • The fabric specification (composition, weight, finish, mill reference if the factory uses one) so that a reorder starts from the same cloth.
  • The light source under which colour is judged, agreed in writing, because a colour that matches under shop lighting can look different in daylight.

Buttons, zips, thread and labels drift the same way if re-sourced without a reference. For branded bags or event merchandise in the same programme, see tote and promotional bags and promotional textiles.

Reorders, stock and lead time

Decide early who holds stock, of what, and at whose risk; a uniform programme without a stock plan runs out of the sizes it needs most just as new staff join.

There are three common ways to organise a running programme:

ApproachHow it worksWhat to agree
Order per batchYou order when you need garments; each order goes through materials, production and shippingThe time needed for fabric, production and transport, so you order early enough
Buyer holds stockYou keep finished garments by size in your own warehouseSize mix based on past consumption, storage conditions
Reserved fabric or semi-finished stockFabric, or garments without names, is held for you so reorders move fasterWho pays for the reserved material, how long it is held, what happens if the programme ends

Reorder lead time depends on whether the fabric is in stock or must be woven and dyed, the decoration, the factory’s line loading and the shipping route, so ask for each stage separately rather than one overall figure.

If the factory holds fabric or garments for you, put it in writing: quantity, location, ownership, insurance and what happens to it if you stop ordering.

Selling or supplying uniforms inside Vietnam

Textile products placed on the Vietnamese market fall under a national technical regulation on formaldehyde and azo-dye aromatic amines, so a Vietnamese buyer should ask for conformity evidence from the start.

If the uniforms stay in Vietnam, for a factory, hotel, restaurant chain or office here, the relevant instrument is QCVN 01:2017/BCT, issued with Circular 21/2017/TT-BCT (Thông tư 21/2017/TT-BCT) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. It sets limits for formaldehyde and for aromatic amines derived from azo dyes. It was amended by Circular 37/2026/TT-BCT, issued on 30 June 2026 and in force from 1 July 2026: the regulation now covers textile products before they are put into circulation in Vietnam, the list of covered products moved to Circular 33/2026/TT-BCT, several of the original exclusions were removed, and covered products must be tested and certified, declared conformant and carry the CR mark before circulation. Confirm the current text and whether your garment is on the list before you rely on it.

If the uniforms are exported, the importing country’s rules apply instead, including its labelling rules — see care and content labels by market — and the rules of origin of any trade agreement you claim, covered in proof of origin for Vietnamese exports.

What drives cost

Uniform pricing is built from fabric, construction, decoration, the size range and the order pattern; compare factories only on an identical specification.

DriverWhy it matters
FabricUsually the largest material cost; composition, weight and finish all move it
Number of coloursEach fabric colour can carry its own minimum at the mill
ConstructionPockets, reinforcements, pleats and closures add sewing time
DecorationEmbroidery stitch count, number of print colours and logo positions
Size rangeExtra sizes and separate cuts add pattern and cutting work
Trims and labelsButtons, zips, reflective tape and woven labels have their own minimums
PackingIndividual bags, folding by size, name sorting

When you compare offers, send every factory the same tech pack and size chart, and read the quotations line by line, as described in how to compare Vietnamese supplier quotations.

How Sunsho Trade works on uniform projects

We are a trading company, not a factory: for each programme we find the Vietnamese garment factory that fits it, check it, and manage production through to shipment.

That means turning your brief into a specification, collecting quotations on identical terms, checking the factory (see our factory audit checklist), running samples, keeping the colour and fit references, and arranging pre-shipment inspection.

💬 Ready to set up a uniform programme made in Vietnam? See our sewn products manufacturing service, or send us your garment list and we will come back with factory options.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can a Vietnamese factory make uniforms with our company logo?
Yes, embroidered, printed or as a badge. Send a vector file and approve a sample on the actual fabric before bulk.

2. How do we keep the colour the same when we reorder?
Keep a signed colour standard and a sealed, unwashed sample of the approved garment on both sides, and write the fabric specification into the order. Each new batch is checked against those references.

3. Can we order small quantities of unusual sizes?
Plan them into the size range from the first order, even if the quantity is small. Adding an extreme size later can need new pattern work. The cost effect depends on the factory and the fabric.

4. Can the factory certify our workwear as protective clothing?
The protective claim depends on the standard of the market where the garment is worn and on a laboratory test report. The factory sews to the specification; you decide the standard and arrange the testing.

5. Do uniforms supplied inside Vietnam need any declaration?
If the garment is on the product list for QCVN 01:2017/BCT (formaldehyde and azo-dye aromatic amines), as amended from 1 July 2026, it must be certified and declared conformant before circulation. Confirm the current list and text before you rely on it.

Sources

Checked on 24 October 2026.